title of a poem in an essay

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How to Reference a Poem Title in an Essay

Whether you are writing an essay about a poet or simply quoting a poem or referring to its themes, you may find yourself needing to reference the poem's title. However, it can be hard to remember whether the title is italicized, underlined or put into quotation marks. Although the treatment varies depending on the length of the poem and the format you are using, you can follow some general rules for citing poem titles in your paper.

Write the title of the poem in title case. All of the words should be capitalized except articles ("a," "an" or "the"), short prepositions ("in," "on," "with," "at") or coordinating conjunctions ("but," "and," "nor," "or," "so").

Put quotation marks around the poem's title unless it is a novel-length epic poem, such as "Paradise Lost" or "The Divine Comedy." In that case, italicize or underline the title.

Cite the poem with a parenthetical citation if you are using MLA or APA format. For MLA format, write the poet's last name and the page number from which you drew the specific portion of the poem you are citing. If you are citing specific lines, include those after the page number: (Frost 16, lines 23-26). For APA format, write the author's name, the year of publication and the page number from which you drew the information preceded by "p.": (Frost, 1997, p. 16). Do not include a page number if you are citing a website unless you are citing a PDF or another website that includes page numbers.

Create a footnote if you are using Chicago format. Write the poet's last name, the title of the poem, the name of the poem's anthology or the website from which you drew the poem, and the anthology or website's editor. Include the publisher, year and location of publication if you are citing a print poem and the URL and date of retrieval if you are citing a website. Place the page number and any specific lines from which you drew the information at the end of this footnote.

If you are citing an epic or classic poem, cite the canto, act and scene or book instead of the page number:

Yeats, William Butler, "When You Are Old," in Selected Poems: Fourth Edition, ed. M. L. Rosenthal (New York: Scribner Paperback Poetry, 1996),14, line 5.

Dante, "The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio," trans. John D. Sinclair (London, Oxford University Press, 1961), Canto XXVII, lines 34-36.

Dickinson, Emily, "I Heard A Fly Buzz," Women's Studies Database Reading Room at the University of Maryland, n.d., http://www.mith2.umd.edu/WomensStudies/ReadingRoom/Poetry/Dickinson/i-heard-a-fly-buzz (accessed April 21, 2011).

Bibliography

Cite the poem in your bibliography according to the format you are using in the rest of the essay. For MLA format, include the author's last and first name, the title of the poem in quotation marks, the italicized title of the poem's anthology, the page number of the poem and the anthology's editor, date and place of publication and publisher. If the poem is a novel-length poem contained within a single volume, cite it as you would a novel.

If you found the poem online, cite it as you would any other website, including your date of access. Write "n.d." if no publication date is available.

Cite a short poem like this:

Yeats, William Butler. "When You Are Old." Selected Poems: Fourth Edition. Ed. M. L. Rosenthal. New York: Scribner Paperback Poetry, 1996.14.

Cite a long poem like this:

Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics. 1990.

Cite an online poem like this:

Dickinson, Emily. "I Heard a Fly Buzz." Women's Studies Database Reading Room at the University of Maryland. n.d. Web. 21 April 2011.

Cite the poet, date of publication, poem title, editor, anthology name, page number and date and location of publication for APA format. Cite a long poem as you would a novel. Cite a poem you found online with the poet's name, the website's editor, the name of the website, the retrieval date and the URL.

Yeats, William Butler (1996) When you are old. In M.L. Rosenthal (Ed.), Selected poems: fourth edition (p. 14). New York: Scribner Paperback Poetry.

Virgil (1990). The Aeneid. R. Fitzgerald (trans.). New York: Vintage Classics.

Dickinson, Emily (n.d.). I heard a fly buzz. In Women's Studies Database Reading Room at the University of Maryland (ed.), Selected poems by Emily Dickinson. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://www.mith2.umd.edu/.

Cite a bibliographic entry for Chicago Manual of Style as you would a footnote, replacing the commas with periods and omitting line numbers.

Virgil. The Aeneid. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics, 1990.

Dickinson, Emily. "I Heard a Fly Buzz." Women's Studies Database Reading Room at the University of Maryland, n.d. http://www.mith2.umd.edu/(accessed April 21, 2011).

• Daily Writing Tips: Rules for Capitalization in Titles
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Works Cited Page: Books
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Works Cited Page: Electronic Sources

A resident of the Baltimore area, Rachel Kolar has been writing since 2001. Her educational research was featured at the Maryland State Department of Education Professional Schools Development Conference in 2008. Kolar holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kenyon College and a Master of Arts in teaching from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Poetry Explained

How to Write a Poetry Essay (Complete Guide)

Unlock success in poetry essays with our comprehensive guide. Uncover the process to help aid understanding of how best to create a poetry essay.

While many of us read poetry for pleasure, it is undeniable that many poetry readers do so in the knowledge that they will be assessed on the text they are reading, either in an exam, for homework, or for a piece of coursework. This is clearly a daunting task for many, and lots of students don’t even know where to begin. We’re here to help! This guide will take you through all the necessary steps so that you can plan and write great poetry essays every time. If you’re still getting to grips with the different techniques, terms, or some other aspect of poetry, then check out our other available resources at the bottom of this page.

This Guide was Created by Joe Samantaria

Degree in English and Related Literature, and a Masters in Irish Literature

Upon completion of his degrees, Joe is an English tutor and counts W.B. Yeats , Emily Brontë , and Federico Garcia Lorca among his favorite poets. He has helped tutor hundreds of students with poetry and aims to do the same for readers and Poetry + users on Poem Analysis.

How to Write a Poetry Essay

• 1 Before You Start…
• 2 Introductions
• 3 Main Paragraphs
• 4 Conclusions
• 6 Other Resources

Before You Start…

Before we begin, we must address the fact that all poetry essays are different from one another on account of different academic levels, whether or not the essay pertains to one poem or multiple, and the intended length of the essay. That is before we even contend with the countless variations and distinctions between individual poems. Thus, it is impossible to produce a single, one-size-fits-all template for writing great essays on poetry because the criteria for such an essay are not universal. This guide is, therefore, designed to help you go about writing a simple essay on a single poem, which comes to roughly 1000-1200 words in length. We have designed it this way to mirror the requirements of as many students around the world as possible. It is our intention to write another guide on how to write a comparative poetry essay at a later date. Finally, we would like to stress the fact that this guide is exactly that: a guide. It is not a set of restrictive rules but rather a means of helping you get to grips with writing poetry essays. Think of it more like a recipe that, once practiced a few times, can be modified and adapted as you see fit.

The first and most obvious starting point is the poem itself and there are some important things to do at this stage before you even begin contemplating writing your essay. Naturally, these things will depend on the nature of the essay you are required to write.

• Is the poem one you are familiar with?
• Do you know anything about the context of the poem or the poet?
• How much time do you have to complete the essay?
• Do you have access to books or the internet?

These questions matter because they will determine the type, length, and scope of the essay you write. Naturally, an essay written under timed conditions about an unfamiliar poem will look very different from one written about a poem known to you. Likewise, teachers and examiners will expect different things from these essays and will mark them accordingly.

As this article pertains to writing a poverty essay, we’re going to assume you have a grasp of the basics of understanding the poems themselves. There is a plethora of materials available that can help you analyze poetry if you need to, and thousands of analyzed poems are available right here. For the sake of clarity, we advise you to use these tools to help you get to grips with the poem you intend to write about before you ever sit down to actually produce an essay. As we have said, the amount of time spent pondering the poem will depend on the context of the essay. If you are writing a coursework-style question over many weeks, then you should spend hours analyzing the poem and reading extensively about its context. If, however, you are writing an essay in an exam on a poem you have never seen before, you should perhaps take 10-15% of the allotted time analyzing the poem before you start writing.

The Question

Once you have spent enough time analyzing the poem and identifying its key features and themes, you can turn your attention to the question. It is highly unlikely that you will simply be asked to “analyze this poem.” That would be too simple on the one hand and far too broad on the other.

More likely, you will be asked to analyze a particular aspect of the poem, usually pertaining to its message, themes, or meaning. There are numerous ways examiners can express these questions, so we have outlined some common types of questions below.

• Explore the poet’s presentation of…
• How does the poet present…
• Explore the ways the writer portrays their thoughts about…

These are all similar ways of achieving the same result. In each case, the examiner requires that you analyze the devices used by the poet and attempt to tie the effect those devices have to the poet’s broader intentions or meaning.

Some students prefer reading the question before they read the poem, so they can better focus their analytical eye on devices and features that directly relate to the question they are being asked. This approach has its merits, especially for poems that you have not previously seen. However, be wary of focusing too much on a single element of a poem, particularly if it is one you may be asked to write about again in a later exam. It is no good knowing only how a poem links to the theme of revenge if you will later be asked to explore its presentation of time.

Essay plans can help focus students’ attention when they’re under pressure and give them a degree of confidence while they’re writing. In basic terms, a plan needs the following elements:

• An overarching answer to the question (this will form the basis of your introduction)
• A series of specific, identifiable poetic devices ( metaphors , caesura , juxtaposition , etc) you have found in the poem
• Ideas about how these devices link to the poem’s messages or themes.
• Some pieces of relevant context (depending on whether you need it for your type of question)

In terms of layout, we do not want to be too prescriptive. Some students prefer to bullet-point their ideas, and others like to separate them by paragraph. If you use the latter approach, you should aim for:

• 1 Introduction
• 4-5 Main paragraphs
• 1 Conclusion

Finally, the length and detail of your plan should be dictated by the nature of the essay you are doing. If you are under exam conditions, you should not spend too much time writing a plan, as you will need that time for the essay itself. Conversely, if you are not under time pressure, you should take your time to really build out your plan and fill in the details.

Introductions

If you have followed all the steps to this point, you should be ready to start writing your essay. All good essays begin with an introduction, so that is where we shall start.

When it comes to introductions, the clue is in the name: this is the place for you to introduce your ideas and answer the question in broad terms. This means that you don’t need to go into too much detail, as you’ll be doing that in the main body of the essay. That means you don’t need quotes, and you’re unlikely to need to quote anything from the poem yet. One thing to remember is that you should mention both the poet’s name and the poem’s title in your introduction. This might seem unnecessary, but it is a good habit to get into, especially if you are writing an essay in which other questions/poems are available to choose from.

As we mentioned earlier, you are unlikely to get a question that simply asks you to analyze a poem in its entirety, with no specific angle. More likely, you’ll be asked to write an essay about a particular thematic element of the poem. Your introduction should reflect this. However, many students fall into the trap of simply regurgitating the question without offering anything more. For example, a question might ask you to explore a poet’s presentation of love, memory, loss, or conflict . You should avoid the temptation to simply hand these terms back in your introduction without expanding upon them. You will get a chance to see this in action below.

Let’s say we were given the following question:

Explore Patrick Kavanagh’s presentation of loss and memory in Memory of My Father

Taking on board the earlier advice, you should hopefully produce an introduction similar to the one written below.

Patrick Kavanagh presents loss as an inescapable fact of existence and subverts the readers’ expectations of memory by implying that memories can cause immense pain, even if they feature loved ones. This essay will argue that Memory of My Father depicts loss to be cyclical and thus emphasizes the difficulties that inevitably occur in the early stages of grief.

As you can see, the introduction is fairly condensed and does not attempt to analyze any specific poetic elements. There will be plenty of time for that as the essay progresses. Similarly, the introduction does not simply repeat the words ‘loss’ and ‘memory’ from the question but expands upon them and offers a glimpse of the kind of interpretation that will follow without providing too much unnecessary detail at this early stage.

Main Paragraphs

Now, we come to the main body of the essay, the quality of which will ultimately determine the strength of our essay. This section should comprise of 4-5 paragraphs, and each of these should analyze an aspect of the poem and then link the effect that aspect creates to the poem’s themes or message. They can also draw upon context when relevant if that is a required component of your particular essay.

There are a few things to consider when writing analytical paragraphs and many different templates for doing so, some of which are listed below.

• PEE (Point-Evidence-Explain)
• PEA (Point-Evidence-Analysis)
• PETAL (Point-Evidence-Technique-Analysis-Link)
• IQA (Identify-Quote-Analyze)
• PEEL (Point-Evidence-Explain-Link)

Some of these may be familiar to you, and they all have their merits. As you can see, there are all effective variations of the same thing. Some might use different terms or change the order, but it is possible to write great paragraphs using all of them.

One of the most important aspects of writing these kind of paragraphs is selecting the features you will be identifying and analyzing. A full list of poetic features with explanations can be found here. If you have done your plan correctly, you should have already identified a series of poetic devices and begun to think about how they link to the poem’s themes.

