Poetry - Getting to grips with the texts

Apart from going through the notes I emailed you on every single poem, I strongly suggest you do some background reading - not just on the text but on the poets themselves. A poet can either reinforce your idea or contradict it (depending on what you're writing about) and you can give you a better insight as to whether the author is dependable and reliable.

Think about how you feel about the poem. Does it make you sad? Does it make  you happy? Read it to yourself and try and identify the places that evoke emotions and try and work out a precise word or phrase that triggers those feelings.

Remember, personal response is very important and you can score really high marks with poetry if you just engage with the material. Look between the lines, look further into the poem, rather than look at it as a bunch of words on the page.

This is quite a good summary of what you should be doing:

The very first step in critical appreciation of a poem is that of determining whether you initially liked or disliked it and to what extent. This is not to say that further readings and thoughts about the poem will not alter your initial opinion. Here are some points to check:

Title - Is it appropriate to the subject, tone and genre? Does it generate interest, and hint at what the poem is about? 

Subject - What does the basic situation appear to be? Who is talking, and under what circumstances? Try writing a paraphrase to identify any gaps or confusions. 

Shape - What is it appealing to: the intellect or emotions of the reader? What structures such as progressions, puns, comparisons, analogies, bald assertions, acrostics, repetitions, etc, have been used? Are these aspects satisfyingly integrated? Does structure support content? 

Tone - What attitude to the subject is expressed? Is it appropriate to content and audience: assured, flexible, sensitive, etc.? 

Word Choice - Are these appropriate and uncontrived, economical, varied and energizing? Can each word be understood properly, considering its common uses and associations? Are there any innovations? List the verbs and see if they truly push the poem along. Are words repeated? Do they set mood, emotional rapport, and distance? 

Personification - Is this striking or persuasive? Does it add to unity and power? 

Metaphor and Simile - Are these fresh and convincing? Do they combine on many levels? 

Rhythm and Metre- Are these natural and inevitable? Do they integrate the poem's structure? 

Rhyme - Is this fresh and pleasurable? Is it unassuming but supportive? 

Dynamics - Is the poetic force pure, unpolluted and unadulterated? 

Weight - Is the poem light, medium or heavy? 

Overall Impression -Is the poem original, honest, coherent, expressive, and significant?

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