Paraphrasing a Poem

• Read the poem closely – more than once.
• Go through it line by line. Don’t skip lines or sentences or any key details. In your own words, what does each line say?
• Write your paraphrase as ordinary prose. Don’t worry about line and stanza breaks.
• Describe the literal meaning of the poem. Don’t worry about any deeper meanings.
• After you have described what literally happens in the poem, go over you paraphrase and see if you have captured the overall significance of the poem along with the details.

Kennedy, X. J. and Gioia, D. 2007. An Introduction to Poetry. 12th Edition. Pearson-Longman.