The best approach to reading poetry is reading it carefully, thoughtfully, and sympathetically. The economy and compression of poetry mean that every part of the poem must carry some of the impact and meaning, and thus every part requires special attention. As the reader, we must open our minds to the poem’s language, imagery, rhythm, ideas, and all the other aspects that make it poetry – including its impact to us. In most poems, we need to read it as many times while keeping the following objectives:
1. Read straight through to get a general sense of the poem
2. Try to understand the poem’s meaning and organization. While reading and rereading it,
study the following:
2.1 title, which in most cases, is informative;
2.2 speaker, which is almost always dramatic (point of view)
2.3 meaning of all words, whether familiar or unfamiliar, as familiarity of them can
lead to a clear grasp of the poem’s content
2.4 poem’s setting and situation
2.5 poem’s basic form and development, which could be narrative, personal
statements, speeches, sonnet form, couplets (two-line sequences), stanzas,
each of which is unified by a particular thought or action
2.6 poem’s subject and theme. The subject indicates the general or specific topic
while the theme refers to the idea, or ideas that the poem explores. In rare
cases, a poem’s theme I expressed. In most cases, it is implied.
3. Read the poem aloud, sounding each word clearly.
4. Prepare a paraphrase of the poem, and make an explication of the ideas and themes. A
paraphrase is a restatement of the poem in one’s own words which helps crystallize
understanding. An explication, which is both explanation and interpretation, goes beyond
paraphrase to consider significance – either of brief passages or of the entire poem
DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION
Denotation refers to the standard dictionary meaning of a word It indicates conventional correspondence between a sign (the word) and an object or idea. However, most English words have multiple meanings not necessarily straightforward. The word house may mean a building, a family, a chamber of congress, a theater, a theater audience, or a brothel. Although context usually makes the denotation of house more specific, the various meanings confer a built-in ambiguity to this simple word. Denotations present a serious problem to the understanding of poems because as time passes by, language evolves and, sometimes, new meanings emerge and old ones are shed.
Connotation refers to the emotional, psychological, or social overtones that words carry beyond their denotations. Childish and childlike denote the state of being like a child. However, they connote or imply different sets of characteristics. Childish suggests a person who is bratty, stubborn, immature, silly, and petulant whereas childlike suggests a person who is innocent, charming, and unaffected. These different meanings are based entirely on connotation, for the denotations make little distinction.