WRITING THAT POETRY ANALYSIS ESSAY

Table of contents

• How to Analyze a Poem
• What is a Poetry Analysis
• How to Write a Poetry Analysis Essay - Research and Preparation
• Choosing a Poetry Analysis Topic
• Poetry Analysis Tips
• Poetry Analysis Example

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How to Analyze a Poem

A poem analysis essay is a fairly unique assignment. You may encounter it in some composition classes, creative writing, or as part of a literature course. The purpose of writing a poetry analysis is to explore a poem or set of poems in depth in order to better understand the work as well as the author’s intentions.

When you analyze a poem, you explore it by asking questions, exploring the author’s potential meanings, and studying any context that was relevant at the time the poem was thinking. This is a great exercise in understanding a poem better, and also developing your figurative thinking skills. 

This guide will help you to understand the process of performing a literary analysis of a poem, and writing a paper on that. We’ll explore the definition of poetry analysis, provide instructions and tips, and link to a poetry analysis essay example.

What is a Poetry Analysis

When you write a poetry analysis, you review the various structural elements of a poem. These are composed of artistic intent, function, and structure. Your findings from this analysis are articulated in an analysis essay.

Because poetry is all about the expression of emotions, poets often use words and phrases to convey different meanings. As part of your analysis, you must examine how the combination of chosen words, rhythm, imagery, etc. communicate both obvious and underlying meaning.

Your analysis will require that you examine the writing choices made by the poet, the reasons behind those choices, and whether or not the writer succeeded.

How to Write a Poetry Analysis Essay - Research and Preparation

As you might imagine, your first step is to read the poem. In fact, you’ll probably need to read it several times, taking notes to capture the various nuances. This is a good time to record the type of poem, techniques used by the author, even the rhyming scheme. Here are some of the more popular types of poem that you may analyze:

• Ode
• Sonnet
• Limerick
• Haiku
• Limerick
• Free Verse

Not only are the words the poet chooses important, learning how to structure a poem and the rules that govern each type of poem will help you with your analysis. As you read the poem ask yourself what type of poem it is, and why the author chose the specific format that they did. Remember that structure and rhythm can impact the content and how it is perceived.

Once you have analyzed the structure of the poem, it’s time to explore the poem’s background and context. Start with the poet, the date the poem was written, where it was written, and gather all of the contextual information you can find. This will help you to understand the poem better. Now is a good time to find the meaning of any archaic or otherwise unfamiliar wording. In some cases, you may be able to find the poet’s own thoughts on the poem. If you want to know what would a formal interpretation of the poem focus on, the writer is the best place to start.

Now you can consider the subject matter of the poem itself. Remember that poets often infuse their poems with multiple meanings and messages. If you can, find a poetry explication example for your assigned poem. This could help you find meanings in the poem that you had not considered.

Choosing a Poetry Analysis Topic

There are two things to consider here. One is the selection of the poem itself. In some courses, you may not have a choice here. You’ll be assigned to analyze a poem that is part of your coursework. If you do have a choice, try to select a poem that resonates with you. That doesn’t mean you have to like it. In fact, it’s more about emotional impact than taste. In other words, you can write a more interesting analysis of a poem that you absolutely hate than you can a poem you simply think is ‘nice’.

The second item to choose is the type of analysis you are going to perform. For example, you could choose to break the poem down, analyzing every aspect of it. You might also choose to focus on one particular thing, such as the use of imagery. You can even compare two poems from the same writer.

It would be too exhaustive to list the poems you could potentially analyze. Instead, consider your interests and find a poem that grabs you.

Poetry Analysis Thesis

Once you have selected a poem and created your research, it’s time to write your thesis. This will be the statement that you support as you write your analytical essay.

Poetry Analysis Outline

Even if it isn’t part of your required deliverables, an outline can be extremely useful in helping you organize your thoughts. By creating an outline, you also force yourself to choose the elements that will be the focus of your paper. In most instances, the standard I, A, 1, a structure will be fine. However, you may choose other formats if that helps you organize your thoughts better.

Poetry Analysis Rough and Final Drafts

With analytical papers, the hardest work is in the research and analysis. Once you understand the poem and have written your outline, the process of turning that into a rough draft is pretty easy. You simply turn those thoughts and ideas into full sentences. Then, add some transitions, examples, and other elements to make your paper easy to read and your points clear.

Poetry Analysis Tips

• Read the poem out loud to get the full effect.
• Learn how to quote a poem in an essay so that you cite your sources properly.
• Choose a poem you find engaging.
• Edit and proofread your poem thoroughly.

Poetry Analysis Example

You can learn quite a bit about analyzing poems by looking at examples of other papers. We are happy to offer writing samples on a variety of topics. In addition to this, we have writers, editors, and others on staff to assist you with your poetry analysis.