How to Understand Poetry

Many people regard poetry with something like hatred or contempt.^{[1]XResearch source}^{[2]XResearch source}^{[3]XResearch source}^{[4]XResearch source} Even so, many great thinkers, like William Hazlitt, have argued, "He who has a contempt for poetry, cannot have much respect for himself, or for anything else."^{[5]XResearch source} Professors and musicians base entire careers around the interpretation and production of poetry, which can also be referred to as lyrics in music.^{[6]XResearch source}^{[7]XResearch source} Poetry offers new expressions in language, captures feelings that lack specific terms, and conveys timeless impressions across the years.^{[8]XResearch source}^{[9]XResearch source}^{[10]XResearch source} So what exactly does it all mean?

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing to Understand

1
Define "understand" for yourself. If you are a student trying to pull out literary devices to gain an understanding of the mechanics of a poem, your definition will be very different from someone who is simply reading for enjoyment.
- Generally speaking, the "meaning" of a poem isn't a singular thing, but is instead an interpretation formed by the reader and supported by the text.
2
Establish your goal. If you are a student in a class on poetry, or studying a unit on poetry in your literature class, your goal will likely be outlined by your teacher or professor. If you are reading the poetry of a favorite author for fun, your goal might be to understand that author's point of view.
- Speaking broadly, the goal of the academic study of poetry is to understand the poem critically through the use of literary devices (sometimes called literary terms). By using these established tropes, or patterns, you can support your opinions and interpretations.^{[11]XResearch sourceCuddon, J. A.; Preston, C. E. (1998). "Trope". <i>The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory</i> (4 ed.). London: Penguin. p. 948.}
- Musicians' goal may be to gain a better understanding of prosody, which is the rhythm and patters of stress in language. Many kinds of poetry fall into specific stress patterns, also called prosodic patterns. By understanding how systems of sounds work together, a musician can more intentionally craft lyrics to fit sound.
3
Familiarize yourself with the basics. While you probably won't need to be armed to the teeth with an understanding of literary devices to enjoy reading poetry, a little knowledge can shed considerable light on the poem you are reading. The following terms and descriptions are commonly occurring literary devices that might be useful to you:
- Allusion - a figure of speech the author uses to refer to a specific thing, event, place in a passing reference.
- Diction - the choice of wording or particular expressions that an author chooses in his work.
- Foreshadowing - clues that hint at future events in the author's writing.
- Form: the distribution of elements in a poem, sometimes regulated by rules of structure, sometimes free and irregular.
- Imagery - the use of words and phrases, as chosen by an author, to evoke a mental picture in the mind of the reader.
- Metaphor - the comparison of two distinct subjects, as in: the world is a stage.
- Personification - the attachment of human traits to something not human.
- Point-of-view - the angle of perception through which the writing unfolds, in many cases, completely separate and different from considerations of the author.
- Rhyme - the repetition of the same or similar sounds in two or more words.
- Simile - the comparison of two distinct subjects using the words like or as, as in: she was built like a refrigerator.^{[12]XResearch source}^{[13]XResearch source}^{[14]XResearch source}^{[15]XResearch source}^{[16]XResearch source}
Each literary device that you notice will give you an opportunity to apply a question to the poem. Why has the author chosen this particular technique? Why did he decide on this choice of words? Why did he use this particular metaphor in this particular place?
You don't need to read an Emily Dickinson biography to understand and enjoy her poetry. But by knowing the time period she lived in and the highlights of her career, you will be able to think about things from her perspective better. This improves your chances of understanding.^{[17]XResearch source}
A pencil or pen and paper will allow you to record your impressions, jot down unfamiliar words, and mark passages that might be difficult for you to understand. This can also be helpful for highlighting and remembering literary devices while reading.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Reading the Poem