It is important to remember that, when analyzing poetry, everything is fair game! You can analyze the language, structure, shape, and punctuation of the poem. Try not to rely too heavily on any single type of paragraph. For instance, if you have written three paragraphs about linguistic features ( similes , hyperbole , alliteration , etc), then try to write your next one about a structural device ( rhyme scheme , enjambment , meter , etc).

Regardless of what structure you are using, you should remember that multiple interpretations are not only acceptable but actively encouraged. Techniques can create effects that link to the poem’s message or themes in both complementary and entirely contrasting ways. All these possibilities should find their way into your essay. You are not writing a legal argument that must be utterly watertight – you are interpreting a subjective piece of art.

It is important to provide evidence for your points in the form of either a direct quotation or, when appropriate, a reference to specific lines or stanzas . For instance, if you are analyzing a strict rhyme scheme, you do not need to quote every rhyming word. Instead, you can simply name the rhyme scheme as, for example, AABB , and then specify whether or not this rhyme scheme is applied consistently throughout the poem or not. When you are quoting a section from the poem, you should endeavor to embed your quotation within your line so that your paragraph flows and can be read without cause for confusion.

When it comes to context, remember to check whether or not your essay question requires it before you begin writing. If you do need to use it, you must remember that it is used to elevate your analysis of the poem, not replace it. Think of context like condiments or spices. When used appropriately, they can enhance the experience of eating a meal, but you would have every right to complain if a restaurant served you a bowl of ketchup in lieu of an actual meal. Moreover, you should remember to only use the contextual information that helps your interpretation rather than simply writing down facts to prove you have memorized them. Examiners will not be impressed that you know the date a particular poet was born or died unless that information relates to the poem itself.

For the sake of ease, let’s return to our earlier question:

Have a look at the example paragraph below, taking note of the ways in which it interprets the linguistic technique in several different ways.

Kavanagh uses a metaphor when describing how the narrator ’s father had “fallen in love with death” in order to capture the narrator’s conflicted attitudes towards his loss. By conflating the ordinarily juxtaposed states of love and death, Kavanagh implies the narrator’s loss has shattered his previously held understanding of the world and left him confused. Similarly, the metaphor could suggest the narrator feels a degree of jealousy, possibly even self-loathing, because their father embraced death willingly rather than remaining with the living. Ultimately, the metaphor’s innate impossibility speaks to the narrator’s desire to rationalize their loss because the reality, that his father simply died, is too painful for him to bear.

As you can see, the paragraph clearly engages with a poetic device and uses an appropriately embedded quotation. The subsequent interpretations are then varied enough to avoid repeating each other, but all clearly link to the theme of loss that was mentioned in the question. Obviously, this is only one analytical paragraph, but a completed essay should contain 4-5. This would allow the writer to analyze enough different devices and link them to both themes mentioned in the question.

Conclusions

By this stage, you should have written the bulk of your essay in the form of your introduction and 4-5 main analytical paragraphs. If you have done those things properly, then the conclusion should largely take care of itself.

The world’s simplest essay plan sounds something like this:

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them
• Tell them what you’ve told them

This is, naturally, an oversimplification, but it is worth bearing in mind. The conclusion to an essay is not the place to introduce your final, groundbreaking interpretation. Nor is it the place to reveal a hitherto unknown piece of contextual information that shatters any prior critical consensus with regard to the poem you are writing about. If you do either of these things, the examiner will be asking themselves one simple question: why didn’t they write this earlier?

In its most simple form, a conclusion is there, to sum up the points you have made and nothing more.

As with the previous sections, there is a little more to a great conclusion than merely stating the things you have already made. The trick to a great conclusion is to bind those points together to emphasize the essay’s overarching thread or central argument. This is a subtle skill, but mastering it will really help you to finish your essays with a flourish by making your points feel like they are more than the sum of their parts.

Finally, let’s remind ourselves of the hypothetical essay question we’ve been using:

Remember that, just like your introduction, your conclusion should be brief and direct and must not attempt to do more than it needs to.

In conclusion, Kavanagh’s poem utilizes numerous techniques to capture the ways in which loss is both inescapable and a source of enormous pain. Moreover, the poet subverts positive memories by showcasing how they can cause loved ones more pain than comfort in the early stages of grief. Ultimately, the poem demonstrates how malleable memory can be in the face of immense loss due to the way the latter shapes and informs the former.

As you can see, this conclusion is confident and authoritative but does not need to provide evidence to justify this tone because that evidence has already been provided earlier in the essay. You should pay close attention to the manner in which the conclusion links different points together under one banner in order to provide a sense of assuredness.

You should refer to the poet by either using their full name or, more commonly, their surname. After your first usage, you may refer to them as ‘the poet.’ Never refer to the poet using just their first name.

This is a good question, and the answer entirely depends on the level of study as well as the nature of the examination. If you are writing a timed essay for a school exam, you are unlikely to need any form of referencing. If, however, you are writing an essay as part of coursework or at a higher education institution, you may need to refer to the specific guidelines of that institution.

Again, this will depend on the type of essay you are being asked to write. If you are writing a longer essay or writing at a higher educational level, it can be useful to refer to other poems in the writer’s repertoire to help make comments on an aspect of the poem you are primarily writing about. However, for the kind of essay outlined in this article, you should focus solely on the poem you have been asked to write about.

This is one of the most common concerns students have about writing essays . Ultimately, the quality of an essay is more likely to be determined by the quality of paragraphs than the quantity anyway, so you should focus on making your paragraphs as good as they can be. Beyond this, it is important to remember that the time required to write a paragraph is not fixed. The more you write, the faster they will become. You should trust the process, focus on making each paragraph as good as it can be, and you’ll be amazed at how the timing issue takes care of itself.

Other Resources

We hope you have found this article useful and would love for you to comment or reach out to us if you have any queries about what we’ve written. We’d love to hear your feedback!

In the meantime, we’ve collated a list of resources you might find helpful when setting out to tackle a poetry essay, which you can find below.

• Do poems have to rhyme?
• 10 important elements of poetry
• How to analyze a poem with SMILE
• How to approach unseen poetry
• 18 Different Types of Themes in Poetry

Home » Poetry Explained » How to Write a Poetry Essay (Complete Guide)

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Santamaria, Joe. "How to Write a Poetry Essay (Complete Guide)". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/how-to-write-a-poetry-essay/ . Accessed 12 July 2024.

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• How to cite a poem in MLA

How to Cite a Poem in MLA | Quoting & Citing Correctly

Published on August 9, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on June 16, 2022 by Jack Caulfield.

When you quote poetry, you have to properly format the quotation and the in-text citation, in order to direct the reader to the correct source entry in the Works Cited list.

Separate lines in a poetry quotation with a slash , and include the poet’s last name either in your text or in parentheses after the quote. To show the location of the quote, include line numbers (if specified in the text) or a page number (if the poem is published across multiple pages).

The second stanza begins with an ominous prophetic voice asking “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow / Out of this stony rubbish?” ( Eliot , lines 19–20 ).

In the Works Cited entry, include the full publication details of the source in which you found the poem (e.g. a book or website ). You can use our free MLA citation generator to create Works Cited entries and in-text citations.

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Table of contents

How to quote poetry in mla, mla in-text citations for poems, mla works cited entry for a poem, frequently asked questions about citing poetry in mla.

When you quote a single line of a poem (or part of a line), simply put it in quotation marks as you would for any other quote . For quotations of multiple lines, there are some specific formatting requirements.

If you quote two or three lines, use a forward slash to mark the line breaks. Put a space before and after the slash. Make sure to use the same punctuation, capitalization, and styling as in the original text.

Mahon writes that “Deep in the grounds of a burnt-out hotel, / Among the bathtubs and the washbasins / A thousand mushrooms crowd to a keyhole.”

If there is a stanza break between the lines, use a double slash.

A haunting image comes next: “They lift frail heads in gravity and good faith. // They are begging us, you see, in their wordless way, / To do something, to speak on their behalf” (Mahon).

If you quote more than three lines of poetry, set them off as a block quote . Use an introductory sentence ending with a colon, then start the quotation on a new line, indented half an inch from the left margin, with no quotation marks.

When block quoting poetry, include all line breaks in the quotation and keep the formatting as close to the original as possible. If there is any unusual spacing, reproduce this in the block quote.

Mahon’s poem opens with a series of images of eerily deserted spaces:

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When quoting a poem, the poet’s last name must be clearly stated so that the reader can locate the source in the Works Cited list. If you cite more than one poem by the same author, you also need to mention the title of the poem you are quoting.

Often you will name the poet and title in the main text as you introduce the quote. If not, or if there is any ambiguity about which poem you are referring to, include the author name and/or title in a parenthetical citation after the quote.

Line numbers and page numbers in in-text citations

Sometimes poems are published with line numbers in the margin. In this case, use the line numbers in your in-text citation to more precisely locate the quote. Use the word “line” or “lines” (preceded by a comma) in the first citation, but only the numbers in subsequent citations.

If there are no line numbers displayed in the source, do not count them manually. If the poem is published over multiple pages, use the page number instead.

If there are no page or line numbers available (for example, when accessing a poem on a website), or if the poem appears on a single page of the published text, without line numbers, you only need to include the poet’s name .

If you have already mentioned the author when introducing the quotation, and there are no line or page numbers, no parenthetical citation is needed.

Consecutive citations of the same poem

If you cite the same poem repeatedly within a paragraph, you only need to mention the author’s name in the first citation . Subsequent citations can just consist of line or page numbers (or be omitted entirely if there are no numbers to give), as long as it’s clear from the context that you’re still citing the same poem.

The second stanza begins with an ominous prophetic voice asking “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow / Out of this stony rubbish?” (Eliot, lines 19–20) . The “heap of broken images” (22) referenced in the following lines could be taken for a symbol of the fragmentary structure of the poem itself.

However, give the full citation again if you start a new paragraph or cite another source in between.

In the Works Cited entry, you start with the poet’s name, followed by the title of the poem in quotation marks. Then include details of the source where the poem was published. Usually you will follow the format of an MLA book citation or an MLA website citation .

Poem in a book

If the poem is from a collection of the poet’s work, add the name of the book in italics; the publisher; the year; and the page or page range on which the poem appears.

Poem in an anthology

If the poem was published as part of an edited collection, follow the same format as above, but add the name(s) of the book’s editor(s).

Poem on a website

If you accessed the poem on a website, include the name of the website and the URL. If the web page has a publication date , include this; if not, add the date on which you accessed it. If relevant, you can also add the original publication year directly after the poem’s title.

To quote poetry in MLA style , introduce the quote and use quotation marks as you would for any other source quotation .

If the quote includes line breaks, mark these using a forward slash with a space on either side. Use two slashes to indicate a stanza break.

If the quote is longer than three lines, set them off from the main text as an MLA block quote . Reproduce the line breaks, punctuation, and formatting of the original.

An MLA in-text citation should always include the author’s last name, either in the introductory text or in parentheses after a quote .

If line numbers or page numbers are included in the original source, add these to the citation.

If you are discussing multiple poems by the same author, make sure to also mention the title of the poem (shortened if necessary). The title goes in quotation marks .

Only use line numbers in an MLA in-text citation if the lines are numbered in the original source. If so, write “lines” in the first citation of the poem , and only the numbers in subsequent citations.

If there are no line numbers in the source, you can use page numbers instead. If the poem appears on only one page of a book (or on a website ), don’t include a number in the citation.

In the list of Works Cited , start with the poet’s name and the poem’s title in quotation marks. The rest of the citation depends on where the poem was published.

If you read the poem in a book or anthology, follow the format of an MLA book chapter citation . If you accessed the poem online, follow the format of an MLA website citation .

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2022, June 16). How to Cite a Poem in MLA | Quoting & Citing Correctly. Scribbr. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/poem-citation/

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Approaches to Titling Your Poem

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The Feather

10 ways to title a poem, so that it's not an afterthought.

Sometimes, it seems like the title is an afterthought or an advertisement to get people to read the poem. A good title is just as much a part of the poem as the poem itself.

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“A title is like a light switch in a darkened room.” — David Bosnick

Titles are seen as the first impression that can intrigue without giving too much away, providing context or complicating a poem's meaning. Good titles may conflict with expectations, revise genre conventions, or add a transformative layer that reveals the emotional core. Some use titles to identify form or content, while others see them as anchors, seeds that grow, or weights that accrue meaning after reading the poem itself. The titling process involves considering a poem's goals, finding the right balance between openness and focus, and sometimes revising multiple options before landing on the one that directs readers in the intended way.

Formal (indicating the poetic form, e.g. "Villanelle After Wittgenstein")

Emblematic (symbolic of a central concept or metaphor, e.g. "Good Bones")

Anaphoric (repeating a line from the poem, e.g. "Nothing Gold Can Stay")

Expository (setting a scene, e.g. "Lying in a Hammock...")

Allusive (referencing another text/artwork, e.g. "Note Blue")

Subversive (defying expectations, e.g. "Come In")

Metapoetic (commenting on poetry itself, e.g. "Words Written Near a Candle")

Perspectival (introducing a persona/viewpoint, e.g. "Mother to Son")

Fugitive (spilling into the first line, e.g. "This Is Just to Say")

Absent (having no title at all)

Formal titles indicate the poetic form, while emblematic titles capture a central metaphor or concept. Anaphoric titles quote from the poem itself, expository titles set a narrative scene, and allusive titles reference other works. Subversive titles defy expectations, metapoetic titles comment on poetry itself, and perspectival titles introduce a viewpoint or persona. Fugitive titles spill over into the first line, while some famous poems have no title at all.

Poets should experiment with different titling strategies, as titles can flicker with meaning and illuminate the many rooms of a poem in diverse ways.

Titling ideas/activities to try from The Cincinnati Review essay on craft:

When writing a one- or two-word title, think about the balance and/or tension between closure and open-endedness. Other recent one- and two-word titles from our miCRo series: Detonations , Magnets , Posies , Dodge , Cruising , Chimera , and It Is .

Write a title that mentions a place and subverts its typical associations, like Washington’s.

A longer title usually means more specificity. Write a few different versions of a long title that plays with more and less mystery. How are specificity and mystery a binary, and when do they coexist? 

Write several different titles for the same poem and reflect on how they set up the rest of the poem differently. 

Compare your title to the last line of your poem. What are the ways that they currently resonate? Try amping up more of the resonance without explicit repetition.  

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Do You Italicize Poem Titles? Tips For Authors

There are rules in writing, in general, which every author must familiarise themselves with.

You may have to italicize movie titles or use other means to emphasize a title. Anyone who comes across the italicized words would know it’s a title. That’s also the essence of italicizing.

Now, here’s the question that has been generating some heated debates among writers

Do you italicize poem titles? 

Yes, you can write the poem’s title in italics. You may also need to underline your title instead of italics. 

Italics are used for long poems. And it’s easier to italicize words when writing on a computer. If you’re writing on paper or marker board, don’t italicize. Underline the title instead.

Is underlining a poem title similar to italicizing it? Yes, it is. The aim of using both is to make them different from the other words. 

 An example of a single but long poem whose title needs to be italicized is  The Odyssey . Other examples include  The Iliad  or  The   Aeneid .

The rule to determine if you should italicize the poem title is the poem’s length is subjective. If the poem is book-length, you can italicize it. Use quotation marks on the poem’s title if it’s up to book-length.   

So, that’s the answer. However, we have more in store for you on this topic. Continue reading to find out.

Table of Contents

When Not To Use Italics For Poem Titles

We have shed light on this topic before, but there’s nothing wrong with revisiting it.

If the poem is a short one, you do not italicize the title. Use quotation marks instead. As a general rule, quotation marks are ideals for shorter write-ups. It’s used for book chapters , short poems, short stories, articles, and essays.

Another reason you can’t use quotation marks is when the poems are not stand-alone. Short poems usually come in a body of work or collection. They come as an anthology or collection of poems.

The same applies to articles that get published in journals. You won’t find chapters of a published work as a stand-alone. Instead, you publish several chapters of a book as a single document.

Why Do You Need To Italicize Poem Titles?

Long before now, there was little, or no buzz about formatting typed documents. Nowadays, we use italics, quotation marks, bold text, and underlining to emphasize text.

The essence of italicizing poem titles is to make them stand out from other texts. With italics, the text becomes different from other surrounding words. Hence, it draws the reader’s attention to the text italicized.

However, italics do not have a very glaring effect. It is subtle compared to using bold text or an underline to emphasize certain words. And because of these specific rules regarding their use, italics still come in handy for writers.

The Use Of Underline In Place Of Italics For Writing Poem Titles

Although underlining in place of italics is acceptable for poem titles , it is somewhat outdated. The practice was common when typewriters and handwritten documents were trending. Then, typewriters didn’t have the option to italicize.

Also, it would not be easy to point out an italicized text in a handwritten document. It is challenging to do so, as some persons’ handwriting appears slanted. With which handwriting, how then can one differentiate the actual italicized text from the unitalicized text?

With the use of computers and word processors, it is now easier to italicize. All you have to do is highlight the text you want to italicize and click on the Italic icon in Microsoft Word. Alternately, you hold down the Ctrl key and press the letter “I” on the keyboard, and the highlighted text will italicize.

Do You Italicize Poem Titles In APA?

APA is a documentation style introduced by the American Psychological Association. The referencing style is common to sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, education, etc.

With the APA referencing style, there is the in-text citation and the one you find on your document’s reference page. Different rules apply to each of them. Another difference is that in-text citation focuses on one work at a time as you write along. It is the reference page that lists out all works you consulted in your work.

If you are using APA style , in-text citation requires that you italicize a stand-alone work title. So, you have to italicize the title of a stand-alone poem or collection of poems.

When citing a poem in-text, the APA format is to write in a round bracket the author’s name, year of publication, followed by the page . An example would be (John, 1995, p.43)

The rule for an in-text citation is slightly different for the reference page. If you are referencing a poem’s title on the reference page, you would also italicize a long or stand-alone poem. The difference lies with shorter poems that are a part of a complete work.

In this case, you would have to write the title of the poem as it is. That it is, it should be in its original form without quotation marks and italics.

Do You Italicize Poem Titles In MLA?

MLA is another citation style introduced by the Modern Language Association. It is a referencing style that is common to disciplines like literature and the humanities.

The style, like the APA , also has an in-text citation. At the end of the document, there’s a comprehensive list of all the work cited.

For in-text citation using this style, you italicize the poem’s title where it is a long poem or collection of poems. When the poem is a short poem and part of a complete work, you use quotation marks.

When citing a long piece of writing, write the author’s name, starting with the last name and the first name. After which, you write the poem title in italics, the city in which it was published, the publisher’s name, and the year published.

When citing a short poem that is a part of a collection or anthology, you also begin with the author’s last and first name. The next thing would be to write the short poem’s title in quotation marks, followed by the collection or anthology title in italics. After which, you add the editor, the city in which it was published, the publisher’s name, and the year published.

Do You Italicize A Poem Title In Chicago Style?

The Chicago style is a referencing style attributed to the University of Chicago Press. It counts as one of the common referencing styles in the United States. This style is also peculiar to disciplines such as social sciences, business, fine arts, history.

The Chicago style does not make any difference when you cite it in the write-up’s body. Whether it is a book, article, collection of poems, or short poem, the citation follows the same process.

An easy way to cite in the body of the writing piece via this style is to provide the author’s name and publication year in round paragraphs.

The distinction in citing different works is only applicable in the Reference List, which comes at the end of the document. In the Reference List, you have to provide the full details of the works cited. So, this is where you would have to provide the poem title.

In the Reference List, the title of books and long works are in italics. So, if the poem is a collection of poems or a single poem long enough to be a stand-alone poem, it must be in italics. If it is a short poem and part of a collection, the title must be in quotation marks.

Poem Titles: What You Need To Know

The title of a poem is usually the first thing that the reader sees. Authors put the title on their book’s front cover, whether it is a long or stand-alone poem. For shorter poems, you will find them at the top.

Since it is the first thing a reader will see, the writer also spends considerable time coming up with an excellent title for the poem. The regular practice is to write the first letters of the words in the title in capital letters. It is only articles within the title that would not appear in capital letters.

In an actual sense, writing the poem’s title is usually more challenging than writing the poem itself. The writer would want to come up with a title that captures the reader’s interest. From the title, a reader should want to read the poem. A poor title could damage the acceptability of the poem, even when the content is excellent.

Irrespective of the style you are using in your writing, italics have rules which you must strictly follow. Firstly, italicize long pieces of writing and put short poems in quotation marks. Apart from these differences, the rule is the same across all styles.

About the Author

CJ grew up admiring books. His family owned a small bookstore throughout his early childhood, and he would spend weekends flipping through book after book, always sure to read the ones that looked the most interesting. Not much has changed since then, except now some of those interesting books he picks off the shelf were designed by his company!

A Full Guide to Writing a Perfect Poem Analysis Essay

01 October, 2020

14 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

Poem analysis is one of the most complicated essay types. It requires the utmost creativity and dedication. Even those who regularly attend a literary class and have enough experience in poem analysis essay elaboration may face considerable difficulties while dealing with the particular poem. The given article aims to provide the detailed guidelines on how to write a poem analysis, elucidate the main principles of writing the essay of the given type, and share with you the handy tips that will help you get the highest score for your poetry analysis. In addition to developing analysis skills, you would be able to take advantage of the poetry analysis essay example to base your poetry analysis essay on, as well as learn how to find a way out in case you have no motivation and your creative assignment must be presented on time.

What Is a Poetry Analysis Essay?

A poetry analysis essay is a type of creative write-up that implies reviewing a poem from different perspectives by dealing with its structural, artistic, and functional pieces. Since the poetry expresses very complicated feelings that may have different meanings depending on the backgrounds of both author and reader, it would not be enough just to focus on the text of the poem you are going to analyze. Poetry has a lot more complex structure and cannot be considered without its special rhythm, images, as well as implied and obvious sense.

While analyzing the poem, the students need to do in-depth research as to its content, taking into account the effect the poetry has or may have on the readers.

Preparing for the Poetry Analysis Writing

The process of preparation for the poem analysis essay writing is almost as important as writing itself. Without completing these stages, you may be at risk of failing your creative assignment. Learn them carefully to remember once and for good.

Thoroughly read the poem several times

The rereading of the poem assigned for analysis will help to catch its concepts and ideas. You will have a possibility to define the rhythm of the poem, its type, and list the techniques applied by the author.

While identifying the type of the poem, you need to define whether you are dealing with:

• Lyric poem – the one that elucidates feelings, experiences, and the emotional state of the author. It is usually short and doesn’t contain any narration;
• Limerick – consists of 5 lines, the first, second, and fifth of which rhyme with one another;
• Sonnet – a poem consisting of 14 lines characterized by an iambic pentameter. William Shakespeare wrote sonnets which have made him famous;
• Ode – 10-line poem aimed at praising someone or something;
• Haiku – a short 3-line poem originated from Japan. It reflects the deep sense hidden behind the ordinary phenomena and events of the physical world;
• Free-verse – poetry with no rhyme.

The type of the poem usually affects its structure and content, so it is important to be aware of all the recognized kinds to set a proper beginning to your poetry analysis.

Find out more about the poem background

Find as much information as possible about the author of the poem, the cultural background of the period it was written in, preludes to its creation, etc. All these data will help you get a better understanding of the poem’s sense and explain much to you in terms of the concepts the poem contains.

Define a subject matter of the poem

This is one of the most challenging tasks since as a rule, the subject matter of the poem isn’t clearly stated by the poets. They don’t want the readers to know immediately what their piece of writing is about and suggest everyone find something different between the lines.

What is the subject matter? In a nutshell, it is the main idea of the poem. Usually, a poem may have a couple of subjects, that is why it is important to list each of them.

In order to correctly identify the goals of a definite poem, you would need to dive into the in-depth research.

Check the historical background of the poetry. The author might have been inspired to write a poem based on some events that occurred in those times or people he met. The lines you analyze may be generated by his reaction to some epoch events. All this information can be easily found online.

Choose poem theories you will support

In the variety of ideas the poem may convey, it is important to stick to only several most important messages you think the author wanted to share with the readers. Each of the listed ideas must be supported by the corresponding evidence as proof of your opinion.

The poetry analysis essay format allows elaborating on several theses that have the most value and weight. Try to build your writing not only on the pure facts that are obvious from the context but also your emotions and feelings the analyzed lines provoke in you.

How to Choose a Poem to Analyze?

If you are free to choose the piece of writing you will base your poem analysis essay on, it is better to select the one you are already familiar with. This may be your favorite poem or one that you have read and analyzed before. In case you face difficulties choosing the subject area of a particular poem, then the best way will be to focus on the idea you feel most confident about. In such a way, you would be able to elaborate on the topic and describe it more precisely.

Now, when you are familiar with the notion of the poetry analysis essay, it’s high time to proceed to poem analysis essay outline. Follow the steps mentioned below to ensure a brilliant structure to your creative assignment.

