An Approach to Unseen Poetry
Introduction
Analysing an unseen poem under tough examination conditions is stressful. You are expected to explore how the writer’s intentions are reflected in the content and mood of a poem while explaining the impact of poetic techniques, imagery, and form on the reader. Most questions come with an interpretation or a key term to help focus your approach to the text, but these clues often provoke more anxiety because you are not even sure what they mean.
Poets create poems to share their experiences and struggles, pose questions about the world, discover more about themselves and their relationships, express opinions about important issues, and connect emotionally with their audience. They certainly do not sit down at a desk and think about ways of reducing students to tears.
However, responding to an unseen poem is great way to test your knowledge and understanding of poetry. The top candidates will also be able to construct a coherent argument which addresses the demands of the question.
Practise your skills by analysing lots of poems. If you are still concerned about your progress, this guide provides a few simple steps you can take to engage more effectively with an unseen poem.
Follow the Punctuation
Writers use punctuation marks to create meaning and help clarify their ideas: full stops, question marks and exclamation marks signal the end of a sentence; commas define the different parts of a sentence and separate items in a list; and semi-colons suggest there is an important link between sentences.
It is easier to read and understand a story which follows these conventions compared to a unparagraphed and badly punctuated piece of writing. If you are struggling to engage with a poem, divide the text into its separate sentences and clauses. Determine the basic meanings of each beat.
Once you have a good sense of the sequence of ideas, you will be in a better position to appreciate the writer’s overall intentions.
In Your Own Words
You probably spent time in class learning and revising poetic techniques, such as completing worksheets on the difference between similes and metaphors, using tongue-twisters to learn about alliteration, and writing your own descriptions of various settings to develop your understanding of pathetic fallacy. Perhaps that is why most students are so eager to identify methods before they even understand the message.
When it comes to exploring an image, is the method really more important than the writer’s choice of language? Instead of scanning through a poem trying to spot poetic techniques, scribble down the meaning of each moment in your own words.
If you have separated the poem into a sequence of beats, try to summarise each moment. What is happening? What is the speaker thinking and feeling? What is the message? Are some images open to a range of interpretations?
Remember, poets are incredibly economical with their language. By rewording and expanding their ideas, you are demonstrating your understanding of the story.
Listen to the Language
When we speak to our family and friends, work with colleagues, talk to strangers, and interact with the world, we use stress, intonation, and rhythm to make our messages clear. Poetry is also a performance.
Try to work out the tones of the poem. A shift in attitudes or beliefs will give you a clue to the overall message.
Poetic Techniques
Of course, you should still explain how the poetic techniques support the writer’s message. Does the alliteration add emphasis to the words or make connections between the images? What does the comparison add to understanding of the writer’s thoughts and feelings? Is there a subtle change in circumstances when the poet repeats a word or phrase later in the text?
Your analysis of the method should reinforce your understanding of the image and the poet’s message.
Analyse the Rhythm
It is important to realise poets like to play with the syntax of a sentence and the formal structure of verse. This interaction between the sentence structure and lines of poetry can add meaning or emphasise ideas. Some poems are written in free verse and follow the natural rhythms of speech. Other poems follow strict meters and lyrical rhythms.
Both are challenging to analyse.
Lots of lines end with a comma or full stop – probably expressing a complete idea. Lots of lines end with an incomplete phrase or thought, so the sentence carries over to the next line. Think about how the use of enjambment supports the poet’s message.
If a line begins with a trochee, what does that falling rhythm convey to the listener? Does a sequence of stressed syllables create an appropriate rhythm for that particular image? How does a series of long vowel sounds support the poet’s ideas? Does a strong end-rhyme create a sense of closure or create an upbeat tone?
Don’t just read the poem. Listen to the rhythm of the language. That’s verse. That’s poetry.
Impact on the Reader
Since poets are communicating their thoughts and feelings to the reader, you should describe the intended effect of the images and how they make you feel. Is the hyperbole humorous or does it provoke anger? Does the simile draw attention to the sadness of the moment? Is the end-rhyme calming? Does the use of alliteration make you feel excited about the particular action?
Do not be afraid to offer alternative interpretations.
Final Thoughts
This guide offers some broad suggestions to help you engage with an unseen poetry question. If you would like to practise the approach, read our analysis of “In a Station of the Metro” because it follows this outline.
For more specific advice about structuring your response, you should follow our Thoughts Evidence and Analysis concept because it provides an accessible and flexible approach to effective essay writing. You should also read our quick guide to annotating a poem.
Good luck in your exam!
