Jim Roth’s Website

Accompanying Video

EASY STEPS TO READING AND UNDERSTANDING A POEM

Reading, understanding, and enjoying poetry is possible for all of us.  It only requires that we follow a process.  Follow these steps for each poem you study.

FIRST:          SCAN the poem for difficult words and look these up in a dictionary.

                          Remember, every word in a poem is significant.

SECOND:    READ the poem two or three times ALOUD.

THIRD:     ASK yourself who is the speaker and what is the occasion.  Do not assume the speaker of the poem is the poet.  Often this is not the case.

FOURTH:     PARAPHRASE the poem line-by-line or stanza-by-stanza until you get a meaning that makes sense.  Remember, a paraphrase is a translation into common language.

FIFTH:  READ the poem ALOUD a time or two more for new understanding and enjoyment.