Questions for Poetry Fans

[ysabetwordsmith]

Reading a poem is a participatory experience. It's not like watching television where you just sit there and passively absorb the broadcast. Good poetry makes you think. It raises questions.

What kind of questions? I'm glad you asked! Here are some examples of questions that you might ask yourself while reading a poem, or while discussing poetry in general. Feel free to use these as a jumping-off point for comments on this post or on individual poems posted to this community.


For Poetry in General

• What is poetry?
• What do you think poetry can do better than prose, or vice versa?
• Which poetic techniques do you like or dislike?
• Which poetic forms do you enjoy reading?
• Have you read poems by people very different from yourself (another religion, ethnicity, sex, etc.)?
• When did you get interested in poetry?
• Have you tried writing poetry, or do you prefer to read someone else's poetry?
• What do you think about the state of poetry in today's world?
• Do you feel that the publishing industry is doing right by poetry today? Why or why not?
• How do you feel about poetry online?

For a Specific Poem

• What does the title tell you about the poem?
• What is the form of this poem? What are some of your favorite forms?
• Who is telling the story here? What does that voice sound like?
• How does the poet set the scene and the mood?
• Which techniques can you identify -- rhyme, meter, alliteration, metaphor, etc.?
• Can you spot any hidden symbolism or other 'eastereggs' in the poem?
• How straightforward or mysterious is this poem? Which do you prefer, and why?
• How does the poem make you feel? What words or phrases evoke that emotion?
• What is your favorite line or verse?
• What is the poem about? What message(s) does it send?

No doubt you can think of some more questions for exploring poetry.  Share them in a comment, or make a post of your own if you want to go longer.

Further Reading
"Analyzing Poetry"
"How to Read a Poem"
"Questions to Consider When Reading Each Poem"

Comments

[jjhunter]

I hope poetree proves both a resource and a community for you! It's wonderful to have you here. :o)

[syntaxofthings]

Thank you! I am really enjoying the discussion of poetry so far. =) I was just told yesterday that joining communities are a good way to make friends, so I'm trying to make an extra effort here to engage with the posters and the works. Mostly because I think it's a really good idea for a community!

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I am really enjoying the discussion of poetry so far.<<

I'm happy to hear this.

>>I was just told yesterday that joining communities are a good way to make friends, so I'm trying to make an extra effort here to engage with the posters and the works. <<

Yes, that's effective advice. I occasionally look a a community's profile and visit the blogs of other members to see if I want to friend any of them.