How would I analyse a close reading passage or poem?

This is how I would analyse a poem for a close reading text. First you would read over the poem carefully, making sure that you understand it's surface meaning, and what it's talking about as much as you can. Then go over it again and highlight the things that stand out to you (a technique poets use is called foregrounding - creating patterns within their poem so that they can break that pattern to make something stand out from the text) any repetitions of sounds or words, any breaks in the rhyme scheme, any metaphors etc. Think about what the poet could be trying to show you through this poem and then from these observations craft three key points that you would like to argue. Go back into the poem with these key points in mind to see if you can find anything else you missed that might help you to back up your argument. When planning your essay, always start with a brief summary of what the poem is about. If you have been given a specific section of the poem or passage then make sure you say where this falls in the context of the rest of the play (e.g right at the start, or the closing scene). If you are not sure how to start an introduction, a technique I always like to use when I'm stuck is the structure - 'On the surface ... On a deeper level...'. For example;On the surface Christina Rossetti's 'Goblin Market' is an instructional morality poem for children about the dangers of greed and temptation and the importance of sisterhood- with strong religious undercurrents. However, on a deeper level, this is an allegorical poem about the plight of fallen women and the female’s position in the patriarchal Victorian society.'. You would then go on to make it clear in your introduction exactly what points you are going to use to back up this argument, in what order. Essentially just laying out your essay step by step to make it easier for the examiner to follow it. Then, still in your plan, write down a thesis statement for each paragraph, and then your key points and their evidence within the text in bullet points bellow. Now you are all set to write your essay!