Some Key Questions for Poems

The Questions: What is the poem’s overall meaning? What experience is the poet trying to get the reader to experience? How does he or she attempt to create this experience? Note for this question the poetic and literary devices will be important. How is this poem both about a particular thing and also about something that is more universal?

A Quote to Think About: “All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril.” Oscar Wilde