You may be the type that can focus best in well lit, public areas, like a park or coffee shop. Or maybe you need absolute silence, dim lighting, and the privacy of your home. In either case, a prime location will help you do your best at puzzling out the meaning of a poem.
2
Scrutinize the title. Titles can be very misleading, and what you might have suspected the title to indicate before you read the poem might change considerably afterwards. Note any impressions you have, potential double or hidden meanings, and potential inferences.^{[18]XResearch source}
- The title of William Blake's The Book of Urizen is, at first glance, perhaps a book belonged to someone or thing called "Urizen." However, thinking about that name with regard to pronunciation, the title could be conceived as a book of "Your Reason" or "You're risen."
3
Read through the poem start to finish. That's right - don't allow anything to distract you. Don't stop to look up a word, don't distract yourself by stopping to figure out the rhyme scheme. Read the poem start to finish without a pause in between. This is for many reasons:
- Poetry, even poetry that doesn't rhyme, is usually written with a certain rhythm in mind. Stopping mid-read to look something up can disturb your sense of the poem's rhythm.
- Poetry is a highly inventive medium, with some poems like Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky being almost completely constructed out of "nonsense" words.^{[19]XResearch source} Stopping to look up a word no only interrupts, it might also be fruitless.
- Imagery is often in sequence, the language of a poem leads the reader through images from start to finish. You may miss something important if you distract yourself.^{[20]XResearch source}
- The context of a poem will frequently reveal the meaning of even obscure words. Have faith in your mind's ability to use context clues; this is good intellectual exercise.
4
Write down your impressions. Now that you've read the poem all the way through, writing any intuitions you might have can be very helpful in guiding your poetic investigations. Does anything seem strange or out of the ordinary? Is there a place where the rhythm seems unnatural? These may all be indications from the writer of something significant.
- Take inventory of the obvious literary devices you noticed. Now that you've read the poem all the way through, why do you think these were used over other choices?
- With relation to the choices of the author, also ask yourself, "Why here? Why in this particular place did the author use this technique?"
At this point you can crack open your dictionary (or power on your computer) and start digging for meaning. Try to use a dictionary that includes information supplemental to the mere definition; etymology (the origin of the word) and the first known usage of that word can provide you clues for your investigations.
6
Identify parts that are significant to you. Likely, during your reading, a particular part or parts will have struck you as being more important than the rest.^{[21]XExpert SourceAlicia Cook
Professional WriterExpert Interview. 11 December 2020.} What supports this inkling of yours? What literary devices surround these parts? Do they attract or detract focus from these? ^{[22]XResearch source}
- Any unsubstantiated feeling you have, especially in an academic setting, will likely result in a poor grade. You must build an argument to support your position if your peers or instructor are going to take you seriously.
7
Contemplate the parts in terms of the whole. Think of all the literary devices you've discovered on your first reading and think about these in terms of the entire work. How do these move the poem forward from beginning to conclusion?
- As an example: "Earth was not, nor globes of attraction. / The will of the Immortal expanded / Or contracted his all flexible senses. / Death was not, but eternal life sprung." ~ Book of Urizen, 36 - 39.
- This stanza represents an idyllic state, alludes to the biblical story of Genesis and paradise before the fall, and the "Immortal" might be symbolic of man, or man before gaining the faculty of reason. With this information, you can conclude that Blake was likely hinting at this being a book about "Your Reason" in the title.
8
Analyze the minute particulars. Now that you've thought of things in terms of the "big picture," look at the parts you've deemed significant and the elements surrounding these. How do the tiny building blocks of words work together to form a grand metaphor? This, too, can be illuminating.^{[23]XResearch source}
- As an example: "Earth was not, nor globes of attraction. / The will of the Immortal expanded / Or contracted his all flexible senses. / Death was not, but eternal life sprung." ~ Book of Urizen, 36 - 39.
- Reading this section closely, it is strange that the "Immortal" is given god-like powers by existing when "Earth was not, nor globes of attraction," in addition to being a capitalized term. It is notable that the later pronoun (his) is not capitalized, as one might expect from the god-figure of text imitating Genesis (biblically, God and God-referring pronouns are capitalized). You might surmise this contradiction of terms was intended for a purpose, possibly because the "Immortal" is not really God, but man, who has qualities like God, as man was made in God's image in Genesis. However, man, trapped in his body and five physical senses, cannot expand or "[contract] his all flexible senses," like he might have been able to before birth.
9
Re-read the poem. You've got a big picture. You've got a basic understanding of the flow of the writing. You know the uncommon words and you've started thinking about the mechanics of the poem - it's time to read it again!^{[24]XResearch source}
- Search actively while you read for missed signs, literary devices, or quirks that might indicate the author is trying to get your attention.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Constructing Your Rationale

