Note: You may wish to explore some of the online resources that address elements of poetry before you compose your explication. 

I. Read the Poem 
1) Read the poem silently to yourself to develop a sense of the poem as a whole. 
2) Read the poem aloud or listen to someone reading it aloud to reinforce your experience of the poem as a whole. 

II. Analyze the Text of the Poem 
1) Develop a paraphrase of the poem, framing each complete thought in your own words. 
2) Identify the units of thought in the poem (in stanzas or shorter units). 
3) Identify the main ideas conveyed in each unit of thought and the shifts or breaks between each unit. 
4) Write a preliminary summary--perhaps only a single sentence--of each thought unit 

III. Analyze the Elements of the Poem 
1) Complete a scansion of the poem, identifying the metrical patterns and the rhyme scheme (if there is one). 
2) Identify any recurring image patterns. 
3) Identify any symbols emerging through the image patterns and identify their meaning or references. 
4) Identify any unique uses of language. 
5) Identify any breaks in the scansion and explain what seems to be the reason or purpose of the changes. 

IV. Introduce External Support 
1) Identify any features of the author’s life or commentary that seem relevant to the creation, the purpose, the theme, or motivation for creating the poem. 
2) Identify any historical, social, political, or philosophical elements that may seem relevant to an interpretation of the work. 

V. Interpret the Poem 
1) Explain what the central “message” of the poem means to you and identify the elements which have prompted your interpretation. 
2) Explain alternative interpretations that other readers might draw from the poem and identify those features responsible. 

VI. Evaluate the Poem 
1) Identify criteria (standards) on which the poem should be judged. 
2) Identify those elements of the poem which relate to those criteria. 
3) Describe what an effective example of the standard would be like. 
4) Explain why you feel the poem meets or fails to meet the standard illustrated in your description. 

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