Steps to Success » Poetry Analysis
When I studied English at University, I learned to read a text closely, paying attention to words and their meanings, and to try to visualise these words as I read. Visualising words when we read can make the meaning of a poem much clearer, and allow us to understand it in a new way. These tips will help you practise this too, so you can… Read More
Poetry is an artform employed to explore the deepest human truths that are otherwise almost impossible to get hold of via day-to-day prose. Its musical qualities and relative brevity mean that it has been created by writers from all sections of society, regardless of culture and class, giving us incredible insight into diverse lives. It would therefore be remiss of us to only pay attention… Read More
Many courses, such as IB English, require us to not just read poems but also understand the context in which they were written. Why is that important? Surely, the words on the page are the significant thing, so what else can we understand by learning about the poet and their background? Knowing a poet’s historical background is often essential to understanding the deeper meanings of… Read More
In primary school, English literature teachers often ask us to find literary techniques in a poem or story. An example of a literary technique is imagery, which is any description that appeals to our five senses (e.g. a rattling drum = hearing, a slippery, sharp icicle = touch). In secondary school, English literature teachers usually want us to do more than find the techniques. We… Read More
