Floodlights and Goalposts

An online commonplace book

Want to understand a poem? Ask yourself these questions. From poet Dana Gioia

  • What type of poem is it?
    • What is its mode? Lyric, narrative, dramatic?
  • What is the form?
    • Does it have meter? Does it have rhyme? Is it in free verse?
  • What is the diction or vocabulary of the poem?
  • Who is the speaker of the poem?
  • Is there a story line or action?
  • What is the setting?
  • What are the images?
  • Are there figures of speech?
  • Are there any allusions in the poem?
  • What’s the tone?
  • Does the poem have any symbols?


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