How to Annotate a Poem

 Read the poem (1st read) quietly to yourself

 Identify and circle the unfamiliar words (write the meaning above the word)
 Re-Read the poem (2nd read) out loud
 Identify any figurative language or imagery used in the poem
 Underline important parts
 Re-Read the poem (3rd read) If you are still having a hard time understanding the
poem, repeat the annotation process!

LITERARY DEVICES
Diction: the choice and use of words and
phrases in speech or writing
Tone:  an attitude of a writer Some words that can
toward a subject or describe the tone of
an audience. Tone is a poem might be: serious,
generally conveyed through humorous, amused, angry,
the choice of words, or the playful, cheerful, sad, gloomy,
viewpoint of a writer on a etc.
subject. Note: Shifts in the
speaker and tone. Shifts
might be indicated by:
o Transitional words
o Punctuation (periods,
question marks,
exclamation marks,
colons, ellipsis)
o Stanza division
o Changes in line or
stanza length

Symbolism: Symbolism is the use A rainbow symbolizes hope

of symbols to signify ideas and
qualities, by giving them
symbolic meanings that are
different from their literal
sense. Symbolism can take
different forms.
and good things that are
coming in William
Wordsworth’s “My Heart
Leaps Up When I Behold”:
My heart leaps up when I
behold

A rainbow in the sky

Rhyme scheme: the pattern of rhymes at the end
of each line of a poem or song. It
is usually referred to by using
letters to indicate which
lines rhyme; lines designated
with the same letter
all rhyme with each other.
Simile: compares two different things in
an interesting way using the
words “like” or “as”
'The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the
land.
They look at the sea all day.
Busy as a bee.

Metaphor: Figure of speech that describes You are what you eat.
an object or action in a way that
isn’t “literally” true. States that
one thing is another thing.
 Mood: evokes certain feelings or vibes
in readers through words and
descriptions
Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant
sound at the beginning of words
or within words. The words can
be right next to each other or
spaced out. Generally, two
words are needed for
alliteration.
Some words that can
describe the mood of
a poem might be: romantic,
realistic, optimistic,
pessimistic, gloomy,
mournful, sorrowful, etc.
Example: “She sells sea shells
by the sea-shore”

Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the sound Example: BAM, POW, SWISH,
that it describes. SNAP

Stanza In poetry, a stanza is a division

of four or more lines having a
fixed length, meter, or rhyming
scheme.
Connotation Implied meaning; not directly
stated
Rhythm can be described as the beat and Shall I compare thee to a
pace of a poem. summer’s DAY?
Thou ART more Lovely AND
more temperate:
Rough WINDS do SHAKE the
darling BUDS of MAY,
And summer’s LEASE hath
ALL too SHORT a DATE:

Questions you should be able to answer after annotating a poem:

1. What is the imagery in the poem?
2. What is the mood of the poem? How does it make you feel?
3. Who is the speaker of the poem?
4. What is the message/theme of the poem?
5. How does the figurative language impact the poem as a whole?
6. How does the punctuation/number of syllables/ rhyme scheme impact the poem as a
whole?