Poetry Essay Tips – From www.revise.

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1. Focus mainly on how, not what. Don't spend too much time discussing the meaning
of a poem; write about the techniques used to achieve that meaning.

2. Support all points with short quotations. Every major point should be illustrated and
supported by a short textual quotation.

3. Introduce quotations. Your discussion should flow into the quotation and out again
the other side - the reader should not be 'ambushed'. This is also the best way to deal
with information about the content of poems - use information about content as a
means of contextualising a quotation.

4. The quotation does not constitute the comment. Always discuss the implications of
the words quoted. Don't just insert a quotation and move on.

5. Dissect the language. Don't be afraid to spend a whole paragraph discussing the
implications of a single word! Discuss alternative interpretations.

6. Read between the lines. High marks are available for the analysis of implicit
meanings. Go beyond the obvious.

7. Be original! Be bold! Don't be afraid of getting it 'wrong' - there is rarely a single

correct answer. Remember that any answer which the text supports, or at any rate,
does not refute, is usually going to be a good answer - so long as it's the right type of
answer.

8. Write about the poem, not about yourself. Personal responses should constitute
analysing what it is about the poem that makes you feel as you do, NOT what it is
about you that makes you feel as you do! Write critically, not emotionally.

9. Consider the relationship between the author, the text and the reader. You have in
front of you just words on a page. Don't forget that they were written by someone -
and don't forget their possible effect on people reading them.

10. Consider the poem in a variety of contexts. Consider meaning relative to: the author;
the author's audience; typical modern day readers; the other poems in the anthology;
you.

11. Compare poems meaningfully, not superficially. Compare the techniques used and
discuss what is there, not what isn't. 'This poem is about an elephant and this one
isn't. . . ' - that sort of comparison will get you nowhere. Try comparisons of the
sort: 'Both poets use alliteration, but the effects are radically different; the effect here
is A; the effect there is B; effect A works as follows, etc . . . '

P/English/ks4/GCSE exam questions/poetry essay tips

12. 'Signpost' your writing. Use words like 'however', 'in contrast', 'likewise'. This will
greatly assist the reader in following the twists and turns of your argument.

13. Maintain an argument throughout. An essay should read as a coherent whole, not as a
collection of random points.

P/English/ks4/GCSE exam questions/poetry essay tips