A good way to start to understand the content of any poem is to look for the answers to the following questions:

1. Who is the speaker of the poem? (Note - this is not the author unless it is autobiographical. The author has created a character to tell us the story or facts in the poem. This narrator can be 1st person - I, second person - you, or third person - he/she, they.) What do we know about the speaker? What kind of person do they sound like? How do you know?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. What is the subject of the poem? This may not be directly stated. Sometimes you need to infer the main subject, but look for repeated words or concepts to clue you in.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. What is the setting of the poem? This may also be implied. If so, look for words or phrases that relate to a particular place or time.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. What is the tone of the poem? (Meaning what is the narrator’s attitude about the subject? You’ll need to look at the kinds of words, phrases, images, details, etc. the poet chose to describe the subject of the poem. Do the words have positive or negative connotations?)