Terry Eagleton’s How to Read a Poem is a “how-to” book with an agenda. Smart, witty, and provocative, How to Read a Poem argues that critics and their students need to redirect their attention away from poetry’s content and contexts and back to its formal elements. What are the six…
I, Too is a short, free verse poem that focuses on African American identity within the dominant white culture of the USA. It encapsulates the history of oppression of black people by means of slavery, denial of rights and inequality. What is the main theme of the poem I, Too?…
Rhythm can be described as the beat and pace of a poem. The rhythmic beat is created by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line or verse. In modern poetry, line breaks, repetition and even spaces for silence can help to create rhythm. What is rhythm in…
‘Dreams’ by Langston Hughes encourages readers to hold fast to their desires and goals, because without them, life is bleak and without hope. Just two stanzas and eight lines long, the poem conveys a sense of urgency. This helps paint a picture for readers of the consequences of not holding…
How to Write a Poem in MLA Format Cite a poem title in text with quotation marks, but never underlined or italicized. Separate lines of poetry, when only quoting two or three, with a slash. Indent twice if quoting four or more lines of poetry. How do you put a…