1
Winnow down your suspects. At this time you should have a great deal of material to work with. You'll likely have several literary devices you've identified, each with varying degrees of frequency and intensity within the text. From among the list of literary devices, choose the strongest candidates.^{[25]XResearch source}
- In Blake's The Book of Urizen, you can find allusion, free rhythm, metaphor, symbolism, foreshadowing, paradox, enjambment, anastrophe, etc. Of these, you might decide the most productive are: allusion, metaphor, and symbolism.
2
Establish purpose. By looking at the big picture, identifying literary devices and how these are used in the poem, and reading the poem start to finish, you should have some idea of the purpose the author had in writing the poem. It's time for you to put this in words.^{[26]XResearch source}
- In some cases, this might be something as simple as "He was trying to show off his abilities as a rhymester." But you will need to use the information in the poem, the words and mechanics, to back up your opinion.
- Whatever the purpose may be, you are looking for a unifying principle throughout all aspects of the poem, like: the worth of fidelity, love conquers all, the evil of war, the good of man.
3
Consider diction with reference to the purpose. If the author's choice of words didn't flow, or if his choice of words were truly meaningless, the poem probably wouldn't have been published. How do the words in the poem drive and substantiate the purpose you've uncovered? This will give significant support to your analysis.^{[27]XResearch source}
- Blake's choice of the name "Urizen" in The Book of Urizen seems to indicate strongly that the purpose of the poem is to critique human reason and its limitations. His choice of strongly religious diction ("Seven deadly Sins of the Soul" 74, "... and on / This rock..." 75 - 76, "One King, one God, one Law," 84) colors the poem with religious overtones. These factors call into question man's reason, which is generally accepted as a good thing, and illustrates reason as a limitation of the soul in a story that parallels man's fall from grace (or fall into the trap of reason).
4
View the mechanics of the poem through the purpose. Now it's time for you to add the few, strong literary devices you choose from the poem to the conversation. How do these specific characteristics add to the purpose of the piece? Can you find any inconsistencies?^{[28]XResearch source}
- The symbolism and metaphors, existent throughout The Book of Urizen, serve as a way of talking about "your reason" indirectly. The "Immortal," if it is man before becoming limited by his senses, is a metaphorical judgement of reason, showing that free of it human powers might be almost god-like. The symbolism of Genesis, in particular man's fall from grace, paint the concept of reason in a negative light, which supports the idea that Blake is criticizing it.
5
Reevaluate and adjust. If the language in the poem and the strong literary devices you've found in the piece don't consistently substantiate the purpose of the poem, you have two options:
- Revise your proposed purpose of the poem so that it meets and unifies the elements in it.
- Devise a reasonable explanation, including a counterargument, as to why the inconsistency or inconsistencies exist.
6
Propose your analysis. This will form the basis of your understanding of the poem. Now that you've discerned the poem on a minute and overarching level and used its own structure and internal elements to support your reasoning, you have accomplished a well reasoned understanding of the poem.
- If you are reading poetry for pleasure, you needn't propose anything to anyone. After you've come to your conclusion, rest easy knowing that you've applied sound logic to the poem in a way that has expanded your understanding.
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What should I look at when I study a poem?
Alicia Cook
Professional Writer
Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Alicia Cook
Professional Writer
Expert Answer
Two of the best things to analyze in poetry are imagery and theme. You can also study the word choice, rhythm, and repetition.
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