That is obvious that every author, writer, or poet has some special and original style which makes him or her be recognized by others and that no one else can imitate: this is the way they describe their thoughts and ideas and explore multiple perspectives. A poetry analysis is basically a review of different parts of the poem to try to interpret the author's message which is usually conducted within a poetry analysis essay. And in this article, we will describe the step-by-step navigation of writing a good one – you only need to follow. But if you have the slightest problem writing this type of work, feel free to contact our professional academic writers for a nominal fee.
How to deal with a poetry analysis essay
Analyzing a certain poem normally needs to take a deeper look at all parts that make up a poem: structural, stylistic and functional. Every piece matters and your primary goal here will be to find and investigate the poet`s preferences and choices, the impact they made and their consequences. To have a better idea about the writer's purposes, you will have to:
- Read the poem several times very attentively and make notes on the poet`s techniques;
- Define the intention and find sense between the lines;
- Apply your critical skills, and also use your imagination;
- Prove your opinion and assumptions with text examples.
Things to do before you analyze poem
After you read the poem a few times and before you start writing a poem analysis essay, try to identify such things as:
- Topic and genre. Is the poem about care, love, war, death, hope, joy or peace? Does the author mention any historical events or literary movements? What are the main topic and issues?
- Verification. What about the rhyme scheme used in a poem and its meter?
- Type. Is it a sonnet like Shakespeare topics, limerick, ode or maybe a free verse?
- Stylistic devices. Does the author use any metaphors, irony or personification? How does it help to convey his/her message?
This classification will help you understand and analyze poem overall structure that impacts the content itself and also identify the literary techniques used in this piece. Once you are done with it, it's high time to learn about the background of the story: search information about the author`s life, time of writing, circumstances and cultural context and tendencies of that time. All this will make a great basis for your poetry analysis essay giving you an ability to get the poem's purpose better.
Poem analysis essay: topic and outline
Before starting your essay about poetry, you have to embrace a topic to deal with. A good idea will be to pick a poem that you already know and like that will help you focus and provide good arguments. Don't choose any weird pieces you have never heard before just to stand out from other students in your group: it is likely to be very complicated to analyze, hard to understand and you will definitely fail to interpret the writer`s message and deliver a well-structured essay that will reveal all the components of the poem.
A little tip: before choosing a poem, try to imagine a thesis and see whether you can offer an argument for this problem. Choose the one that makes you feel self-assured.
After this is done, it's time for a poetry analysis essay outline: that will be your guideline for building an essay and your first draft. Your mini-plan of a standard 5-paragraph poetry analysis essay may look like the following:
- General analysis where you should talk about the form (rhymes and rhythm), imagery (metaphors, irony, and other expressive means), vocabulary (words that transfer the key idea, tone, and music) and punctuation marks (tone and emotions of the poem);
- Line-by-line analysis;
- Summing up (talking about meaning and overall impression).
The poetry analysis essay outline will help you decide on the basic structure and help to organize the writing process to make all the work much easier.
Poetry analysis essay: structure and style
Based on the poetry analysis essay outline, your paper should have a standard structure of all essays on poems: introduction, the main body, and conclusion.
- Introduction. This part should include a title, some catchy starting sentence, key details about the biography and the poem and a strong thesis. A well-written introduction hooks the reader up, so the first sentence should attract attention: for example, use a citation or a tricky fact. Make sure to add such elements as the author`s name, poem`s title, and background information. Your introduction should be really short and meaningful followed by a strong thesis statement;
- The main body. This is the largest part where you have to investigate the true hidden definition of the poem and message, understand the tone, rhythm, pay attention to the language, find symbolism and examples of imagery. Present the main information of your essay on poetry so everything should be structured clearly with the focus on key elements. Even though this is the poem, rules are the same: one piece needs to be devoted to one topic. Not keeping this structure, your poem analysis essay is going to look disorganized and quite challenging to read. Avoid generalizations and use smooth transitions between the paragraphs to make sure there is a logical flow;
- Conclusion. This is when you have to sum up everything you investigated and write a great conclusion with a statement provoking readers to think further. Although the most descriptive paragraphs are over, a powerful conclusion should not be underestimated. Paraphrasing the thesis will remind the readers about the goal of the essay and keep them focused. Then, provide a brief summary referring to the wider context. No new ideas should be introduced.
In addition to a proper structure, your essay should correspond with style analysis essays requirements such as proper formatting and citations.
Poetry analysis essay example
To understand the process of writing better, use poetry analysis essay example to navigate on the structure and see the way everything is described. It can become your writing guide as nothing is more useful than an already written analysis of a certain poem. A good poetry analysis essay example will show you how to organize and where to present different elements of your essay to make it more relevant: such examples you can find here on our website.
Writing tips on how to analyze poem
If this is your first poem analysis, there are some writing tips on how to analyze a poem that can narrow down your focus and help to deliver a great essay:
- Add value. Try to make your analysis useful for the reader, provide your ideas and recommendations on how to improve the poem, point out the moments where the writer was not clear and give concrete advice;
- Look for symbols in the lines. Poetry is all made of symbols so you have to carefully look to notice them and get the true definition of the poem. Uncovering hidden moments will show that you put a lot of time and effort to understand the content;
- Be positive. Provide your opinion but avoid a negative voice. If you have to say something like that, give supporting evidence to prove your point;
- Check the conclusion. It should contain a single idea as multiple ones will only make the reader confused;
- Read to someone else or just aloud. You can take up the poem with others and discover new things you have not noticed before.