| Strategies for reading poetry |
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| 1. | Preview the poem – notice the poem’s form: its shape, length, title (why did the poet choose that particular title?) length of its lines, and whether or not it has stanzas. |
| 2. | Visualise the images – in your mind’s eye, picture the images and comparisons the poem makes. Do the images remind you of feelings or experiences you have had? |
| 3. | Try to figure out the theme/main idea – ask yourself, “What’s the point of this poem? What message is the poet trying to send or help me create? Why did the poet write this poem in the first place?” |
| 4. | READ AND REREAD THE POEM UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND – much “heavy reading” must be read thoroughly, considered and thought about over and over again until it is understood. If some of the most intelligent people in the world have to reread literature in order to understand it, don’t you think that you have to? |
| 5. | Above all: Enjoy and have fun! Put yourself in the “puzzle” mode trying to figure out what the poem’s message is. |
