How Do I Read a Poem?

First, you must realize that there is never just one way to read a poem. Poetry is often written to evoke personal feelings, and your personal responses—your feelings about a poem—are not necessarily incorrect just because they seem off the wall. All poetry combines sound and sense; thus you should always be aware of the lyric elements in a poem—how the poem sounds to your ear.

Also, always be aware of connotation as well as denotation; all words have echoes and references beyond their immediate meaning, and quite often poets are not only cognizant of these echoes but are also employing them to help convey their meaning. Consider, for instance, “blue sky.” This denotes a weather condition, but it also connotes the possibility of someone or something being beautiful, serene, or heavenly.

Always identify the poem’s situation. What is said is always conditioned by where and when it is being said, and by who is saying it. Identifying the speaker and his or her context places his or her utterances in perspective. I have always found it helpful to imagine making a video of the poem. Imagine that you are going to make a film of a poem—what would you place in front of the camera. See the poem imaginatively through this lens.

Always read the syntax literally. What the words say literally in normal sentences is only a starting point, but it is the best place to start. Not all poems use normal syntax and grammar, but you should start reading the poem by paraphrasing (in plain syntax, rephrasing what the poem literally says).

Always consider what the title, subject, and situation make you expect or assume. Often poets will offer a title, subject, or situation as a clue to reading their poems. Although poets will often surprise readers by reversing expectations (the nature of irony), you should be conscious of where you are expected to begin. Take what the poet gives you.

Also, always be willing to be surprised. Like fiction writers, poets will often defy conventions and traditions. What is first suggested can possibly contradict itself by the end of the poem, or at least offer significant qualification or variation. Be aware that, instead of serenity and bliss, “blue sky” might ironically indicate emotional turbulence.

Always consider what is implied by the literary and cultural traditions behind the poem. Verse forms, poetic structures, and metrical patterns all have frames of reference, traditions of the way they have usually been used and for what reasons. Poets are especially close readers of other poets. Thus, when a poet writes an elegy or a sonnet, you can be sure that he or she is fully aware of the elegy or sonnet tradition. Quite possibly he or she is not only aware of Milton or Shakespeare, but that he or she is writing in response to their poems.

Always consider the poet’s cultural and historical context. As cultural artifacts, a poem is constructed in a particular time and place—and your time and place of reading of the poem occurs in a completely different time and place. Obviously, times change. Not only the meaning of words, but whole ways of looking at the universe vary in different ages and cultural perspectives. You should always be aware of your time and place and the poet’s time and place. A word he or she used might have had different denotations and connotations than its current and more familiar uses.

Always assume that there is a reason for everything. Poetry relies on an extremely careful use of words, and you should always assume that poets have not made mistakes in constructing their poems, that poets have verbal control of their texts. Since words are carefully chosen, always consider why a word choice seems unusual, surprising, or curious. Try to discern a pattern in the poet’s choices.

Always look up anything you don’t understand—unfamiliar words, or familiar words used in unfamiliar ways, references to places, people, events, or myths, anything that the poem makes use of.

Also, always use discussion as a tool for clarification. One of the best ways to read a poem is to read it with other people (especially reading it aloud). Sharing responses and interpretations always helps to clarify a poem’s meaning (or meanings). In some ways, even the most private, personal poems are public events, and you should not feel that you have to rely solely on your own assumptions and reactions.