Poetry: First Reading Strategies and Questions

Summary

• What is the poem about (in a rough paraphrase)?
• What is its story?
• What is happening, to whom, where. when, and how? (whatever applies)

Free Association

• What personal associations come to your mind as you read?
• What literary associations?
• What words, images or phrases stand out to you?
• What do you identify most with? what do you "recognize" as parallel to your own experience?
• What do you most like or dislike about the poem?

First Questioning

• What seems to be unclear? Are there lines you have to re-read to untangle the syntax? Any words you can't define easily? Any allusions you don't understand? Any words or phrases which don't seem to fit or are surprising in the context?
• Are there gaps in the story you reconstructed?
• Is there anything you would like to know that you think would help in understanding what the poem is saying?

Preliminary Interpretation

• What (in fairly simple terms) do you think the poem/poet is trying to say?

Re-read the poem several times. Now consider the re-reading strategies