67 pages • 2-hour read
How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy and Sonorous Guide to Verse
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
How does Foster feel about the imbalance between the number of people who write poetry and the amount who read it? Why does he consider that most people’s time is better spent reading than writing poetry? Do you agree with him?
Why is it important to consider linguistic heritage when analyzing poetry? Which features of English-language poetry make it distinctive?
How does Foster show that the constraints of poetry can be an advantage when it comes to self-expression? In your opinion and with close reference to the text, how does the reader respond to poetic constraint?
What is the difference between closed-form poetry and free verse? To what extent does free verse denote dispensing with all notions of order or constraint?
In your opinion and with close reference to the text, why do you think the sonnet has remained a staple of English poetry? What aspects of this genre’s structure make it so powerful?
Why does Foster repeatedly insist that poems need to be read aloud? How does reading a poem aloud better equip the reader to understand its meaning?
How does Foster approach the subject of a poetic canon? To what extent does he make the case that an understanding of English literature is necessary for appreciating poetry?
What is poetic meter? To what extent is an understanding of meter important for an appreciation of English poetry?
Why does poetry require more creativity from the reader than other forms of literature? You should refer to at least two of the poems discussed in the manual in your answer.
How would you describe Foster’s approach to democratizing poetry? What tools does he use to empower the reader into tackling this allegedly intimidating literary form?
Unlock all 67 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs