For all poetry:

6 elements to mark and notate on the work especially on a timed reading of the poem—

1. Note title and what it might mean
2. Scan entire poem quickly stopping only at a . or ? or ! (endstop punctuation) for main purpose or tone
3. Mark identity of speaker or point of view- woman, man , objective, subjective, dialogue
4. Mark and label on poem—negative or positive—(- or +) images
5. Mark and label shifts in images, time, motion, tone, pronoun usage ("you" and "I" to "we")
6. Noting shifts helps you break a poem into sections; seeing sections helps you gain insight.

Techniques - LABEL

1. Note line breaks, interruption of meter
2. Figures of speech: metaphor, simile, paradox, etc...
3. Sound techniques: sounds—soft, slow, long sounds OR, harsh, staccato, quick
4. Note repetition, choice of diction

Specific characteristic of schools of poetry:

A. 16th,early 17th (Shakespeare, Marvell, Anne Bradstreet, ) Look for love as a topic—sometimes satiric, sometimes serious and adoring

B. Metaphysical/Spiritual of 16^th, 17^th c: (Milton, Donne) Look for irony, personification, other voices, changes in steady or formal meter

C. Romantics or 19^th c. (Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron, Keats, Blake, E. Dickinson) Look for images of nature leading to the universal or spiritual experience or meaning

D. Dramatic poets/ Victorian (19^th and early 20^{th c}) R. Browning, T. Hardy, Tennyson Look for two voices, tone, monologue, some Christian sentiments, fate

D. Modern or 20^th, 21st c. (mostly your chosen poets) Look for fleeting impressions, other voices, powerful images, uneven lines