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What is the point of poetry? Why is it so hard to understand? Why do we have to study it? Can it be made any easier?
If you – or your teenagers – are asking these questions I am here to answer them. Hang on a minute…I can’t deal with all of those today but watch out for future posts. Today I have five suggestions to make reading and understanding poetry a little bit – or maybe a lot – easier.
Here we go.
- Slow down. Ok, I know I am always talking about slowing down. That’s because it is so very important when dealing with language and literature. No-one, absolutely no-one, can approach a poem in a rush. The slightest sense of hurry will reduce your ability to connect with the poem. Slow right down.
- Read it more than once. With the exception, perhaps, of long epic poems, reading poetry is not a linear process. It’s not a matter of getting from A to B. Starting at the beginning knowing nothing, picking up clues along the way and knowing everything we need to know by the end. That would be like having a quick glance at a Picasso or Rembrandt and believing we had ‘got’ the painting. Read it, then read it again, then again, and so on.
- Read it aloud. I know from bitter experience that the thought of reading aloud can be daunting. But in the right environment, it is a helpful practice. Reading poetry aloud ensures we don’t skim over words and helps us to notice the rhythm, sound and musicality of the verse. These aspects of a poem are often just as important as the meaning of the actual words.
- Don’t look for a definite meaning. Many poems cannot be ‘interpreted.’ Ambiguity, which is my ‘word of the week,’ is often used by poets to incorporate two or more layers of meaning in one poem. There is usually no one right interpretation. Be willing to accept that a poem may be offering you several possible interpretations which could be equally valid. This is not to make poetry difficult. After all, poets do not write in order to be included in a curriculum or sweated over in exams. They write to communicate to other human beings. Poetry allows people to speak to other people in complex and imaginative ways. The poet may be saying, ‘what if?’ or, ‘just imagine,’ rather than, ‘this is what I think.’
- Relax. If you feel a poem is confusing, you are probably not alone. It is even possible that the poet wrote it that way on purpose. If you are really stuck, ask for help. And if that help doesn’t result in clarity, ask someone else. You are not failing if you are struggling with a particular poem; you may just need some guidance and some more time reading it.
If you are studying poetry for exams, or if you are the parent of someone who is, try these tips and see if they help. If you would like more advice, or tips on a specific set poem, feel free to contact me. And don’t forget to look out for future posts on what poetry is for and exam techniques.