Best Poem Analysis Essay Topics

• Mother To Son Poem Analysis
• We Real Cool Poem Analysis
• Invictus Poem Analysis
• Richard Cory Poem Analysis
• Ozymandias Poem Analysis
• Barbie Doll Poem Analysis
• Caged Bird Poem Analysis
• Ulysses Poem Analysis
• Dover Beach Poem Analysis
• Annabelle Lee Poem Analysis
• Daddy Poem Analysis
• The Raven Poem Analysis
• The Second Coming Poem Analysis
• Still I Rise Poem Analysis
• If Poem Analysis
• Fire And Ice Poem Analysis
• My Papa’S Waltz Poem Analysis
• Harlem Poem Analysis
• Kubla Khan Poem Analysis
• I Too Poem Analysis
• The Juggler Poem Analysis
• The Fish Poem Analysis
• Jabberwocky Poem Analysis
• Charge Of The Light Brigade Poem Analysis
• The Road Not Taken Poem Analysis
• Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus Poem Analysis
• The History Teacher Poem Analysis
• One Art Poem Analysis
• The Wanderer Poem Analysis
• We Wear The Mask Poem Analysis
• There Will Come Soft Rains Poem Analysis
• Digging Poem Analysis
• The Highwayman Poem Analysis
• The Tyger Poem Analysis
• London Poem Analysis
• Sympathy Poem Analysis
• I Am Joaquin Poem Analysis
• This Is Just To Say Poem Analysis
• Sex Without Love Poem Analysis
• Strange Fruit Poem Analysis
• Dulce Et Decorum Est Poem Analysis
• Emily Dickinson Poem Analysis
• The Flea Poem Analysis
• The Lamb Poem Analysis
• Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Poem Analysis
• My Last Duchess Poetry Analysis

Poem Analysis Essay Outline

As has already been stated, a poetry analysis essay is considered one of the most challenging tasks for the students. Despite the difficulties you may face while dealing with it, the structure of the given type of essay is quite simple. It consists of the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. In order to get a better understanding of the poem analysis essay structure, check the brief guidelines below.

Introduction

This will be the first section of your essay. The main purpose of the introductory paragraph is to give a reader an idea of what the essay is about and what theses it conveys. The introduction should start with the title of the essay and end with the thesis statement.

The main goal of the introduction is to make readers feel intrigued about the whole concept of the essay and serve as a hook to grab their attention. Include some interesting information about the author, the historical background of the poem, some poem trivia, etc. There is no need to make the introduction too extensive. On the contrary, it should be brief and logical.

Body Paragraphs

The body section should form the main part of poetry analysis. Make sure you have determined a clear focus for your analysis and are ready to elaborate on the main message and meaning of the poem. Mention the tone of the poetry, its speaker, try to describe the recipient of the poem’s idea. Don’t forget to identify the poetic devices and language the author uses to reach the main goals. Describe the imagery and symbolism of the poem, its sound and rhythm.

Try not to stick to too many ideas in your body section, since it may make your essay difficult to understand and too chaotic to perceive. Generalization, however, is also not welcomed. Try to be specific in the description of your perspective.

Make sure the transitions between your paragraphs are smooth and logical to make your essay flow coherent and easy to catch.

In a nutshell, the essay conclusion is a paraphrased thesis statement. Mention it again but in different words to remind the readers of the main purpose of your essay. Sum up the key claims and stress the most important information. The conclusion cannot contain any new ideas and should be used to create a strong impact on the reader. This is your last chance to share your opinion with the audience and convince them your essay is worth readers’ attention.

Problems with writing Your Poem Analysis Essay? Try our Essay Writer Service!

Poem Analysis Essay Examples 

A good poem analysis essay example may serve as a real magic wand to your creative assignment. You may take a look at the structure the other essay authors have used, follow their tone, and get a great share of inspiration and motivation.

Check several poetry analysis essay examples that may be of great assistance:

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/poetry-analysis-essay-example-for-english-literature.html
• https://www.slideshare.net/mariefincher/poetry-analysis-essay

Writing Tips for a Poetry Analysis Essay

If you read carefully all the instructions on how to write a poetry analysis essay provided above, you have probably realized that this is not the easiest assignment on Earth. However, you cannot fail and should try your best to present a brilliant essay to get the highest score. To make your life even easier, check these handy tips on how to analysis poetry with a few little steps.

• In case you have a chance to choose a poem for analysis by yourself, try to focus on one you are familiar with, you are interested in, or your favorite one. The writing process will be smooth and easy in case you are working on the task you truly enjoy.
• Before you proceed to the analysis itself, read the poem out loud to your colleague or just to yourself. It will help you find out some hidden details and senses that may result in new ideas.
• Always check the meaning of words you don’t know. Poetry is quite a tricky phenomenon where a single word or phrase can completely change the meaning of the whole piece. 
• Bother to double check if the conclusion of your essay is based on a single idea and is logically linked to the main body. Such an approach will demonstrate your certain focus and clearly elucidate your views. 
• Read between the lines. Poetry is about senses and emotions – it rarely contains one clearly stated subject matter. Describe the hidden meanings and mention the feelings this has provoked in you. Try to elaborate a full picture that would be based on what is said and what is meant.

Write a Poetry Analysis Essay with HandmadeWriting

You may have hundreds of reasons why you can’t write a brilliant poem analysis essay. In addition to the fact that it is one of the most complicated creative assignments, you can have some personal issues. It can be anything from lots of homework, a part-time job, personal problems, lack of time, or just the absence of motivation. In any case, your main task is not to let all these factors influence your reputation and grades. A perfect way out may be asking the real pros of essay writing for professional help.

There are a lot of benefits why you should refer to the professional writing agencies in case you are not in the mood for elaborating your poetry analysis essay. We will only state the most important ones:

• You can be 100% sure your poem analysis essay will be completed brilliantly. All the research processes, outlines, structuring, editing, and proofreading will be performed instead of you. 
• You will get an absolutely unique plagiarism-free piece of writing that deserves the highest score.
• All the authors are extremely creative, talented, and simply in love with poetry. Just tell them what poetry you would like to build your analysis on and enjoy a smooth essay with the logical structure and amazing content.
• Formatting will be done professionally and without any effort from your side. No need to waste your time on such a boring activity.

As you see, there are a lot of advantages to ordering your poetry analysis essay from HandmadeWriting . Having such a perfect essay example now will contribute to your inspiration and professional growth in future.

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How to Write Poem Titles

Last Updated: January 12, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook . Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 94,332 times.

You've written a poem , congratulations! Now, you just need to think of a good title that will pique the reader’s interest and set them up for what to expect. Using keywords and details from your poem can help you craft a strong title. You can also refer to the poem’s tone and context to come up with the title that will engage readers. Once you create a title, format it properly to polish off your poem.

Using Keywords and Details in the Poem

• For example, you may choose keywords like “good” and “sister,” creating a title like “The Good Sister” or “Be good, Sister.”

• For example, you may use a synonym for “good” to create a title like, “The Excellent Sister” or “My Precious Sister.”

• For example, if your poem focuses on a girl named Eva and her pet swan, you may use a title like “Eva and the Swan.” If your poem is about a Denny’s in your hometown of Sturgis, you may use a title like “Denny’s in Sturgis” or “Denny’s, Sturgis.”

• For example, you may choose a verb like “beating” and create a title like, “Beating” or “I Beat.” Or you may pick adjectives like “blue,” “dying,” and “stunning” to create a title like, “Dying Blue” or “Stunning Blue.”

• For example, you may take a repeating line like “she jumped high in track and field” to create a title like “High in Track and Field” or “She Jumped.”

• Avoid picking an image that might give away the crux or turn in the poem. The image should provide some context for the reader but not give any revelations in the poem away.
• For example, you may use an image of a woman leaping over hurdle on the field, red dirt flying in her wake in the poem, and create a title like, “Red Dirt Flys” or “Woman Leaps.”

• For example, if you have a last line like, “She ran off the field, in victory,” you may create a title like, “In Victory.”

Referring to the Poem’s Tone and Context

• For example, if the poem is a playful tale about a little girl named Eva and her pet swan, you may use a title like, “Eva’s Pet Swan” or “Eva’s Friend, a Swan.”
• If the poem is a dark tale about Eva’s difficult relationship with her pet swan, you may use a title like, “The Problem of the Swan” or simply, “Eva and the Swan.”

• For example, you may use a title like, “Monday at the Corner Cafe” or “4:44.”

• For example, if you used a newspaper photo, you may refer to the subject in the photo in the title of the poem. Or if you referred to a recent family dinner you went to to create the poem, you may use a title like, “Sunday Dinner” or “At the Dinner Table.”

• For example, if you wrote a sonnet about your dog, you may use a title like “Sonnet About My Dog.” Or if you wrote a sestina about your best friend, you may use a title like, “Best Friend: Sestina.”

Formatting the Title

• For example, rather than use a title like, “The Time I Had a Good Dinner on Sundays,” you may cut it down to, “Good Sunday Dinner,” or “The Good Dinner on Sundays.”
• In some cases, a longer title may be appropriate if you feel it strongly encapsulates the poem or has a good ring to it.

• For example, you would format a title as: “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock” or “At the Dinner Table.”

• You may also want to change the title if someone else has already used it so your poem can stand out on its own and not be considered for someone else’s work.

Expert Q&A

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• ↑ Alicia Cook. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 11 December 2020.
• ↑ https://annieneugebauer.com/2014/04/21/titling-poems/
• ↑ https://writersrelief.com/blog/2013/08/great-title-for-your-book-or-story-or-poem/
• ↑ https://www.wccnet.edu/learn/departments/engd/writing-center/_documents/punctuation/titles-of-works.pdf

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How to Quote a Poem in APA Referencing

3-minute read

• 31st July 2019

Many style guides have special rules for quoting poetry in an essay . In this post, for example, we will look at how to quote a poem using APA referencing. This will cover:

• How to present quoted verse on the page
• How to format in-text citations for a poem in APA referencing

If you are writing about poetry, then, make sure to follow the rules below.

How to Quote a Poem

The basic rules for quoting a line of poetry are the same as for quoting any other source. As such, to quote a poem, you should:

• Place the quoted text within quotation marks.
• Cite the author’s surname and year of publication in brackets.
• If available, include a page number for the quoted passage.

Otherwise, a single line of poetry will look like any other quote.

If you’re quoting two lines from a poem, though, you will need to include a include a forward slash to show where the line break was in the original text. A two-line quotation would therefore look like this:

One of the most famous examples of nonsense poetry is “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat,” which begins thus: “The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea / In a beautiful pea-green boat” (Lear, 1871/1983, p. 34).

Here, we’re quoting the first two lines of an Edward Lear poem (we include two dates because this is a republished version of the original work). The page numbers in the citation, meanwhile, show us where this poem appears in the book.

Quoting Three or More Lines of Poetry

If you’re using more than two lines from a poem, present it as a block quote . Ideally, you will recreate the presentation of the lines on the page from the original source:

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The final stanza begins with an interspecies wedding: “Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling    Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.” So they took it away, and were married next day    By the Turkey who lives on the hill. (Lear, 1871/1983, p. 34)

Here, for example, we indent the second and final lines more than the rest of the quote. This is because the original poem is presented in the same way.

Furthermore, as with any APA block quote, the citation here comes after the final punctuation in the quote, not before it.

Adding a Poem to an APA Reference List

Finally, if you quote a poem anywhere in your work, it should also appear in the reference list at the end of your document. The correct reference format to use, however, will depend on how the poem was published:

• For long poems published as standalone works, use the standard book format . You can do this for anthologies with a single author, too, but make sure to name the editor as well as the author of the poems themselves.
• List poems published in an anthology as chapters from an edited book (i.e., include details for both poem and container volume).
• List a single poem found online as a web page .

Whatever their format, make sure to provide full publication information for all poems and their container volumes (i.e., the book or website where you found the poem). This will allow your reader to find them if required.

And if you need anyone to check your document for errors – including in citations and the reference list – don’t forget that we have expert academic proofreaders on hand and ready to help 24/7.

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Everything You Need to Know About Citing a Poem

Academic study, especially in literature, will likely bring you to a moment when you'll need to cite a poem in an essay. When that happens, don't worry, we have you covered. We're going to look at citing poetry in the two most common citation styles, APA and MLA, including in-text citations and those required for footnotes/endnotes and Reference or Works Cited pages.

Although commonly used for citing sources within the field of behavioral and social sciences, APA is the style guide of the American Psychological Association (APA) and can be required for essays citing poetry.

