Poem Template - Explication printable pdf download

Explication

Prof. Downes

A good poem is like a puzzle—the most fascinating part is studying the individual pieces

carefully and then putting them back together to see how the whole thing fits together. (Though

some poems are more like the platypus—lots of parts that don’t go together, but still it works.)

A poem can have a number of different “pieces” that you need to look at closely in order to

complete the poetic “puzzle.” This sheet explains one way to attempt an explication of a poem,

by examining each “piece” of the poem separately. (An explication is simply analysis and

interpretation combined, an unfolding of how all the elements in a poem work together to

achieve the larger meaning and effect.)

1) Examine the situation in the poem:

a) Does the poem tell a story? Is it a narrative poem? If so, what events occur?

b) Does the poem express an emotion or describe a mood? Is it a lyric?

c) Poetic voice: Who is the speaker? Is the poet speaking to the reader directly or is

the poem told through a fictional persona? To whom is she speaking? Can you trust the

speaker?

d) Tone: What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject of the poem? What sort of

tone of voice seems to be appropriate for reading the poem out loud? What words, images,

or ideas give you a clue to the tone?

2) Examine the structure of the poem:

a) Form: Look at the number of lines, their length, their arrangement on the page.

How does the form relate to the content? Is it a traditional form (e.g., sonnet, limerick) or a

freer, less structured form? Why do you think the poet chose that form for her poem?

b) Movement: How does the poem develop? Are the images and ideas developed

chronologically, by cause and effect, by free association? Does the poem circle back to where

it started, or is the movement from one attitude to a different attitude (e.g., from despair to

hope)?

c) Syntax: How many sentences are in the poem? Are the sentences simple or

complicated? Are the verbs in front of the nouns instead of in the usual “noun, verb” order?

Why?

d) Punctuation: What kind of punctuation is in the poem? Does the punctuation always

coincide with the end of the poetic line? If so, this is called an end-stopped line. Is there any

punctuation in the middle of a line? Why do you think the poet would want you to pause

halfway through the line?

e) Title: What does the title mean? How does it relate to the poem itself?

3) Examine the language of the poem:

a) Diction or Word Choice: Is the language colloquial, formal, simple, unusual?

b) Do you know what all the words mean? If not, look them up.

c) What moods or attitudes are associated with words that stand out for you?

d) Allusions: Are there any allusions (references) to something outside the poem, such

as events or people from history, mythology, religion?

e) Imagery: Look at the figurative language of the poem — metaphors, similes,

analogies, personification. How do these images add to the meaning of the poem or intensify

the effect of the poem?

4) Examine the musical devices in the poem:

Poem Template - Explication

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories