How can I write about structure in unseen poetry questions?

Approaching unseen poems can feel daunting in an exam setting. However, looking at structure is a great way to get your answer going if you feel like you have nothing to say, or just don't know where to start. Let's look at a possible response to Maya Angelou's poem 'On Aging' (AQA, Section C, question 27.1). Exam question: 'In 'On Aging' how does the poet present the speaker's attitudes to growing old?'.First Glance - Take an initial glance at the unseen poem: how long or short is it? Is it split into stanzas, or is it continuous? How many stanzas? What about line length? Angelou favours short line length in 'On Aging'; the shortest line is only 4 words long. The poem isn't split into stanzas. Visually, the exclamation points stand out; there are 6 of them clustered in this short poem. Second Look - Now we can dive into more detailed structural observation. 'On Aging' is a poem of 20 lines; since it is not split into stanzas, there seems to be a lack of formal interruption. However, looking more closely, the poem contains many end-stopped lines which inhibit the poem's progression. This effect is also created by the exclamation points, which draw attention to themselves visually, as well as the fact that they are creating a pause: 'Hold! Stop!'. Connect Structure Points to Language/Tone/Imagery - Therefore, 'On Aging' is often stopped, or interrupted, by the speaker. The speaker directly commands the reader to 'Stop!' twice. Here, a point about interrupted structure has helped us to generate a point about interrupting language. 'Stop!' is an imperative verb; the poem's repeated imperative shocks us after the quietness of the first three opening lines, which all run on from each other (a technique called enjambement.) Therefore, although this poem at first seems continuous and uninterrupted, it is full of moments of frustration (as shown by the harsh imperatives), as well as moments of calmness or tiredness (as shown by the enjambement). Overall, we could argue that Maya Angelou presents the speaker's attitude to growing old as one of quiet frustration; the poem's lack of stanzas suggests continuity and continuum, like the speaker's perception of time moving on and its 'aging' effect. However, moments of frustration occur which interrupt this flow; and, as we have seen from such harsh imperatives, there is a latent power in the speaker's frustration. Structural points about the poem work best in combination with thoughts about language, tone and imagery.