Different genres of poetry follow different conventions. If you can identify the poem’s genre before reading, you will be able to follow its structure, narrative, themes and meter with greater ease. There are many different genres of poetry, but many classics will fall into a particular form.



Epic Poetry: A long narrative poem that describes heroic or mythological events. Example: The Odyssey by Homer

Sonnet: a poem of fourteen lines. Sonnets typically are Petrarchan (two stanzas of four lines each plus one stanza of six lines) or English (three stanzas of four lines and a stanza with two lines). Example: “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? (Sonnet 18)” by William Shakespeare

Ballad: a folk tale told in song, typically taken from oral tradition. Example: “The Ballad of Chevy Chase”

Free verse: poems that do not have any identifiable meter, rhyme, or form. Example: “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, Reading aloud can help you figure out the sounds of the poem while increasing your comprehension of it. Recite the poem in a slow but natural voice. You do not have to pause at the end of every line. As you do so, try to note where you are naturally pausing.What words are you emphasizing?
Does the poem sound lyrical, or are there abrupt breaks in the verse?
Which sounds repeat through the poem? What kind of effect does this create?

, If you are having trouble listening to your own voice, you can find a recording of the poem where an actor or poet recites the verse. Pay attention to where they are pausing and how they are emphasizing each word. Does the sound of the poem have any particular effect on how you interpret it?

, Many poems have an established meter. This means that there is a certain number of stressed and unstressed syllables in every line. See if you can identify which syllables are strongly pronounced (stressed) and which are lightly pronounced (unstressed). Stressed syllables are those that are pronounced with emphasis while unstressed are pronounced quickly with no emphasis. Count the number of syllables in the line. Recite the line slowly, tapping along to your words. A hard tap should signal a stressed syllable while a light tap signifies an unstressed syllable.


For example, in the line “If music be the food of love, play on,” the stressed syllables are bolded and the unstressed are not.
Mark stressed syllables with a / or a ^.
Mark unstressed syllables with an x or a u.
Be aware that free verse poems have no meter.
 Many forms of poem have distinct patterns of rhyme. The rhyme scheme will usually be somewhat consistent through the poem. Assign a letter to every type of rhyme, and use that letter to mark every time that rhyme is used.


For example in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “In Memoriam,” the following stanza has an ABBA rhyme scheme: “To-night ungather'd let us leave/This laurel, let this holly stand:/We live within the stranger's land,/And strangely falls our Christmas-eve.” The A rhyme signifies that “leave” and “eve” rhyme while the B rhyme marks that “stand” and “land” rhyme.
 Sometimes the title of the poem can give away what it is about. If the poem itself seems ambiguous and obscure, reread the title for clues. You may be surprised at what the poem is actually saying. Locate imagery in the poem that connects it to its title.
Identify the genre or form of the poem.
Read it out loud.
Listen to a recitation.
Tap out the meter.
Mark rhyme scheme.
Consider the title of the poem.
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