Honors Sophomore English
Reading poetry is like eating a Lifesaver.
You can just bite into it, crunch it all up and swallow it or you can enjoy the color first, and then the smell, and then, finally, roll it around in your mouth and let it melt. And just like the Lifesaver, the more time you spend with it, the more enjoyment you will get out of it – the longer the flavor will last. So, when reading poetry, slow down. Roll it around in your head, speak it aloud, plumb it for meaning. Explicating will help you learn how to do this.
How to Explicate a poem:
Reading poetry is like eating a Lifesaver.
You can just bite into it, crunch it all up and swallow it or you can enjoy the color first, and then the smell, and then, finally, roll it around in your mouth and let it melt. And just like the Lifesaver, the more time you spend with it, the more enjoyment you will get out of it – the longer the flavor will last. So, when reading poetry, slow down. Roll it around in your head, speak it aloud, plumb it for meaning. Explicating will help you learn how to do this.
How to Explicate a poem:
- Identify the form of the poem.
- Identify the rhyme scheme, if applicable.
- Identify the meter, if applicable.
- Paraphrase the poem, line by line. Be sure to look up any words or references you do not understand!
- Identify at least 3 different literary devices the poet uses and explain how each adds to the poem.
- Explain the major themes behind the poem and explain how the author gets that theme across to the reader – look at both the content of the poem and the literary devices he/she uses.
- Explain the tone of the poem and explain how the author gets that tone across to the reader – look at the words he/she chooses; look for sound and rhythm.
- Based on your understanding of the poem, what do you think the author’s message is?
- In the end, how do you react to the poem? How does it connect with you?