Analysing an unseen poem · Grade 12
In an exam you may have to write about a poem you have never seen. A clear method helps you understand it quickly and write about it well. All the poems here were written for Calcali.
Key facts
- First read for meaning: who is speaking, what is happening, and what is the poem about? Read it at least twice.
- Then decide on the mood or tone: the feeling the poem creates (sad, tense, joyful, nostalgic) and how it changes.
- Look at language: techniques such as simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration and repetition. Always explain their effect, not just their name.
- Look at form and structure: the stanzas, the rhyme and rhythm, where lines run on (enjambment), and where the poem turns or ends.
- Write in clear paragraphs: make a point, support it with a short quotation, zoom in on a key word, and explain its effect on the reader.