How would I approach an unseen poetry question?

Although after a first read it might seem overwhelming, try not to panic. Read it again. Now look to the question given with the poem, and pull out the key words. Think about what the question is really asking you and keep this in mind whilst you begin to analyse the poem. On your third read of the poem, you will want to take notes. Be methodical about this. My advice is to follow the SMILE acronym. Structure: what is the poem’s structure? This is always a tricky bit, but it doesn't need to be. Look at how the poem is laid out on the page. Are there stanzas or not? Are these stanzas of equal length? Be sure to keep an eye out for whether there is a rhyming pattern or not too. Meaning: what is the main theme of the poem? Family. Love. Death. These are very typical themes, but you might have to think a bit more out of the box. Imagery: this is figurative language that is used to describe a variety of things, by appealing to our senses. An example could be a range of words relating to light such as ‘gloomy’ ‘dim’ or ‘pitch black’ - this would be dark visual imagery. Language: There are a lot of language techniques that poets use, including; similes, metaphors, and sound patterns, like assonance or consonance. All of these are purposefully used by the poet to create a certain feeling in their poem. Be sure to identify some of these and think about what impact they have on the overall poem. Effect: what impact does the poem have on a reader? Often it is good to look at the perspective of the poem to assess this. Is it first person? This could make it feel quite personal. Whereas third person could make the reader feel more distant from the poem. After you have been through the SMILE acronym, DO NOT stop there. Carefully think about why the poet has chosen to use these things and what impact they have on the poem. Then select what bests fits with what the question is asking you and use these to form your answer.