| Questions to Ask of Any Poem 
Who is
speaking?
What is the occasion? When is the poem being spoken? Where is the poem being spoken? What is the central idea? What is the dominant tone/mood of the poem? How is that tone achieved? What happens in the poem? How would you describe the language of the poem? What words in the poem especially move you? How would you describe the imagery used in the poem? Are there examples of figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification, metonomy) used? How do they relate to the theme of the poem? Is the poem symbolic? Is it allegorical? Does the poet use hyperbole, irony, or understatement in this poem? Are there any allusions within the poem? How are they used? Are there meaningful sound repetitions? Do you recognize a formal or traditional pattern at work in the poem? How would you identify the meter and rhyme schemes of the poem? How does the poem scan?  |
To whom is he or she speaking?