Tips for Understanding and Enjoying Poetry

The Challenges of Reading Poetry

Poetry can be challenging for many readers because of how compact it is. Each word in a poem is packed with meaning; poems often require multiple readings before any meaning is discerned. Poetry relies heavily on connotation rather than denotation. The denotative meaning is definition: a house, for example, would be a dwelling with four sides and a roof that provides protection from outdoor elements. If you see the word “house” in a poem, though, you also want to think about the connotations of a house what a house brings to mind: family, stability, a hearth, and so on. Poets rely on your understanding of the greater meaning and significance of words.

To begin your journey with poetry, you should have a good dictionary at your side. This will help you consider the various meanings of words. Robert Frost’s poem “Storm Fear” speaks about snow and wind outside while the person thinking about the storm is warm inside a house. The poem can be read in different ways, depending on how you interpret the word “storm.” If it is read as an adjective, the meaning of the poem is literal: a person stays inside to avoid inclement weather. If you read “storm” as a verb, though (as in “storming a castle”), the poem could mean how one might overcome fear, represented in the poem by the harsh weather outdoors. In other words, the reader is asked to storm or overcome the fear and venture out.

Other tips to make reading poetry more enjoyable include reading the poem slowly and out loud. You might even consider having someone else read it aloud so you can listen closely. Recordings of various poets reading their works are available at libraries, bookstores, and on the Internet. The ability to listen, to look at how the words are arranged on a page, and to read closely, thinking about each word, not only makes a poem more enjoyable but enhances the process of explicating (analyzing and explaining) its meaning.

Poetry is an imaginative arrangement of words that differs from everyday speech. It can be rhymed and measured, or written in free verse with little rhyme or measurement; it can be structured or unstructured. Because there are so many variations of what is considered poetry, it is a difficult genre to explain in one or two sentences. Think about rap musicit is a form of loosely structured poetry. Think about sonnets these are rhymed verses that are highly structured. Both styles, however, fit under the umbrella of poetry.

The Importance of Connotation in Poetic Language

Poetry can be challenging for many readers because of how compact it is. Each word in a poem is packed with meaning; poems often require multiple readings before any meaning is discerned. Poetry relies heavily on connotation rather than denotation. The denotative meaning is definition: a house, for example, would be a dwelling with four sides and a roof that provides protection from outdoor elements. If you see the word “house” in a poem, though, you also want to think about the connotations of a house what a house brings to mind family, stability, a hearth, and so on. Poets rely on your understanding of the greater meaning and significance of words.

To begin your journey with poetry, you should have a good dictionary at your side. This will help you consider the various meanings of words. Robert Frost’s poem “Storm Fear” speaks about snow and wind outside while the person thinking about the storm is warm inside a house. The poem can be read in different ways, depending on how you interpret the word “storm.” If it is read as an adjective, the meaning of the poem is literal: a person stays inside to avoid inclement weather. If you read “storm” as a verb, though (as in “storming a castle”), the poem could mean how one might overcome fear, represented in the poem by the harsh weather outdoors. In other words, the reader is asked to storm or overcome the fear and venture out.

Other tips to make reading poetry more enjoyable include reading the poem slowly and out loud. You might even consider having someone else read it aloud so you can listen closely. Recordings of various poets reading their works are available at libraries, bookstores, and on the Internet. The ability to listen, to look at how the words are arranged on a page, and to read closely, thinking about each word, not only makes a poem more enjoyable but enhances the process of explicating (analyzing and explaining) its meaning.

Poetry is an imaginative arrangement of words that differs from everyday speech. It can be rhymed and measured, or written in free verse with little rhyme or measurement; it can be structured or unstructured. Because there are so many variations of what is considered poetry, it is a difficult genre to explain in one or two sentences. Think about rap music it is a form of loosely structured poetry. Think about sonnets these are rhymed verses that are highly structured. Both styles, however, fit under the umbrella of poetry.