First impressions

The room
Think of a poem as a room (or a series of rooms) through which you travel. Close reading is like moving slowly around the room. You’ll observe it from different angles, examine the things found in it, and consider the effect it has on you. The more closely you look, the more you notice.The ‘room’ of a poem is full of sounds. Individual letters, the rhythm of words, and the movement of lines all contribute to a poem’s unique soundscape. It’s important to hear poems read out loud because the sound of a poem is an essential part of its meaning.The ‘room’ of a poem has a distinct shape. It might be long and thin, smooth and regular, sprawling or tiny. It may fill the page or be surrounded by blank space. Consider the visual impact that a poem makes on you as a reader.The ‘room’ of a poem has an atmosphere or mood. It might be joyful or gloomy, wistful or angry, tense or silly – or any number of other things in between. It may shift over the course of a poem in subtle or dramatic ways.Just as we form first impressions when we walk into a room, so poems make an immediate impact on us when we encounter them for the first time.Task (10-15 minutes)
Pick one of the poems below and read it out loud, or have someone read it to you.- Apollo by Elizabeth Alexander
- A Bird, came down the Walk by Emily Dickinson
- Snow by Louis MacNeice
Course tip
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