Close reading a poem

English · Close reading

Home, twice — a poem to zoom in on

A short poem written for this lesson so you can practise the method. Tap an underlined phrase and read the note beside the text.

English · One word at a time

Which feeling does the word carry?

Pick a word, then the feeling or attitude it carries in its poem.

10 of 10 still to sort.

These single words come from three poems. Pick a word, then pick the feeling or attitude it carries.

What you need to know

• Before you read, unpick each word of the title and predict what the poem could be about.
• Have a goTry it on a made-up title, “The Empty Chair”. What could the word “empty” make you predict?

  That someone or something is missing, so the poem may be about loss or absence.

  Every word in a title is a clue. Unpick it, make a prediction, then test it as you read.

• Read it three times, a new question each time: what did you like or dislike? What story is it telling? What patterns do you notice?
• Track the feeling stanza by stanza. Summarise each one and write the feeling shown, because the tone can change.
• A connotation is the feeling, image or association that comes to mind when you hear a word.
• Zoom in on one powerful word. What does it make you think, feel and imagine? That helps explain the poet’s attitude.
• Have a goA poem uses the word “velvet”. What might it make you think, feel and imagine?

  Something soft, smooth and rich, which could make a place feel comforting or luxurious.

  A connotation is the feeling or association a word brings. Think, feel, imagine pulls it out.

• Imagery can reflect feelings. In “Search for My Tongue”, rotting early on can mean fear and shame; blossoming suggests renewal.
• Sensory language describes the five senses (touch, smell, sound, taste, sight) and creates a vivid image and a strong reaction.
• Ask about voice: how does the poet refer to themselves, from whose perspective is it written, and who is it addressed to?
• Clarke uses “us” and “we” to write for Indigenous people, and “you” and “yours” to address the colonisers, which can evoke guilt.
• Structure is how a poem is arranged. The two sections of “Island Man” could reflect longing for a past home against life in London.
• Juxtaposition places two things together for contrasting effect, which is handy for showing how different two places are.
• Nichols’s “blue” and “emerald” against “dull” and “grey” show two very different places, not that she hated London.
• Enjambment is a sentence carrying on past the end of a line with no pause. It can speed up the pace.
• Have a goWhich flows on faster? A: “I ran down the hill / and into the river”. B: “I ran down the hill. / I ran into the river.”

  A. The sentence runs on over the line break with no pause.

  That is enjambment. B stops at each line end, which gives a more predictable rhythm.

• Punctuation can add pace or rhythm and reflect different feelings. Pauses at line ends and regular commas feel more predictable.
• Knowing the poet helps. Sujata Bhatt grew up in India, moved to America and now lives in Germany.
• To discuss purpose, signpost it: “to express”, “she may have wanted to reveal” or “gives a voice to”.
• Quotes as evidence only need to be one word long. Zoom in on that word, then extend your analysis of the imagery.

The big picture

Close reading means looking at a poem’s words in place. Predict from the title, read three times with a new question each time, track the feeling stanza by stanza, then zoom in on single words, imagery, sensory language, voice, structure, enjambment and punctuation. Back each point with a short quotation. One word is enough.

⚠ Watch out

Copying out a long quotation and leaving it there. A one-word quotation is enough. The real work is zooming in on what that word makes you think, feel and imagine.

Memory hook

Three reads, three questions: What did I feel? What’s the story? What patterns repeat? Then zoom in on one word.

Check yourself

Choose a poem you know. Point to one word or line, name what it is doing, and explain its effect.