Poem structure - Specs and Slims

Analysing a poem

Specs and Slims

Subject matter of the poem: What event, situation or experience does the poem describe or record?
Purpose or theme, or message of the poet: What is the poet’s purpose in writing this? What message does he/she want to communicate?
Emotion, or mood or feeling: What is the predominant emotion or mood of the poem? Does the mood change during the poem? What emotions does the poet seek to evoke in the reader?
Craftsmanship or technique: What are the specific skills the poet has used in creating this poem (look at SLIMS below).
Summary: summarise the poem as a whole. What is the impact of the whole poem? How successful is the poem to convey emotion or feeling, or to convey the poem’s message?

Looking further at Craftsmanship…

Structure: How is this poem structured? Does it have stanzas with a regular number of lines, or any other interesting features of structural ‘design?’
Language: How would you describe the poets use of words – vivid, striking, effective, colourless and predictable? Is the language appropriate to subject/theme? What effect does the language have?
Imagery: Are there any striking examples of similes, metaphors, personifications or symbols in the poem? What is their effect?
Movement, or rhythm: Does the poem have a regular (slow or fast) rhythm? What is the effect of any rhythmic qualities?
Sounds: Does the poem have any significant sound features? Does the poet use onomatopoeia, alliteration, or assonance? Does the poem rhyme? What are the effects of these sound features to the poem as a whole?