Strategies for Analyzing

PO ET RY

CLOSE READING

Alessio and Hamas Piscataway High School

A method of analyzing and evaluating a piece of text by concentrating on the writer’s use of:• Language (diction, syntax, connotation,

denotation)• Literary devices• Voice and Tone

What is close Reading?

• Connotation: the emotional or cultural meaning of a word • Denotation: the dictionary definition; what is literally meant• EXAMPLE:

The words home, house, residence and dwelling all have the same denotation, but the connotation of each word is very different.

Denotation:  Where a person lives at any given time.

Connotation:Home: cozy, loving, comfortable

House: the actual building or structure Residence: cold, no feeling Dwelling: primitive or basic surroundings

• Develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for literature

• Enhance the reader’s meaning-making skills (ability to analyze) across various subjects

• Understand various cultural, historical, and social points of view

• Reflect and make personal connections to a text

• Read the poem at least one time in order to get a general understanding of its meaning.

• You should be able to identify the:• Meaning of the title• Main idea of the poem• End of the poem (where does it “get”

the reader)• Structure of the poem• Tone

• Read the poem at least a second time to develop a deeper understanding.

• As you are reading, go line by line to make sense of the poem by annotating notes along the margins.

• This includes:• Writing summaries• Defining unknown words• Clarifying the speaker’s thoughts• Commenting on literary devices• Making personal connections• Asking questions

After you have read the poem at least 2-3 times, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What is the genre (form) of the poem? -Examples: free verse, sonnet, elegy, monologue, lyric, etc.

2. Who is the speaker of the poem?-Remember: The speaker is NOT the author of the poem

3. Does the poem make use of setting?

4. How does the poem use imagery?

5. Are there conflicts in the poem?• Internal, External, Both

6. How does the sound or rhythm contribute to its meaning?

7. What emotions does the poem evoke in the speaker? The reader?

8. How do language and literary devices enhance the poem?• Examples: simile, metaphor, rhyme, alliteration,

imagery, puns, etc.

• Angelou's "Caged Bird"• Bronte's "Ah! Why Because the Dazzling

Sun"• Crapsey's "The Properly Scholarly Attitude"• Countee Cullen's "Saturday's Child" • Countee Cullen’s "Thoughts in a Zoo”• Espaillat’s “Find Work”