In-text citations

For an in-text citation of a poem, APA requires that you add parentheses to the end of the quote and include the last name of the author, followed by a comma and the year of publication of the source. If you are quoting a poem that is online, you can simply use the date of publication of the poem. If you found the poem in a collection or anthology, the in-text citation should include the page number in the anthology where the poem is printed.

But we loved with a love that was more than love--

I and my Annabel Lee--

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me. (Poe, 1849)

Note that since the above quoted poem is three or more lines, it is formatted within the text like a block quote. Quotation marks are not used and the poem is written exactly as it is in the source. Also note that each line is indented and the section is double spaced, with an in-text citation placed after the final punctuation of the quote.

For poetry quotes that are a single line, this should be treated like any other quote. For example:

In his poem Annabel Lee, Poe writes "But we loved with a love that was more than love--," (1849).

Notice that the in-text citation is placed before the final punctuation and the citation only includes the date since the author (Poe) has already been mentioned.

If the poetry quote contains two lines, treat it like any other quote but include a slash mark (/) where the line breaks in the original source. For example:

The author writes, "But we loved with a love that was more than love--/I and my Annabel Lee--,"(Poe, 1849).

Reference page citation

If you found the poem in an anthology, include the poet's name, anthology publication year, poem title, editors' names, anthology name in italics, page numbers, publishing city and publisher name in the following format:

Eliot, T.S. (1970). Journey of the magi. In A. Allison and H. Barrows (Eds.), The Norton Anthology of Poetry (Third Edition) (pp. 1012-1013). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

If you found the poem on the Web, include the poet's name, year of publication, poem title, retrieval date and web address in the following format:

Poe, E., A. (1849). Annabel Lee. Retrieved, November 30, 2019, from https://poestories.com/read/annabellee

Published by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the MLA style is often used for English studies, modern languages and literatures, literary criticism, and media studies.

For an in-text citation of a poem, MLA requires that you add parentheses to the end of the quote and include the last name of the author. However, this is where the similarity to APA style ends. After stating the name of the author, you'll need to include a comma followed by line numbers of the poem quotes. If there are no line numbers in the text, include the page number where the poem was found. Note that if you go this route, there is no comma in between the author's last name and the page number.

Coveted her and me. (Poe, lines 1-4)

As with APA style, for poetry quotes that are a single line, this should be treated like any other quote. For example:

In his poem Annabel Lee, Poe writes "But we loved with a love that was more than love--," (line 1).

Notice that the in-text citation is placed before the final punctuation and the citation only includes the line number since the author (Poe) has already been mentioned.

The author writes, "But we loved with a love that was more than love--/I and my Annabel Lee--,"(Poe, lines 3-4).

For the reference page or works cited page, include the poet's name, the name of the poem in quotation marks, anthology name, names of editors, publishing company, date of publication, and page number where the poem is found. Here's an example:

Poe, Edgar Allan. "Annabelle Lee." The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by A. Allison and H. Barrows, W.W. Norton & Company, 1970, p. 697.

If you found the poem on a website, include the author's last name, author's first name, name of the poem in quotation marks, the name of the website, the website's URL, and the date it was accessed. Here's an example:

Poe, Edgar Allan. "Annabel Lee." Poe Stories, https://poestories.com/read/annabellee. Accessed November 30, 2019.

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Writing About Poetry

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Writing about poetry can be one of the most demanding tasks that many students face in a literature class. Poetry, by its very nature, makes demands on a writer who attempts to analyze it that other forms of literature do not. So how can you write a clear, confident, well-supported essay about poetry? This handout offers answers to some common questions about writing about poetry.

What's the Point?

In order to write effectively about poetry, one needs a clear idea of what the point of writing about poetry is. When you are assigned an analytical essay about a poem in an English class, the goal of the assignment is usually to argue a specific thesis about the poem, using your analysis of specific elements in the poem and how those elements relate to each other to support your thesis.

So why would your teacher give you such an assignment? What are the benefits of learning to write analytic essays about poetry? Several important reasons suggest themselves:

• To help you learn to make a text-based argument. That is, to help you to defend ideas based on a text that is available to you and other readers. This sharpens your reasoning skills by forcing you to formulate an interpretation of something someone else has written and to support that interpretation by providing logically valid reasons why someone else who has read the poem should agree with your argument. This isn't a skill that is just important in academics, by the way. Lawyers, politicians, and journalists often find that they need to make use of similar skills.
• To help you to understand what you are reading more fully. Nothing causes a person to make an extra effort to understand difficult material like the task of writing about it. Also, writing has a way of helping you to see things that you may have otherwise missed simply by causing you to think about how to frame your own analysis.
• To help you enjoy poetry more! This may sound unlikely, but one of the real pleasures of poetry is the opportunity to wrestle with the text and co-create meaning with the author. When you put together a well-constructed analysis of the poem, you are not only showing that you understand what is there, you are also contributing to an ongoing conversation about the poem. If your reading is convincing enough, everyone who has read your essay will get a little more out of the poem because of your analysis.

What Should I Know about Writing about Poetry?

Most importantly, you should realize that a paper that you write about a poem or poems is an argument. Make sure that you have something specific that you want to say about the poem that you are discussing. This specific argument that you want to make about the poem will be your thesis. You will support this thesis by drawing examples and evidence from the poem itself. In order to make a credible argument about the poem, you will want to analyze how the poem works—what genre the poem fits into, what its themes are, and what poetic techniques and figures of speech are used.

What Can I Write About?

Theme: One place to start when writing about poetry is to look at any significant themes that emerge in the poetry. Does the poetry deal with themes related to love, death, war, or peace? What other themes show up in the poem? Are there particular historical events that are mentioned in the poem? What are the most important concepts that are addressed in the poem?

Genre: What kind of poem are you looking at? Is it an epic (a long poem on a heroic subject)? Is it a sonnet (a brief poem, usually consisting of fourteen lines)? Is it an ode? A satire? An elegy? A lyric? Does it fit into a specific literary movement such as Modernism, Romanticism, Neoclassicism, or Renaissance poetry? This is another place where you may need to do some research in an introductory poetry text or encyclopedia to find out what distinguishes specific genres and movements.

Versification: Look closely at the poem's rhyme and meter. Is there an identifiable rhyme scheme? Is there a set number of syllables in each line? The most common meter for poetry in English is iambic pentameter, which has five feet of two syllables each (thus the name "pentameter") in each of which the strongly stressed syllable follows the unstressed syllable. You can learn more about rhyme and meter by consulting our handout on sound and meter in poetry or the introduction to a standard textbook for poetry such as the Norton Anthology of Poetry . Also relevant to this category of concerns are techniques such as caesura (a pause in the middle of a line) and enjambment (continuing a grammatical sentence or clause from one line to the next). Is there anything that you can tell about the poem from the choices that the author has made in this area? For more information about important literary terms, see our handout on the subject.

Figures of speech: Are there literary devices being used that affect how you read the poem? Here are some examples of commonly discussed figures of speech:

• metaphor: comparison between two unlike things
• simile: comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as"
• metonymy: one thing stands for something else that is closely related to it (For example, using the phrase "the crown" to refer to the king would be an example of metonymy.)
• synecdoche: a part stands in for a whole (For example, in the phrase "all hands on deck," "hands" stands in for the people in the ship's crew.)
• personification: a non-human thing is endowed with human characteristics
• litotes: a double negative is used for poetic effect (example: not unlike, not displeased)
• irony: a difference between the surface meaning of the words and the implications that may be drawn from them

Cultural Context: How does the poem you are looking at relate to the historical context in which it was written? For example, what's the cultural significance of Walt Whitman's famous elegy for Lincoln "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed" in light of post-Civil War cultural trends in the U.S.A? How does John Donne's devotional poetry relate to the contentious religious climate in seventeenth-century England? These questions may take you out of the literature section of your library altogether and involve finding out about philosophy, history, religion, economics, music, or the visual arts.

What Style Should I Use?

It is useful to follow some standard conventions when writing about poetry. First, when you analyze a poem, it is best to use present tense rather than past tense for your verbs. Second, you will want to make use of numerous quotations from the poem and explain their meaning and their significance to your argument. After all, if you do not quote the poem itself when you are making an argument about it, you damage your credibility. If your teacher asks for outside criticism of the poem as well, you should also cite points made by other critics that are relevant to your argument. A third point to remember is that there are various citation formats for citing both the material you get from the poems themselves and the information you get from other critical sources. The most common citation format for writing about poetry is the Modern Language Association (MLA) format .

When you mention a poem in your paper, do you italicize or underline the name of the poem?

To mention a poem in the body of the paper:

• Italicize the title of the poem
• Capitalize the first letter of words four letters or longer in the poem's title.  

Visit the APA Help guide for other citation questions.

Thank you for using ASK US. For further assistance, please contact your Baker librarians .

• Last Updated Mar 03, 2021
• Answered By Patrick Mullane

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“Fog,” “Song of Myself,” “On the Pulse of Morning,” “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Poetry titles can be single words or evocative phrases, literal or fanciful, beautiful and intriguing — and a poem’s title can be just as powerful as the poem itself. And before you think about publishing a poetry book , you need to hone in on the titles of your poems.

Choosing the right name for your poem is crucial, and can help draw in readers, provide valuable information and context, and set the stage for all that comes next. But choosing the best name to enhance your poem’s impact can be a challenge. If you’re looking to pick the perfect title for your work, check out the tips and ideas below.

Table of Contents: • The role of a title in poetry • 5 Tips for titling your poem • Exercises to write good poem titles • The final touch: BookBaby’s editing services

The role of a title in poetry

A great title can elevate your poem in multiple ways. The right title can:

• Draw readers in with a strong first impression . The title is the very first thing that readers will see when they engage with your poem. If the name sparks curiosity, elicits a strong feeling, or creates some sort of question or intrigue that makes readers want to explore further, you’ve done your job.
• Set the perfect tone . Whether your poem is humorous or horrifying, bittersweet or wistfully inspiring, the title can create a great mood or tone from which to launch your poem. By simply titling his poem “The Raven,” Edgar Allen Poe created a sense of ominous foreboding, and the title “Still I Rise” sets up Maya Angelou’s words to take the reader soaring. A well-chosen title or phrase can set the appropriate tone for your own great works.
• Provide valuable context . Two poems by Emily Dickinson — “Hope is the thing with feathers” and “Because I could not stop for death” — show how much key information can be provided in the title alone. The first elicits a theme of hope and a sense of elevation and atmosphere, while the second communicates a narrator who is coping with loss and the continuation of life around it. In your own writing, think about what key information needs to be presented right up front, and see if you can artfully weave those messages into the poem’s title.

5 Tips for titling your poem

There’s no rules when it comes to the words or capitalization rules for your title . Here are some ideas to help you get started choosing the perfect title for your poem:

• Draw inspiration from your poem itself . Read your poem several times through and pay attention to how you react. Do specific words, phrases, lines, images, or feelings stand out to you? Does your poem imply something that could be stated explicitly as its title? Are you left with some feeling or sensation? Any of the above can serve as inspiration for a great poem title.
• Consider the theme or central idea . Does your poetry collection focus on themes like simple joys, death and loss, change and growth, or fractures and repairs? Regardless of what your poems explore or express, take a bird’s eye view of your work and keep what you see in mind as you pick your captivating titles.
• Use intriguing or evocative language . Some of the best poem titles are the ones that hook readers and make them want to know more. Who exactly is J. Alfred Prufrock, and what does it mean for the morning to have a pulse? Similarly, strong poem titles can provoke images and feelings that draw readers in.
• Keep it simple . If you make your poem’s title too complex, the whole thing can start to feel artificial and contrived. Remember that the title of the poem sets the scene, but should in no way upstage the poem itself.
• Make your title reflect the poem’s vibe, form, and style . While it’s often a good creative practice to break rules and try unconventional things, unless you have a strong reason to do so, keep your title and the poem itself consistent when it comes to form and style. Titling a Shakespearean-themed sonnet with a phrase from contemporary social media slang, for example, could be more jarring, confusing, and off-putting than helpful.

Exercises to write good poem titles

If your poem’s title comes to you in a flash, fully formed and perfect, wonderful. But if you’re unsure of the type of name your poem deserves, a brainstorming session can help. Here are some ways to get started on the creative process:

• Look for words or phrases from your poem’s text that might also work as a title.
• Read through your poem, take a breather, and then write down as many possible titles as you can think of. Don’t be afraid to write down titles that don’t seem right in the moment; ideas that may look bad initially can often sparkle when revisited.
• Visualize your poem published in a book or journal and pay attention to the title that you imagine on the page.
• Use online tools like poem title generators or AI chatbots to come up with different titles that might be a right fit. Remember that these utilities should be used as ways to spark your imagination, and not as a replacement for your own creativity.
• Ask other people to read your poem and share their reactions, then see if anything they say inspires you with possible title ideas.

