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- Unseen poetry: how to read a poem you have never seen
Unseen poetry: how to read a poem you have never seen
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In the exam you will meet poems you have not studied. A clear reading method stops panic and gives you plenty to write about.
First read: what is happening?
Read the poem twice. Ask: Who is speaking? Where and when is it set? What happens?
Then ask: what is the mood (feeling) and does it change?
Then ask: what is the mood (feeling) and does it change?
Second read: how is it written?
Look for imagery (similes, metaphors, personification), striking word choices, sound (alliteration, rhyme, rhythm) and structure (stanzas, line breaks, turning points).
In the poem above, the bus "sighs" (personification), the windows are "like a row of small moons" (simile) and the rain "writes its long grey sentences on the glass" (metaphor).
In the poem above, the bus "sighs" (personification), the windows are "like a row of small moons" (simile) and the rain "writes its long grey sentences on the glass" (metaphor).
Third step: what does it mean?
Decide on the poem's big idea. Here: a tired woman on the last bus at night finds comfort in imagining home.
The turning point is "She does not read them": she ignores the gloomy city and turns to warmth.
Always link a method to its effect and to the meaning.
The turning point is "She does not read them": she ignores the gloomy city and turns to warmth.
Always link a method to its effect and to the meaning.
What is the effect of the simile "her shopping bags slumped at her feet like tired dogs"?
- The bags are compared to tired dogs.
- "Slumped" suggests exhaustion.
- The image shows how tired the woman is, almost as if her belongings share her weariness.
Answer: It emphasises the woman's exhaustion at the end of a long day.
Read twice: who, where, what, mood. Then how: imagery, words, sound, structure. Then why: the big idea, linked to methods and effects.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
Check you have got it
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