- April is National Poetry Month
- Join the Vorhoff Library as we celebrate a woman poet each day during the month!
- How to Read a Poem
- Posted April 7, 2009
Department: Library/Archives
In English (and other literature) classes, poems are often analyzed to death. Reading poetry is sometimes seen as a chore. But in life, no one will make you write an essay, or discuss the literary tropes used. Sometimes a more formal reading can help expose the heart of a poem, but often it does not. Plenty of essays have been written about how to read a poem academically; but how, exactly, does one read a poem for fun?
Here are a few ways I read poetry:
- read it out loud
- read a poem a second time
- listen to a poem being read
- flip randomly through a thick book of poetry
- read straight through a thin one
- share it with a friend
- read it in the original language
- look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary
- look up unfamiliar references on Wikipedia
- seek out poems on themes that speak to you
- ask a friend to share their favorite poems
- read poems someone else has selected
- sit under a tree, or in the sun if you prefer with an apple or a can of Coke and a book of poetry
- memorize poems, then recite them to your friends at lunch
- memorize poems, then recite them to your lover in bed
- in the quiet moments of the day, read poetry!
Photo by romanlily
