27
B.
Reading the Poem – Comprehension and Appreciation
Before going through the questions and answers, teachers may encourage students to
approach a poem following some basic steps and practice the skills regularly, especially if
the students are afraid of unseen poems:
Read through the poems three times:
1
st
time
to read aloud and get an overview
to form an impression of the mood and tone and identify the
key ideas and themes
2
nd
time
to look at details and observe patterns
to identify literary elements and figurative language (e.g. rhyme
scheme, rhythm, simile, metaphors, assonance, consonance,
pun) and label them
3
rd
time
to formulate one’s understanding and interpretation of the
poem
to move from the literal to the figurative and interpretative
level (i.e. figuring out the reasons for using literary devices and
poetic techniques, the impacts created and the message
conveyed)
The 7 questions are intended to draw students’ attention to different aspects of poetry
analysis. The table below shows the areas the questions touch upon:
Q
Content/
subject &
themes
Speaker,
tone &
voice
Setting &
atmosphere
Form &
structure
Sound
effects
Poetic
devices
Diction/word
choice/use
of language
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
