How to Write About a Poem For English Class

If you take English in high school, one of these days you will be faced with a poem that you have to write about. Studies show that exactly .02% of the population doesn't panic when faced with a poem, while the other 99.98% is evenly divided between running in circles foaming at the mouth and hiding under a desk with a bag over their heads. But with a few tips, you can learn to write a basic essay on a poem. Will it get published and win an award? Well, probably not. Will it help you get a passing grade this week on your school assignment? Yes!

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Assigned poem
• Books or websites to research poet (optional)
• Assignment materials (paper, computer, pens)

1. If you're writing at home, not on a test in a classroom, you can learn a little bit about the poet. While the poet's personal life may not add to your essay, you can find out whether the poet's style was typical of his time or whether it was part of a new style. You can learn if this poem is typical for the poet in its content and format. You might be able to work in these ideas as you write.

2. What is the general meaning of the poem? Try to write for yourself a few statements about what the poem seems to be saying. Single out a few lines or phrases that tell you this, and use them as quotes.

3. Now start with the basic observations. How long is the poem? Is it broken into stanzas? Is it rhymed? Do the lines seem regular or are they ragged? If you read it carefully out loud, can you hear a metrical pattern to the words? Describe what you observe, and see if you can relate these traits to the poem's meaning. Remember that the poet chose every word and every pattern for a reason.

4. What is the emotional tone? Is it romantic, cynical, observational, mournful, enthusiastic? Find some words and phrases that show you this tone. Describe how the tone, and the words that convey it, help create the poem's meaning.

5. Are there any word pictures in the poem? Are they similes ("like a rose") or metaphors ("you are a rose in a vase") or symbols (a "real" rose that seems to convey meaning in the poem)? Describe how these images relate to the general meaning of the poem.

6. Does the poem do anything unexpected? Does it end suddenly, does it suddenly change ideas midway? Does it present images that clash with each other, or do they relate well and build on each other? Does the poem have anything mysterious that you just don't understand, something that doesn't connect well with the rest? Even if you can't explain it, you can explain how the presence of this unexpected element shapes the poem's meaning.

7. If your idea of the poem's meaning has changed while you studied it more closely, don't be afraid to go back and change what you wrote at first. If you are writing in class on a test, you may even wish to cross out what you first wrote, and insert something new. Make sure you have your best version, not your first version.

8. Try to end your essay by summing up your ideas, perhaps quoting a few words from the poem. You could explain how the poem connects to your life or your feelings, or how it doesn't. Avoid saying you liked it or didn't like it.

Tips & Warnings

• When you quote the poem, try to use the words in a natural way. Write like this: The "gloomy crowd of birds" and the "lone tree" give the poem a sense of sadness. Don't write like this: "Gloomy crowd of birds" and "lone tree" are examples of sadness.
• It helps to know more about meter and rhyme. Use your textbook or other resources to figure out if the poem has iambic meter, or some other pattern, and use this term when you write about it. If the poem is a known pattern, like a sonnet or blank verse, say so!