Poetry Explication Worksheet

 

What is a poetry explication?

Simply put, a poetry explication is a close reading, or an analysis, of a poem. One needs to examine all the pieces of the poem in order to understand its meaning. A poetry explication examines the diction, stanza and line structure, meter, rhythm, and imagery of a poem and explains relationships between these parts.

Steps to take before the explication:

Step 1: Read the poem silently and then read it aloud to familiarize yourself with the content of the poem.

Step 2: Read the poem again with a pencil. Paraphrase the poem. Draw lines between related ideas or themes. Write your thoughts in the margins.  Circle words that you think are important, thematic, or repetitive. Mark any words, lines, or stanzas in the poem that you may be having difficulty understanding.

Step 3: Consider the who, what, when, where, and why of the dramatic situation of the program.

To include in explication:

Step 4: Identify the broad elements of the poem - the voice, subject, conflicts, and tone of the poem.

Step 5: Consider the details of the poem.

• What form is the poem in?
• How does the speaker use rhetoric in the poem?
• How does the speaker use syntax? Does the use of subjects, verbs, and objects reveal anything about the speaker?
• Consider the poet's diction. Why does the poet choose certain words over others? Research words or phrases you do not know.

Step 4: Identify patterns and relationships that evident in the poem. Look for:

• Rhetorical Patterns
• Rhyming
• Imagery
• Patterns in sound like alliteration and assonance
• Visual patterns
• Rhythm and meter

 

The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests the following tips to keep in mind:

• Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as “the speaker" or "the poet." For example, do not write, "In this poem, Wordsworth says that London is beautiful in the morning." However, you can write, "In this poem, Wordsworth presents a speaker who…" We cannot absolutely identify Wordsworth with the speaker of the poem, so it is more accurate to talk about "the speaker" or "the poet" in an explication.
• Use the present tense when writing the explication. The poem, as a work of literature, continues to exist!
• To avoid unnecessary uses of the verb "to be" in your compositions, the following list suggests some verbs you can use when writing the explication:

dramatizes presents illustrates characterizes underlines

asserts posits enacts connects portrays

contrasts juxtaposes suggests implies shows

addresses emphasizes stresses accentuates enables