How to Analyse a Poem

I found this on a site called "Poem of Quotes" (http://www.poemofquotes.com) and it looks like a pretty good way to begin analysing a poem.

Poetry can be a tiresome set of words when analyzing. The elements of analyzing poetry listed below will help you identify the meaning through its parts and give a sense of interpreting a poem. Since each poem is unique, there is no one way of going about this. Nonetheless, the general advice goes like this:

Interpreting poetry tips

1. Read the title
2. Read the poem. Look for the setting, topic and voice.
3. Divide the poem into parts: intro, rising action, climax, declining action, conclusion.
4. What tone does the poem have? Pay close attention to intonation, nuance and words used.

Now that the general structure and relationship of the poem is revealed, it's time to look at the elements of analysis: genre, voice, thesis, structure, setting, imagery, key statements, sound, language use, allusion, qualities that evoke the reader, historical/cultural, ideology.

Genre

What type of poem is it? Is it a cinquain, haiku, lyric, narrative, elegy, sonnet, epic, epistle? Different genres have separate attributes, purposes and emphases.

Voice

Who is the speaker? What point of view is the speaker? Is the speaker involved in the action or reflection of the poem? What perspective (social, intellectual, political) does the speaker show? The voice and perspective of the speaker tells of what world the poem is in.

Thesis

What is the poem about? What are the obvious and less obvious conflicts? What are the key statements and relationships of the poem? The thesis gives an indication of what tone the poem is written in: historical, social, emotional.

Structure

What is the poems 'formal structure' (number of meters, stanzas, rhyme scheme)? What is the 'thematic structure' (the plot)?

Setting

What type of 'world' is the poem set in? The time, place -- is it concrete, tonal, connotative, symbolic, allegorical?

Imagery

What images does the poem use; the physical setting or metaphors used?

Key Statements

What direct or indirect statements are made – repetition, actions, alliteration?

Sound

How does the sound, both rhythm and rhyme (if applicable), contribute to the poem.

Language Use

What kind of words are used? Do the words have double meanings? What about connotations, puns or ambiguities?

Allusion

Does the poem have a meaning from another work?

Qualities That Evoke the Reader

What sort of learning or experience does the poem give its reader?

Ideology

What are the values and basic ideals of the world that are expressed?