Studying+Poetry

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=//What do you need to identify in a poem?//=

//Subject matter// - the question to ask here is; what event, situation or experience does the poem describe or record? (for example - many 'love' poems record a break up of a relationship or stages of a relationship, many 'personal' poems are written because the poet is trying to understand themselves or some part of their own thinking) //Purpose - or theme// - The question to ask here is; what is the poet's purpose in writing this? What message does he or she want to communicate? (i.e. a poet may simply wish to express emotion, to get something off their chest, to purposefully try to create a type of poem, to try to make us see things from their point of view, to change our thinking about certain things) //Mood// - What is the main emotion, or mood of the poem? Does the mood change during the poem? What emotions does the poet want the reader to feel? (e.g. emotions may include love, hate, anger, frustration, confusion, determination) //Poetic technique -// What specific skills has the poet used in creating the poem? How is the poem written? Does it use specific poetic techniques? What rules has it followed that define the type of poem it is? Finally, what is the poem's total impact on you? (How do you feel after reading it? Can you relate to it? Do you feel the same way/have the same opinion as the poet?)