Once you’ve gathered potential names and whittled the list down to one or several finalists, it can be helpful to get feedback and revise your title. When you show your poem and its title to trusted readers, do they find that the name pulls them in, and that it fits organically with the poem itself — or is the name boring, unclear, or closer to lackluster clickbait? Of course, you’re the ultimate judge of the best name for your poem, but outside feedback can certainly help you get your work where you need it to be.

Also, consider the possibility that perhaps your poem doesn’t need a title at all. James Baldwin, Alexander Pope, and countless others have written poems that don’t have official names. Do you feel that your work is complete unto itself, and that adding a title would subtract rather than add to the overall impact? If so, maybe an unnamed poem is the best way to go.

The final touch: BookBaby’s editing services

Your poem is written and your title has been crafted, tested, and refined. The final step? Using BookBaby’s expert book editing services to give your work the professional polish it needs to truly shine. BookBaby’s editors have years of experience helping DIY poets realize their literary dreams — and they can do the same for you.

Also, be sure to reach out to BookBaby for all of your poetry needs, including poetry book printing , book formatting , and book cover design .

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Poem Analysis Essay Guide: Outline, Template, Structure

Poetry analysis, which is similar to poetry review, involves analyzing the language and figures of speech used by a poet. It also entails sharing personal views regarding the poem and breaking down the poetic instruments utilized by the said poet. However, it’s not just about the words used (Headrick, 2014). It entails reading between the lines and understanding what made the poet come up with a particular poem. So it may require some background research on the author and history behind the creation of the poem.

Do not worry; we can take care of your academic needs! If you do not have enough time to complete the assignment, get help from EssayService. Our " pay for essay " service has vast experience with this type of work. We have a wide range of free guides and blogs to help you so that you will have more time for the important things.

What Is A Poetry Analysis?

Poetry analysis may define as a critical review given on a poem, a reflection on the depth and gravity of a poem. It revolves around multiple aspects of a poem starting from the subject of a poem, its theme (meaning), tone, literary devices or speech figures, form to the feeling of the poet to how a reader feels about the poem. It is not only the analysis of techniques used in a poem, but poetry analysis provides a broader and wider picture of the poem, its reality, its hidden meanings between the lines, a study of poet’s mind, feeling and intention behind a poem. Different techniques used in poetry analysis are helpful tools in investigating and reviewing the poem. Behind every review or analysis vital research on poet (author), era (time frame), possible reasons, the background behind the conceptualization poem is vital.

If you have been asked to write a poem analysis essay, then it means to examine the piece and further dissect it into key elements including its form, techniques used and historical value. Then further appreciating the poem and highlighting to others these points, and gaining a better understanding.

It is also important to show as many ideas as possible that relate to the poem and then create conclusions on this.

To start writing a poetry analysis essay let's look at the prewriting stage.

How to Choose a Topic for a Poetry Analysis Essay?

• In the subject of the poem we mainly focus on the reasons such as why is the poem written or what is it all about?
• What is the context, the central content of the poem?
• Who wrote the poem and why?
• When and where the poet did write the poem, what or who has influenced the poet and what are the key features of the poem?

A topic should be chosen based on the theme you want to write. The theme is the message that the poem is trying to convey. You need to look therefore for concepts and notions that pop up in the poem and come up with an appropriate theme based on those perceptions or "feelings". If you can’t still figure out what topic you should choose for your analysis, it is recommended that you go through other poems similar poems and get a suitable topic for your analysis. Don’t also forget to cite your poem well. And also use in-text citations while quoting from the poem.

Poem Analysis Essay Outline

To create a good essay, it is needed to plan out the structure of a poem analysis essay so the writing stage will be easier and faster.

Here is an outline of a poem analysis essay to use:

Opening paragraph - Introduce the Poem, title, author and background.

Body of text - Make most of the analysis, linking ideas and referencing to the poem.

Conclusion - State one main idea, feelings and meanings.

Poem Analysis Essay Introduction

To start an introduction to a poem analysis essay, include the name of the poem and the author . Other details like the date of when it was published can also be stated. Then some background information and interesting facts or trivia regarding the poem or author can also be included here.

Poem Analysis Essay Body

When writing the main body of text keep in mind you have to reference all ideas to the poem so include a quotation to back up the sentence, otherwise, it will be a wasted comparison and not count. Be clear with your statements.

Poem Analysis Essay Conclusion

Now, this is where you should take a step back from analyzing the individual elements of the poem and work out its meaning as a whole. Combine the different elements of the analysis and put forward one main idea.

What is the poet trying to say, and how is it enforced and with what feeling? Then look at the meaning and what timeframe does this evolve over?

For example, is it obvious from the start, or does it gradually change towards the end? The last few lines can be very significant within a poem and so should be included in the poem analysis essay conclusion and commented on the impact on the piece.

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How to Analyze a Poem?

Before even thinking about your first draft, read the poem as much as possible. If it's possible, listen to it in the original form. This depends on many factors which include if the poet is still alive?

Also reading aloud can help identify other characteristics that could be missed and even to a friend or colleague will give a chance to more insight. It is important to remember that poetry is a form of art painted with only words, this said it could take time to fully appreciate the piece. So take note of any first thoughts you have about the poem, even if they are negative.

Your opinions can change over time but still mark these first thoughts down.

So that to analyze a poem properly, you have to pay attention to the following aspects:

Title of the Poem

So let's go deeper into the poem analysis essay and look at the title. The poet may have spent a lot of time thinking about naming the piece so what can be observed from this and what further questions can be asked?

• What are your expectations? For example, the poem could be titled “Alone” written by Edgar Allan Poe and from this it is natural to assume it will be sad. After reading further does the reality turn out to be different?
• What is the literature style used? So for example, the work could be called “His last sonnet” by John Keats. From appearance, it is possible to deduce that it could be in sonnet form and if not why did the poet choose to mislead the audience?
• What is the poem about? In the poem, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways” by Elizabeth Barrett, it already states what could be included and what to expect but if it differs from the title what would this suggest?

Literal Meaning of the Poetry

According to our  to fully appreciate a piece, it is needed to understand all the words used. So, for example, get a good dictionary and look up all the unknown words. Then go through partly known words and phrases and check these too. Also, maybe check the meaning of words that are used a lot, but remember some text may have had a different meaning a century ago, so use the internet to look up anything that is not clear. Furthermore, people and places and any cultural relevance of the time should be researched too to get a deeper look at the poet's attitude towards the piece. Patterns might become visible at this point and maybe the theme of the poem.

Structure of the Poem

When looking at the structure of the piece this will reveal more information so pay close attention to this. Look at the organization and sections, this will unlock more questions:

• What does each part discuss?
• How do the parts relate to each other?
• Can you see formal separations?
• What logical sense does it have?
• Is there emotional sense that can be evaluated?
• Does having a strict format say anything about the poet?
• Also failing to have a strict structure does this reveal something?

Once you have observed the structure, it is possible to go deeper into the poem analysis essay and investigate how the speaker communicates the poem to the reader.

Tone and Intonation of the Poetry

So now it is possible to look at the poet and see what details can be obtained from them. Is it possible to see the gender or age of the speaker? Is there some race or religious references to pick up on? Then can we see if the speaker is directly communicating their thoughts and ideas to the reader? If not, what is the character the poet has created to convey the ideas or messages? Does the poet's persona differ to the character created and what can be analyzed from this? Also the mood of the speaker could be available now, are they happy or sad, and how can you find out this from the poem?

Once the poet is understood it is possible to move onto who or what the poem is designed for. Then you can see the purpose of the poetry, what does the poet want from the reader? It is also possible that the poet does not desire a response from the audience and is simply making a statement or expressing themselves.

For example, a poem about spring could just be a happy statement that winter has ended. Looking from the other side, this could be an attempt to attract someone's attention or maybe just an instruction to plow the field.

Purpose of the Poem

The subject of the poem can help identify the purpose, as this usually will be what the poet is describing. Then the theme can be identified also, and what does it say about the work? Are there any links between the theme and the subject and what can analyzed from that? The timeframe is also an important factor to consider, for example, the poet's goal back when it was written, may have changed and why? Furthermore, has the original purpose survived the test of time and can it be said to be the best indicator of success?

Language and Imagery of the Poetry

Until this point it was only possible to analyze the literal information available which is the denotative meaning.’ Now let's look at the imagery, symbolism and figures of speech, this is the connotative meaning.

This is where you should look for pictures described within the text and analyze why they have been depicted? So for example, if the poet thas decided to describe the moon this could set the time in the work or maybe the mood of the poem. Also look for groups of images described and patterns within this, what can be deducted from that?

So when looking for symbolism within the text this could be an event or physical object, including people and places that represent non-physical entities like an emotion or concept. For example, a bird flying through the air can be seen as freedom and escaping usual conforms.

Poetic devices

In your analysis you will look at techniques like metaphors, similes, personification and alliteration to include just a few. It's important to identify the actual device used and why it was chosen. For example, when comparing something within the text using a metaphor then look at how they are connected and in what way they are expressed? Try to use all available clues to gain better insight into the mind of the poet.

Music of the Poem

Poetry and music have deep connections and can be compared together due to the history and uses throughout the ages.

Here are some things to look out for to help with those comparisons:

• Meter - This can be available to investigate in different ways, for example, iambic pentameter has a strict five beats per line just like a musical score if used what does it say?
• Rhythm - Just like with music, poem can have a rhythm but if there is no given meter, it is needed to look closer and observe what this does to the work. For example, a particular beat that is fast could make the poem happy.
• Special effects - Looking for not so obvious signs where the poet has written in a way so you take longer to pronounce words. Also it is possible to grab your attention in other ways, for what reason has the writer done that?
• Rhyme - There are many different types of rhyming techniques used within poetry, once identified look at how it impacts on the work like make it humorous for example? Be careful to look for unusual patterns for example rhymes within the lines and not just at the end of the sentences, even reading out aloud might help find these and then what does it this say about the poem?
• Sound effects - The depiction of different sounds can be powerful and also using different voices, look at what impact this has on the piece and why?
• Breaking Rules - Rhyme and meter for example can have very specific rules but what if the poet decided to break these conventional techniques and make something new, what does this add to the work and why

How to Write a Poem Analysis Essay?

Below you will find a compelling guide on how to analyze poetry with handy writing tips:

• Choose a suitable poem - If possible, before you start, pick the main subject of your essay, a poem that you would like to analyze. The more you find it interesting, the easier it will be to handle the task.
• Read it fully - If you are wondering how to analyse poetry, the first step you can’t go without is carefully reading the chosen poem multiple times and, preferably, out loud.
• Always double-check the meanings - When reading a poem, don’t forget to check for the meanings of unknown (and known as well) words and phrases.
• Collect all the details you need - To write a compelling essay, you need to study the poem’s structure, contents, main ideas, as well as other background details.
• Explore hidden meanings - When analyzing poem, be sure to look beyond the words. Instead, focus on finding broader, hidden ideas that the author wanted to share through his piece.
• Make an outline - Once you have analyzed poem, outline your essay and write it following the plan.
• Proofread and edit - Finally, once your essay is ready, take your time to revise and polish it carefully.

Poetry Analysis Template

To write a winning poem analysis essay, use the template below or order an essay from our professionals.

Introduction

• Name of Poem
• Name of Poet
• Date of Publication
• Background or any relevant information

Form of poem

• Structure of poem
• Rhyme of poem

Meaning of poem

• Overall meaning
• How can we relate the poem to our life

Poetic Techniques

• Literary devices

Form of the Poem

Poems are written in some ways, here one need to identify which structure the poet has used for the poem. The forms of poems broadly are stanzas, rhythm, punctuation and rhymes. Carefully analyze the length and number of stanzas , does the rhythm impacts the meaning of the poem, is there many punctuations or little, either the rhyme is consistent, or it’s breaking and what is the rhyme contributing to the meaning of the poem or is it random.

Theme, Meaning or Message of the Poem

In this part, we focus on the topic, main issue or idea of the poem. There are layers of meaning hidden in a poem.

• Meaning: surface meaning that what is actually or physically happening in the poem which a reader can sense.
• Deeper Meaning: the central idea of the poem or what is it actually about.
• Theme: in poetry, there is always a hidden meaning in every line, which depicts the message about life.

