How should I approach an unseen poem?

I tend to approach this with the help of what I call the Mamma Mia Mnemonic: 'Cher Found She Really Regretted The Dreadful Film'. Each word within this mnemonic represents a separate core poetic technique: content, form, structure, rhyme, rhythm, tone, diction and figures. I would encourage a student to use this framework to approach an unseen poem and improve their familiarity with techniques which fall into each category. I would then provide them with a list of these keywords for each category (e.g. metaphor, simile, synecdoche, metonymy for 'figures') and encourage them to learn at least 5 relevant key terms for each poetic technique. 

LD
Answered by Lucy D. English Literature tutor

4490 Views

See similar English Literature GCSE tutors

Related English Literature GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How does Charlotte Bronte present Jane Eyre as a strong female character?


What is the best way to structure a paragraph in an essay?


Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lord Capulet as a good father. Write about how he is presented in this extract (5-15 Act 1 Scene 2) and in the rest of the play.


How can I make sure that my essay is relevant to the question?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning