The text, the reader, and their contexts (Poetry)

[jfez]

Currently in Year 11 studying poetry, anyone have any advice for how to analyse poetry?

[OZLexico]

I hope my comments will be helpful - I'm not sure which poets you're familiar with or whether you'll be studying a poetry collection next year, so I'll make a few general comments.  Obviously you should read and re-read the poem carefully and annotate it with your thoughts and observations. A bit of context can also be helpful - what genre is being used, where does this poem sit in the poet's work (early, middle, late), is there some relevant material in the poet's life or society that has an impact on this particular poem? As you're annotating, look at the progression of the ideas and/or images and look for any change of focus through the poem. Is there a message, what might the poet be trying to get you to understand or think about in a new way.