Answer:
1) Read through the poem a few times to get your first impression of it. Don’t stop to try to figure out what the poem might mean. Just read the entire poem a few times from start to finish and consider how it makes you feel. After you finish reading, answer the following questions in the margins or your notebook:
What is the subject of this poem?
Who might the speaker be?
What could the poem mean?
How do I feel after reading the poem?
When might this poem take place?
Did any significant images stand out? What?
2)
Read the poem aloud to yourself, if you can. The way a poem sounds is important because it is very much an oral art form, so it’s best to read it aloud. You’ll more easily recognize the meter, rhyme scheme, and rhythm when you read aloud. Additionally, you’ll hear the effect of the way the poet arranged the words.
You’ll likely need to read the poem aloud several times, especially when you start looking for sound devices later in your annotation.
Look for a quiet location where you can read the poem.
You may not be able to read the poem too loudly if you're taking a test or in a place where you can't talk, such as a library. If this is the case, read the poem quietly under your breath. This isn’t exactly the same, but it can help you if you’re trying to annotate the poem during a test or a similar situation.
3)
Scan the poem to find its meter. Recognizing the meter will help you understand the poem’s form and structure. Read the poem aloud line by line. As you read, mark each unstressed (soft) syllable with a “u” and every stressed (hard) syllable with a “/”. If you notice a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables, draw a line between each set of syllables to mark the feet of the poem.[3]
A metrical foot of a poem is a single set of syllables within a pattern of syllables in the poem. For example, if a line of poetry has a meter of “u/u/u/u/u/,” then a foot would be “u/.”
A formal poem is likely to have a meter, while an informal poem may not. After you identify the number of feet, count the syllables in each line. Three feet is trimeter, 4 is tetrameter, 5 is pentameter, and so on.
If you’re having trouble identifying the meter, try tapping a hand along as you read. Tap softly for unstressed syllables and harder for stressed syllables. Notice the pattern of the tapping. Keep in mind that this can take some practice, so be patient with yourself.
You will encounter the iamb most often, which is 1 stressed and 1 unstressed syllable, but you will also encounter other patterns, such as the dactyl, trochee, anapest, pyrrhic, and spondee.
4)
Determine the poem’s rhyme scheme, if it has one. The rhyme scheme will help you determine the poem’s form, as well as if the poem is formal or informal. To find the rhyme scheme, use letters to mark repeating rhymes. Start with an “A” on line 1, then use a new letter for a new sound or the same letter for a repeated sound. Continue until you finish marking the poem. Here's how you would label the rhyme scheme of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 12: [4]
When I do count the clock that tells the time, A
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night; B
When I behold the violet past prime, A
And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white; B
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves, C
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd, D
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves, C
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard, D
Then of thy beauty do I question make, E
That thou among the wastes of time must go, F
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake E
And die as fast as they see others grow; F
And nothing 'against Time's scythe can make defense G
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence. G
hope this helps p.s i have more
Explanation:
