A poem is not a device checklist. Strong analysis asks how several systems work together around a developing interpretation.
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-09-14
Learning goal
Analyse a poem as an interaction between speaker, diction, imagery, sound, form, lineation and shifts.
How to read this model
- Establish speaker and situation.
- Mark repeated language and imagery.
- Notice sound and lineation actually present.
- Locate shifts.
- Build the interpretation from the pattern.
Steps in the model
- Speaker / situation – Who speaks, to whom, from what position?
- Language – Diction · imagery · metaphor · symbol
- Sound – Rhyme when present · rhythm · metre when present · repetition
- Form / lineation – Stanza · enjambment · caesura · line break · free verse
- Shift – Volta · tonal change · new image · altered address
- Interpretation – Explain how the relationships develop tension or theme.
Explanation
Poetry analysis becomes stronger when form and language are treated as interacting structures.
Ambiguity can support several readings when each one explains real textual evidence.
Examples
- Speaker ≠ poet.
- A poem does not need rhyme or metre; analyse the pattern actually present.
- A line break matters because of what it separates, joins, delays or foregrounds.
For the exam
Choose two or three interacting patterns rather than listing every poetic term you remember.