These question can help to a great extent when doing unseen poetry. These question will aid in commenting on the various aspects of a poem such as language, structure and understanding of the poem
I: Content
· Does the poem have a title?
· What does the title mean?
· Is there a symbolic meaning behind the title other than the literal meaning?
· What are the theme(s) of the poem? To some extent your understanding of the theme of a poem will develop as your analysis proceeds.
· What is the setting of the poem?
o When and where does the poem take place?
· Who is the persona?
· What is the mood of the poem?
o Is the mood consistent throughout the poem?
· Is there a implied meaning in the poem?
· What is the genre and meter of the poem?
· Does the poem have a rhyme scheme?
· What is the emotional/rhetorical curve of the poem?
· Are words and/or constructions repeated and/or varied in the sub-sections of the poem?
· What tense(s) does the narrator employ?
Poetic Effects: does the poem demonstrate:
· imagery or figurative language
· symbolism
· metaphor and simile
· consonance or assonance
· alliteration, anaphora or onomatopoeia
· What tense(s) does the narrator employ?
· Is the poem’s language primarily literal or symbolic?
