Example Structural Analysis of a Poem

To analyse poetic structure, think about everything that the writer has done to deliberately create a shape or rhythm to the poem. You can also think about whether it’s a regular or irregular poem, and why. 

PRACTICE YOUR OWN ANALYSIS

Tale a look at this poem that tracks the movement of a snail across a garden: 

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/poem-of-the-day

What kind of structural features do you notice here? In particular, why has the poet structured the poem regularly? 

Then, compare it to this poem about a crow that attacks the sun: 

https://allpoetry.com/Crow's-Fall

How is this poem structured differently? What kinds of features can you identify, and how sdo they affect the structure? 

EXAMPLE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Hughes’ poem ‘Crow’s Fall’ uses an unusual irregular structure to explore the downfall of the central figure of the poem, Crow. The poem begins with two tercets, establishing what we expect to be a regular structure with clear, end stopped stanzas - this reflects Crow’s confidence when he decides to attack the sun - he is certain and sure of himself, and the regularity of the stanzas reflect this early on in the poem. However, this pattern is quickly disrupted when Crow attacks - the stanzas become monostichs (one line stanzas) and the line length starts to vary wildly; this emulates the chaos and unpredictability of the moment. Finally, when Crow is defeated at the end of the poem and returns black and charred from the sun, Hughes employs more unusual structural features - such as the use of a dash and dialogue where Crow speaks in his own voice - to create a further destabilisation of the poem. 

We hope this helped! If you’re looking for more support with GCSE or iGCSE Poetry, take a look at our Complete Revision Packs here: 

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