What he said?

• What is the situation(topic) in the poem? What is taking place, literally?


• Who is the speaker in the poem? What do you know about the speaker?


• What is the speaker's attitude toward the topic?  What words contribute to tone?


• Which words do you need to look up?


•  What images does the poet use? Try to sketch them. How do the images relate to one another? Do these images form a unified pattern (a motif) throughout the poem?


• Are there any symbols? What do they mean? Are they universal symbols or do they arise from the context of this poem?


•  How important is the role of sound effects, such as repetition, rhyme and rhythm? How do they affect tone and meaning?


•  How important is the contribution of form, such as rhyme scheme and line arrangement? How does form influence the overall effect of the poem?


• Can you paraphrase the poem?


• What is the theme (the central idea) of this poem? Can you state it in a single sentence?