How to read a poem

• Who is the speaker?
• What circumstances gave rise to the poem?
• What situation is presented?
• Who or what is the audience?
• What is the tone?
• What form, if any, does the poem take?
• How is form related to content?
• Is sound an important, active element of the poem?
• Does the poem spring from an identifiable historical moment?
• Does the poem speak from a specific culture?
• Does the poem have its own vernacular?
• Does the poem use imagery to achieve a particular effect?
• What kind of figurative language, if any, does the poem use?
• If the poem is a question, what is the answer?
• If the poem is an answer, what is the question?
• What does the title suggest?
• Does the poem use unusual words or use words in an unusual way?