For a podcast on analysing form in poetry go to www.hoddereducation.co.uk/englishreviewextras
When studying a poem for the first time, it’s sometimes difficult to know where to start. Your head can be full of technical terms and the poem can seem like a puzzle to be solved, rather than a work of art to be appreciated. One of the least helpful approaches is to have a checklist of features that you apply in the same way to all poems, regardless of genre. Instead, why not read and reread the poem, allowing it to release its meaning gradually? Allow it to suggest which features are the most fruitful to explore. For example, if you’re studying a poem with an element of narrative, consider the ways in which the poet uses narrative techniques to shape meaning and create effects.
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