Poetry Review Definition

A poetry review is a review in which you should provide a highly personal interpretation of a poem, and describe the
symbolic meaning of the words, phrases, and images presented in the poem. It is common for a person to share his
or her thoughts and impressions on what he or she has read. Sometimes the same book or poem produces the
opposite impression on different readers. A review is an exchange of impressions about a book, and the expression
of its attitude to the images created by the author.

How to Prepare for Writing a Poetry Review

Depending on the chosen goal, choose a genre of review. It can be an article, a letter, or an essay. A review always
involves listeners. It can be a friend, a teacher, a librarian, or a wider audience. Both the form of the response and the
content depend on the person you are addressing.

Think about the name of your review. Even the word “review” can already become a name. At the same time, the
work may have another heading: “Poem that touched,” “Invitation to meditation,” or “Lessons of love.” After you
understand how to prepare for writing a review, it is time to know how to write a poetry review.

Questions to Ask Before Writing a Poetry Review

1. What material should be used according to the structure of the review?
2. What parts should the review include?
3. When was the poem written?
4. Do you like the poem or not?
5. How can the stated assessment be argued?
6. What does the title of the poem say?
7. What did the author want to say in the poem?
8. How does the author relate to the depicted lyrical images?
9. What is the innovation in creating a poem?
10. What artistic characteristics were used in the poem?

Poetry Review Writing Steps

 The first step will be helpful both for writing a sample review and when you need to know how to write a poetry book
review. Pick up the material and arrange it depending on the structure of the review. Keep in mind: the review
consists of two main parts. In the first part, an opinion is expressed about whether the poem was liked or not liked. In
the second part, the justification is substantiated, and the stated assessment is argued. There is no clear line
between the parts. Be sure to include in your work your opinion about how the author relates to the depicted lyrical
images. Evaluate the features of its perception, and what is the innovation in creating a poem.

 Analysis of the artistic characteristics of the poem in the middle classes may be absent. But high school students
should include in their work elements of the analysis of the poem. Literary studies offer several options for analysis.
To create a review, do not work on all the items. Choose only those that will help you pick up the necessary
arguments. Here is an approximate plan for analyzing the poem:

1. The name.

2. Date of writing.
3. Real, biographical, and factual material.

4. Genre peculiarity.

5. Ideological content: a) leading topic; b) main idea; c) emotional coloring of feelings; d) external impression and
internal reaction to it.

6. Interpretation of the poem.

7. The structure of the poem: a) the main images; b) figurative means (epithets, metaphors, allegories, comparison,
hyperbole, litotes, irony, sarcasm); c) syntactic figures (repetition, antithesis, anaphora, epiphany, inversion); d)
sound recording (alliteration, assonance); e) poetic size, rhyme, methods of rhyme; e) stanza (couplet, triste,
quatrain, octave, sonnet).

 To correctly interpret the poem, think what lies behind the words of the poet. Highlight keywords, and think over their
hidden meaning. The compressed word becomes concentrated, multivalued.

 The peculiarity of the lyrics lies in the fact that it is primarily focused on the inner world of man. There is no
description of the events in it. The inner meaning must be understood emotionality. In addition, the lyric poem is
plotless. That is why associative thinking plays an important role. For argumentation, use the works of other authors
and perform a comparative analysis. Refer to works of art and music.

 Completing the work on the review, check whether you have enough arguments, and whether there is no
unnecessary, extraneous material. Edit your review. Do not forget that your work is written in a journalistic style, so it
must be emotional and bright. It should work on your listeners. Use sentences different in structure for this purpose in
your review. Gradation, inversion, and impersonal sentences are appropriate.

Poem Sample Analysis

The following poetry review sample will help you to find your own approach for dealing with your own review writing.
The author of the sample analyzes a poem according to the genre and academic standards. Our poetry review
sample is an opportunity for you to develop the talent of the analyst in yourself and write your reviews successfully.
So, read through the following analysis and learn how to write reviews on your own.