Reading+Poetry

The goal when reading poetry is to determine what the poem is about, what it means, how that meaning was acheived, and why it was so important to the understanding of the poem and the poet's purpose.

The steps to fully understanding poetry are as follows: Then determine the...
 * Read 1st for general impressions--SUBJECT
 * Read 2nd for specificity in SUBJECT
 * SPEAKER? Who is it? What can we know? What can we logically assume? What might be their perspective?
 * AUDIENCE? Who is it? What can we know about it? How does it seem to impact the speaker? the subject? Who can relate? Who is targeted?
 * OCCASION? What prompts the poem (the speaker to speak to their audience about whatever theme/subject they have chosen)? particular event? assumed event?
 * SETTING (PLACE)? What is the theme? actual? assumed? culture? values? history? gives context
 * TIME? what language is used? actual? assumed? culture? values? history? gives context
 * PURPOSE? What was the main idea? Why did the speaker say what he said? (in a way, why is the poet treating the subject through this speaker?) What is he doing? To + Verb
 * IDEA? Universal truth that speaks to this speaker, this audience, this occasion, this place, this time.