Numerous topics can be covered in poems such as love, life, death, birth, nature, memory, war, age, sexuality, experience, religion, race, faith, creator and many others.

Tone of the Poem

The tone of the poem shows attitude or mood of the language used by the poet. Analyze the different shades of the language used in the poem for example; is it formal, judgmental, informal, critical, positive, bitter, reflective, solemn, frustrated, optimistic, ironic, scornful, regretful or morbid.

Literary Device used in the Poem

Find out what the different literary devices are or what sort of figures of speech is used by the poet . Analyze these techniques and suggest their use in the poem by the poet. The poem can contain a symbol, similes, metaphor, alliteration, allegories, oxymoron, assonances, dissonances, repetition, hyperbole, irony.

Conclusion or Feel of the Poem

Lastly, analyze the emotions and feelings linked with the poem; of the poet and what do you feel when you read the poem. This is the very critical part of reviewing a poem because we analyze the inner depth of the poem, the intention & feelings of the poet, the targeted audience, does the poem reflect the poet’s persona, perspective or it does not match with the poet.

Poetry Analysis Essay Example

Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s Poem “Annabel Lee”

Written in 1849 and first published after the author’s death, Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe is a beautiful story of true love that goes beyond life. In the poem, the author is commemorating the girl named Annabel Lee, whom he knew since childhood. Despite the young age, the love between the narrator and Annabel was so deep and true that even angels were jealous, and, according to Edgar Allan Poe, their jealousy was so severe that they killed the love of his life. The poem ends with young Annabel Lee being buried in a tomb, leaving the readers with a feeling that the author kept holding on to his love for her for many years after her death.

The two evident topics in the poem are love and loss. The entire narration revolves around the author’s agonizing memory, at the same time demonstrating to the readers the purity and power of true love that makes him cherish the memory of his beloved one even after she is gone. Apart from that, Edgar Allan Poe also discusses such issues of love as jealousy and envy. The author states that the love of the two teens was so strong that even angels in heaven were not half as happy as Annabel and Edgar, which caused them to invade the teens’ romantic “kingdom by the sea” and kill the girl.

The topics discussed in the poem, as well as the style of narration itself, give the poem a very romantic atmosphere. It follows the main principles of the romantic era in poetry in the 18th and 19th centuries, which Edgar Allan Poe was representing. At the same time, the author also gives his poem a sense of musicality and rhythm. The poem’s rhyme scheme puts emphasis on the words “Lee”, “me”, and “sea”. The repetition of these words gives the poem a song-like sound.

A significant role in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem is played by imagery, which emphasizes the author’s unique style. The main imagery used by Allan Poe in Annabel Lee is the Kingdom. The author uses this imagery to set the right tone for his poem and give it a sort of a fairytale feel. At the same time, this imagery is used to take the reader to a different place, though not specifying what exactly this place is. To confirm this - the author uses the phrase “the kingdom by the sea” multiple times in his piece, never specifying its meaning. This trick enables the readers to leave this to their own imagination.

Apart from the Kingdom, the author also operates with the imagery of angels and demons. The narrator blames them for their envy for their deep love, which resulted in the death of Annable Lee. Thus, the author gives a negative attitude towards this imagery. This brings us to another big topic of good and evil discussed in the poem.

Nevertheless, even though the angels’ intervention seems to be clear to the reader from what the author says, Poe’s choice of words doesn’t directly implicate their responsibility for the girl’s death. The narrator blames everybody for his loss. However, he does this in a very tactical and covert way.

In conclusion, it becomes clear that the narrator in Annabel Lee did not only pursue a goal to share his pain and loss. He also emphasizes that true love is everlasting by stating that his love for the gone girl lives with him after all these years. With all its deep topics, imagery, and musicality, Annabel Lee is now considered one of the best works by Edgar Allan Poe.

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Poetry Analysis: How to Analyze a Poem

Every author and poet has their own unique style that cannot be replicated. Based on how they think or what they are trying to portray, they create various poems to explore several ideas or theories that were on their mind.

By mastering how to analyze poetry, you also learn how to ask questions, see multiple meanings in simple things, and develop figurative thinking. Let’s give your brain a boost! Discover how to write poetry analysis from EssayPro service - custom dissertation writing .

What Is a Poetry Analysis?

Poetry analysis is the process of reviewing the multiple artistic, functional, and structural pieces that make up a poem. Typically, this review is conducted and recorded within the structure of a literary analysis essay.

The nature of poetry is expressing complex feelings, which usually makes multiple meanings. To understand them, you must examine not only words, but also rhythm, images, obvious meaning, and implied meaning.

Writing a poem analysis essay requires one to take a more in-depth look at both the choices that a poet made and the overall effects of those choices. These papers need a detailed analysis of all of the parts that were used to form a work of poetry.

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4 Pre-Writing Steps to Take

Read the poem carefully.

It is essential to reread the analyzed poetry several times to get a full grasp of the numerous ideas and concepts. This also gives you an opportunity to make a note of the rhyme scheme (if there is one), the type of poem (limerick, ode, sonnet, lyric, haiku, free verse, etc.) and other poetic techniques that the poet used (such as enjambment, meter, end-stopped lines, figurative language, etc.).

• Limerick: Limerick is a stanza of five lines, with the first, second and fifth rhyming with one another and having three feet of three syllables each; and the shorter third and fourth lines also rhyme with each other, but having only two feet of three syllables.
• Ode: Its structure — 10-line stanzas rhyming, with the 8th line iambic trimeter and all the others iambic pentameter
• Sonnet: A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter. Was made famous by non-other than Shakespeare! (Shakespeare invented the word "swag"... just saying)
• Lyric: A lyric poem is a comparatively short, non-narrative poem in which a single speaker presents a state of mind or an emotional state. Rather than tell a story, the speaker talks about his thoughts using a specific rhyming style.
• Haiku: Invented by the Japanese, a haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count.
• Free-Verse: Rather simple, free verse is poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm.

All of those elements of the poem are essential to know when one is writing a poetry analysis essay because they are a part of the poem’s structure and can affect the content.

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Learn About the Background of the Poem

This means that you can find it beneficial to look up the poet, the date that the poem was written, and the cultural context of the work. All of that information typically gives the reader a more in-depth understanding of the poem, and it seems self-explanatory that one who has an enhanced comprehension of the poem would have an easier time analyzing that poem.

Define a Composition Dedicated to the Subject Matter of the Poem

This can be analyzed during the reader’s quest to determine the theme, tone, mood, and meaning of the poem. The subject matter — and the thematic elements that support the intended message behind the subject — is often an interpretive minefield.

Pick a Side Among the Various Theories That You Have Created

Often, people have different ideas about what a poet is trying to say by their use of a subject, so unless the message is implicitly stated, it is best to report multiple possibilities about what the poet may have meant and included evidence for these theories.

The amateur writer can try to elaborate on several existing ideas and theories. Be careful not to mistake this with choosing a popular opinion or biased one. They should be defending the one that carries the most weight or offers the most validation. As the essay is supposed to be an analysis, try to avoid opinions in favor of facts and conjectures that are backed by evidence from work.

How to Choose a Poem to Analyze?

A great way to choose a topic for a poetry analysis essay is to decide on one that would deal with information that you are already familiar with. For example, if the choice of the poem to analyze is up to you, then it may be beneficial for you to choose a poem that you have encountered before. If the choice is to be made between different subject areas within a poem, then you could find it easier to choose to focus on writing about an area that plays to your strengths, so that the statements made in the essay are conveyed clearly and confidently.

A poem analysis essay may seem like a daunting writing assignment at first, but if the topic, outline, and paper are composed following the steps mentioned above, the paper will no doubt, turn out very well.

Poetry Analysis Essay Outline

An outline for a poetry analysis essay can be very simple. It is merely a guideline for the writer to build upon. Put the title of the paper at the top of the page, then place the number one (1) underneath, just before the word “Introduction.” Under this, you can list brainstormed ideas for the introduction paragraph of the paper. The final portion of this section should be dedicated to the thesis statement of the paper.

Need a poetry analysis essay outline? Here is a basic structure to follow for your outline:

Following an outline for a poetry research essay is recommended to make sure you organize all your thoughts and statements you want to say. No matter whether you know how to write poetry — an outline will help identify areas that need to be explored in the analysis.

Introduction

Starting with the title for the analysis can be something very basic or a clever quote, a statement from the piece. Moving onto the introduction to poetry analysis, this should open with a “hook” to get the reader's attention. Follow up with the Authors name and title for the piece. Add some interesting trivia or background info that is not known to the audience, but try to keep it short. To finish off the introduction to a poetry analysis, state your thesis.

The bulk of ideas and comparisons need to be explored here in a clear, focused way. When writing a poetry analysis, each paragraph should be devoted to one point or feature you are comparing. You can divide each point by using the corresponding letter from the outline. Try to make it a coherent and specific about what is being compared (example: when stating your ideas about what the poetic devices do to the piece check whether you state each one and do not generalize). Using transition words and phrases will keep the paragraphs flowing well and more helpful to read.

It's important when looking at how to analyze a poem to finish with a set-out conclusion. Firstly, start by restating the thesis in different words. Summarize the most important findings to prove the thesis. From this, you can draw up your own opinions and take a step back and say what it all means with one key idea. Lastly, try to leave the reader with something memorable to take away with them (a thought-provoking sentence or question about the poem).

Tips for a Poetry Analysis

We have put together some handy tips to help you with when writing a poetry analysis essay:

• If possible, choose a poem that you would like to write about. This seems like a simple enough idea but very relevant. If you have the choice pick a poem you enjoy.
• Try reading the poem to a colleague or friend and even just out loud to yourself. This will help discover any hidden information from the sound, and it’s always good to get a second opinion or extra ideas.
• Don’t be scared to double-check the meanings of words and phrases. This is vital to know how to write a poem analysis essay and to the best, you can. Some words may have had different meanings, cultural references and places all should be looked up if only half certain.
• Check if the conclusion has one clear central idea or theme. Do not put in many confusing ideas or conclusions as this will look like you have not evaluated the work with focus. To go beyond a simple poetry analysis for middle school, try to show how it links to broader themes and the outside world.
• Always try to look beyond the words themselves. Hunt for hidden meanings and any little clues upon which to build a picture. Anybody could know how to write a poem but to explore the hidden meanings within poetry takes time, skill, and a lot of research.

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Poetry Analysis Essay Example

Read also a very fascinating article the Divine Comedy summary . Our readers find it very informative.

Ballad of Birmingham is the author of the poem that revolves around a little girl who would like to go downtown to take part in a freedom protest. Her mother, however, says that she cannot go because of the dangerous conditions outside. Her mother instead tells her to go to church despite the little girl's constant explanations that she would not be alone. Defeated and in a show of respect for her mother, the little girl gets dressed and goes to church. Her mother is contented that she would be fine at the church. Sooner her mother hears of an explosion that sets her racing downtown in search of her daughter. Unfortunately, she finds her daughters dress and shoes in the piles and rubbles. She is left wondering where her daughter is.

Have a Poem to Analyze and Feel Stumped?

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is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

More From Forbes

25 famous poems that everyone should read.

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A framed poster of a stamp depicting Langston Hughes, who wrote some of the best poems in American ... [+] history.

Poetry provides the perfect way to indulge in the escapism of reading without the commitment required to finish a novel. You can read most famous poems in a single sitting, some taking just a minute or two, and they give you a window into a new way to think. The best poems and poetry employ imagery as well as gorgeous, creative language designed to make you think and help draw conclusions about greater themes. In most poems, a bird is never just a bird, and you can learn a lot about life by thinking about the symbolic meaning of the themes explored, from romance to politics. This list includes poems from the best poetry books of all time and other more recent poems that examine contemporary events.

Some of the most popular, well-known poets include modern geniuses such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsberg and Sylvia Plath. Other famed poets date back centuries, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. And yet others still write today, like Amanda Gorman.

The poems on this list are ranked based on popularity, how the themes hold up over time, use of language and imagery, reputation of the poet and critical reaction to the poem. It includes poems from as recent as 2021 and ones as old as 1798. You will find a lot to enjoy on this list.

25. "Flowers from the Volcano" by Claribel Alegría (2013)

Claribel Alegría (1924-2018), a Latin American poet who moved to the U.S. during World War II, was a committed pacifist who returned to Nicaragua to help the country rebuild in 1985. In this poem, she recounts memories of Central America and uses incredible imagery to link it to the rest of the world.

This poem is best for people who have some understanding of metaphor in poetry. You can read "Flowers from the Volcano" by Claribel Alegría in Halting Steps: Collected and New Poems from publisher Northwestern University Press .

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Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 24. "paul revere's ride" by henry wadsworth longfellow (1860).

This famed poem begins with the lines, “Listen, my children, and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.” It goes on to narrate Revere’s ride to warn Massachusetts residents of the approach of British soldiers—though, as scholars have pointed out, it’s not historically accurate. Still, it’s an exciting story.

This poem is best for novice poetry readers. You can read "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Academy of American Poets website.

Artist Robert Guillemin known popularly as "Sidewalk Sam" puts the finishing touches on a portrait ... [+] of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at the foot of the Longfellow Bridge spanning the Charles River, which completes his project painting the poem "Paul Revere's Ride."

23. "A Dog Has Died" by Pablo Neruda (1974)

Published after Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s death, “A Dog Has Died” pays tribute to a loyal pet in plain, unsentimental language. He describes the dog’s personality and their bond, though it’s clear the narrator has a reserved personality and never fully felt the joy his pet chased in life.

This poem is best for anyone who has experienced the grief of losing a pet. You can read "A Dog Has Died" by Pablo Neruda in Winter Garden from publisher Copper Canyon Press .

22. "Heartbeats" by Melvin Dixon (1995)

The staccato rhythm of this poem feels like a heartrate monitor—appropriate, since the narrator is struggling with an illness. The person wonders how long they have to live while also detailing their care and treatment. Of note, the poet was HIV positive and often wrote about black gay men like himself.

This poem is best for anyone new to poetry looking for an accessible place to start. You can read "Heartbeats" by Melvin Dixon in Love’s Instruments from publisher Northwestern University Press .

21. "A Carafe, that is a Blind Glass" by Gertrude Stein (1914)

Gertrude Stein is better known for her prose, but her sparse poetry is also worth reading. This is the shortest poem on the list, just three lines and written as sentences. Yet the poem is open to interpretation, and the meaning of the “blind glass” often reflects the reader’s own experience.

This poem is best for those who are short on time yet still want an impactful read. You can read "A Carafe, that is a Blind Glass" by Gertrude Stein, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Poetry Foundation website.

20. "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll (1871)

Lewis Carroll loved his creatures, and this poem warns readers, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!/The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!” It creates a classic good vs. evil scenario, in which the hero sets out to slay the Jabberwocky. It’s certainly no coincidence Carroll named his creature a word that now means “meaningless.”

This poem is best for those who enjoyed Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and similarly wild adventures. You can read "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Poetry Foundation website.

The grave of Lewis Carroll, who wrote "Jabberwocky," at Mount Cemetery.

19. "She Was Fed Turtle Soup" by Lois Red Elk (2015)

An enrolled member of the Fort Peck Sioux, Lois Red Elk uses her experience as a teacher, actor and technical advisor on Hollywood films to create vivid poetry. This one follows a girl's journey to mature and partake in the ritual of eating turtle soup.

This poem is best for more experienced poetry readers searching for denser poems. You can read "She Was Fed Turtle Soup" by Lois Red Elk, which is no longer available in a print edition, on the Academy of American Poets website.

18. "what if" by Claudia Rankine (2020)

Claudia Rankine’s poem opens with an insightful question: "What does it mean to want an age-old call/for change/not to change/and yet, also,/to feel bullied/by the call to change?" Her awesome command of language (see, among other wordplay, the phrase “historied out”) makes this poem about modern living a must-read.

This poem is best for anyone ready for more complex, challenging and gorgeously written poetry. You can read "what if" by Claudia Rankine in Just Us from publisher Graywolf Press .

17. "A Memory" by Saeed Jones (2018)

If you don’t follow Saeed Jones on social media or listen to his podcast, you’re missing out. He has a unique ability to synthesize pop culture with humor and truth. “A Memory” is the poet at his best, including the line, “When I’m back, I want a body like a slash of lightning.”

This poem is best for anyone who wants to read contemporary poetry. You can read "A Memory" by Saeed Jones, which was published as part of the Poem-A-Day project, on the Academy of American Poets website.

16. "Sick" by Shel Silverstein (1970)

Shel Silverstein’s playful children’s poems get to the heart of what it is to be a kid. In “Sick,” a little girl insists she has all manner of illnesses before realizing she’s pulling her fake on a weekend—not a school day. Miraculously, she’s feeling much better! It’s a well-imagined, well-executed story.

This poem is best for adults who want to read poetry with their kids. You can read "Sick" by Shel Silverstein in Where the Sidewalk Ends from publisher Harpercollins .

Shel Silverstein, left, appearing on "The Johnny Cash Show" with Johnny Cash. Silverstein wrote some ... [+] of the best children's poems.

15. "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou (1995)

One of Maya Angelou’s best-known poems, “Phenomenal Woman” pays tribute to the power of self-love, especially for Black women who have long been othered and intentionally excluded from societal beauty standards. The poem pushes back against what society sees as a remarkable woman and creates a new standard.

This poem is best for anyone who has ever felt less-than or isn’t finding the right answers in a self-help book . You can read "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou in And I Still Rise from publisher Penguin Random House .

14. "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson (1891)

One of famed poet Emily Dickinson’s best-known poems, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers” follows the narrator’s encounter with a bird. However, like most poems, this one is about so much more. It also explores our capacity for hope, when it is misguided and when it is not.

This poem is best for anyone looking for a Dickinson poem to begin with. You can read "‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Poetry Foundation website.

13. "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer (1888)

Ernest Thayer’s 19th-century classic takes readers through the suspenseful final inning of a baseball game with the Mudville nine hoping their star player, Casey, would get to the plate. Of course, as nearly everyone knows (spoiler alert!) from the famous last line, “there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.”

This poem is best for sports fans and novice poetry readers. You can read "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Academy of American Poets website.

12. "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman (1855)

Another poem that celebrates the value of individualism and releasing yourself from societal standards is Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” He uses grass to symbolize rebirth—as the famous line goes, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,/If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.”

This poem is best for readers with a firm grasp of symbolism and imagery. You can read "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Poetry Foundation website.

11. "American History" by Michael S. Harper (2000)

In just nine lines, Michael S. Harper calls out the violence perpetrated against Black people from the founding of the United States, juxtaposing a horrific past historical event with a horrific more recent one. His poem is frequently cited in conversations about social justice and racial inequities.

This poem is best for anyone and should be required reading for Americans. You can read "American History" by Michael S. Harper in Songlines in Michaeltree from publisher University of Illinois Press .

10. "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath (1962)

Sylvia Plath explored her issues with her father and her estranged abusive husband in the poem “Daddy,” which questions why women must deal with violence from men. Due to her own father’s early death, she argues she never developed tools to tell the good men from the bad men. This was published after Plath died.

This poem is best for anyone looking to begin reading Plath’s poetry. You can read "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath in The Collected Poems from publisher HarperCollins .

Stencil graffiti street art featuring a Sylvia Plath in a dress with her bicycle and panniers on in ... [+] Hebden Bridge, United Kingdom.

9. "In Flanders Field" by John McCrae (1915)

There’s no way to repay or adequately honor soldiers who give their lives for their country. This poem published during the then-unprecedented bloodshed of World War I is set in a graveyard in Belgium, where fallen soldiers implore those reading to ensure their sacrifice is not in vain.

This poem is best for anyone interested in military history who wants to see another aspect of war’s impact. You can read "In Flanders Field" by John McCrae, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Poetry Foundation website.

8. "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman (2021)

It was one of the most memorable inauguration moments in recent memory: 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman becoming the youngest-ever inaugural poet while reading her work about racial justice and the challenges to uniting America. It soon became a bestselling book, and Gorman has skyrocketed to fame for her wise words.

This poem is best for anyone interested in contemporary poetry or politics. You can read "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman in The Hill We Climb from publisher Penguin Random House .

7. "We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks (1963)

Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black winner of the Pulitzer Prize, often used poetry to convey the Black experience in America. In “We Real Cool,” she describes a group of teens like most others in the prime of life—buoyant, slightly rebellious, feeling invincible. That’s sadly proven wrong due to their skin color, the poem foreshadows.

This book is best for people looking for short poems that deliver a punch to the gut. You can read "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks in Selected Poems from publisher HarperCollins .

6. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798)

We have all committed thoughtless acts that come back to haunt us. Thus, it feels relatable when the Ancient Mariner, the protagonist of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s enduring poem, kills an albatross and later must pay for it. The poem also reminds readers not to take the carefree times in life for granted.

This poem is best for anyone who’s ever wondered about the origin of albatrosses as symbols of regret and woe. You can read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is old enough to have shifted into the public domain, on the Poetry Foundation website.

5. "Diving into the Wreck" by Adrienne Rich (1973)

Adrienne Rich uses a well-constructed, in-depth metaphor to explore women’s place in society in “Diving into the Wreck.” Even the word “wreck” can be taken two ways—the ruined ship a diver explores or the muddle women’s everyday lives become amid the patriarchy. Rich uses the diver’s journey to parallel women’s self-discovery.

This poem is best for fans of extended allegories. You can read "Diving into the Wreck" by Adrienne Rich in Diving into the Wreck from publisher W.W. Norton .

Adrienne Rich, author of "Diving into the Wreck," one of the greatest poems ever written.

4. "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg (1956)

Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and his contemporaries wanted to blow things up—from societal norms to traditional writing practices. Ginsberg touched on both in his controversial poem “Howl,” which authorities in the UK called obscene due to references to sex and drugs. The poet also calls out capitalism and war for destroying culture.

This poem is best for anyone curious about counterculture or beat poetry. You can read "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg in Selected Poems 1947-1995 from publisher HarperCollins .

3. "A Thousand Mornings" by Mary Oliver (2012)

Mary Oliver may be the most widely read poet due to her popularity among non-poetry readers. Her simple vocabulary and straightforward questions make her accessible, such as in “A Thousand Mornings.” She urges readers to lose themselves in the presence of nature and appreciate the moment—simple as that.

This poem is best for anyone looking to begin their poetry journey. You can read "A Thousand Mornings" by Mary Oliver in A Thousand Mornings from publisher Penguin Random House .

2. "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost (1920)

Robert Frost wrote many exceptional poems. Though this was composed more than a century ago, that dichotomy between hot and cold, symbolizing desire and hatred, remains relevant today. The poem doesn’t argue for or against either, which makes it more interesting. It uses natural symbolism to illustrate the dangers of each.

This poem is best for anyone searching for a good first Robert Frost poem. You can read "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost in New Hampshire from publisher Penguin Random House .

Robert Frost, poet of Amherst, New Hampshire, and author of one of the best poems, "Fire and Ice."

1. "I, Too" by Langston Hughes (1926)

Langston Hughes used his poetry to illustrate the struggles Black people faced in America during the Harlem Renaissance (and well beyond, as many of the same issues persist today). “I, Too” explores Hughes’s dream of ending segregation and uniting people of all colors. It argues for equality and against ignorance.

This poem is best for everyone as it can spark critical conversations and reflections on racism. You can read "I, Too" by Langston Hughes in The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes from publisher Penguin Random House .

Bottom Line

Poetry offers an escape, an opportunity to, however briefly, imagine yourself as part of another world. So much of poetry is subjective, and no two people interpret it exactly the same, which is part of the fun. Dive into a new poem on this list today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are great poems for friends.

Great poems for friends illustrate what it means to be devoted to one another and share a special bond. Some poems use the absence of fellowship to underscore why friends are important. Two great poems for friends are: 

Maya Angelou’s “ Alone ” (1975), which explores why we all need friends, no matter how much money or privilege we have. 

May Yang’s " To All My Friends " (2017), which pays tribute to the people who have supported the Hmong American poet (who writes under the pseudonym Hauntie) throughout her times of anguish, rage and weakness.  

What Are The Best Poems About Nature?

The best poems about nature make you want to go outside and see something living or green. They use imagery, metaphor and description to set the scene. Two of the best poems about nature are: 

Robert Frost’s " Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening " (1923), which paints a parallel between the dark woods and death. 

Emily Dickinson’s " A Bird, came down the Walk " (1891), about a chance encounter with a bird in which the narrator ponders the wonder, and almost terrifying scope, of nature. 

What Are The Best Love Poems?

The best love poems capture the excitement, lust, desire and often heartbreak of being in love. Whether chronicling an unrequited flame or depicting a perfect relationship, love poems cover a gauntlet of emotions. Two of the best love poems are: 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's " Sonnets from the Portuguese 43 " (1850), which paints a picture of all-consuming, hot-burning love and opens with one of the most famous lines in history (“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”).

William Shakespeare's " Sonnet 18 ” (1609), which perfectly captures the optimism of early love and also has a famous opening line (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?").

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