How do i approach poems?

For the best grades you must approach poems based on effect rather than technique. Firstly, just read the poem, do not analyse it, just take it in and see what thoughts it provokes in you. Then go through form and structure: meter, rhyme etc. What effect do these have? Finally look at lexical techniques and their effect. This approach means that you focus on effect rather than cause.

TD
Answered by Tutor31623 D. English Literature tutor

4636 Views

See similar English Literature GCSE tutors

Related English Literature GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Read the following extract from [a text the pupil has studied] and then answer the following question. E.g. How does Brontë present Jane as a strong female character? (write about the extract and the novel as a whole)


Starting with this moment in the play, explore how Shakespeare presents relationships between adults and young people in ‘Romeo and Juliet’.


What approach should I take when first seeing an unfamiliar poem?


Are we meant to sympathise with the speaker of Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning