IV. The Poem as a Whole

1. Poems that tell a story

       When a poem tells a story, you should appreciate how each event contributes to the general design. There is no point in simply telling what the story is. Instead, you should concentrate on how the events relate to each other. If you can see why one event follows another, you will have understood how the poem is designed. That is what you should write about.

      These three elements---expectation, surprise and reversal---are common to many poems that relate stories.

2. Poems based on arguments

       Many poems are in the form of arguments. What you should attend to is the structure of what is being said. If you see the stages through which the argument passes, you will be aware of the design of the whole poem. You could ask yourself  about how the poem begins. Then it is important to be aware of the stages through which the argument moves. Finally, you should look at the conclusion of the argument.

3. Poems based on observations

        In poems that develop from an observaton you can see the poet at work. The poet is struck by something seen or heard, which starts a train of thought about its meaning or significance. In order to see the poem as a whole, you have to follow those thoughts and reflections. 

        One of the interesting features of this kind of poetry is the way the poet moves from observation to thought.

4. Poems based on changes in emotoin

         In the poem that traces the growth and development of an emotion, the feelings of the poet, and the changes they undergo, are central. In order to grasp such poems as a whole, you will need to follow the changes in mood. That is, you will have to understand what has generated the emotion, be attentive to the changes through which it passes, and most important of all, appreciate why the poem ends when it does.