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Below are some guidelines about critique:


Your choice as an Author;

Never take to heart comments made by those who intend to be derogatory. Dismiss mean-spirited interjections, and embrace the remarks made by writers whose own poems impress or instruct you. Those you respect are the ones you will want to listen to, even if their suggestions or corrections may be hard to swallow. Refrain from "tit-for-tat" critiquing. If you feel hurt or insulted by someone else's critique of your own poem, don't rush right off and slam that person's next or last poem. Comment on somebody else's work, and give yourself time to let your poem cool; try to view the poem with a fresh eye, and take into account what your reviewer suggested. You don't have to change your poem, unless you are interested in revision, you want to be a professional writer or you find some value in the suggestions/corrections made to you.

Copyright Eve Hanninen 2005.
p205.ezboard.com/bsmotheredair


Some guidelines on critique;


The following article offers a list of 10 of the most common areas of analysis used when looking over the construction of a poem. Please keep in mind that some critical commentary is strictly opinionated, while other aspects of critique involve rules of language. It is your job as a critic to keep in mind that much of what you experience when reading is subjective, and derives from personal tastes and conditional influencing. Therefore, when offering your opinions, try to keep in mind that, while you have the freedom to express your opinions, you should try to remember to do so in ways that are constructive and helpful to the writers at our site. Making technical suggestions on how to improve a line, or giving alternative choices for words that don't seem to be pulling the load are just two examples of how you might present your commentary.



Your overall impression, emotional reactions, empathy for characters or situations can also be useful information for the writer who is looking to discover whether a poem is ready to cross an editor's desk, or be received well by a larger audience.

Here is a practical list of 10 things to look over and potentially respond to when wanting to critique an author's poem:



1. Does the form (line lengths, stanza or strophe breaks, patterns, etc.) seem appropriate for the content and theme?

2. Does the poem display acceptable grammar and punctuation for the style and theme? Variances from English standards should compliment the poem's style, not arise by accident of careless writing. Offer corrections in spelling and question grammar where you feel it is appropriate to do so.

3. Does the diction (word choice) compliment content, theme, and format?

4. Does the poem's sonic (sound) qualities enhance your experience as a reader? Do they fall flat in some areas?

5. Do the line breaks work to enhance or elevate the meaning, or to control the speed of the poem? Do the breaks create a tempo or design an appropriate visual format? Do the breaks happen haphazardly or are they deliberate?

6. Is the theme, content, and/or treatment stale or clich�d? Does the treatment offer you a fresh view on a common emotion or situational experience?

7. Does the poem use creative imagery, similes, metaphors or other poetic devices?

8. Does the poem layer multiple meanings, or does meaning seem singular and superficial (exterior)?

9. Does form (shape, pattern, line count, etc.) and device (rhyme, repetition, metaphor, alliteration, assonance, etc.) feel natural when read and/or spoken aloud? If metered, does the poem flow well, or does it stumble?

10. Is content concrete or abstract? Do you comprehend the content, and if not, do the sounds carry the poem exclusively? Does the poem rely on too many descriptives? Are the images vivid or flat?

Copyright Eve Hanninen 2005.
p205.ezboard.com/bsmotheredair

Regarding the critique information kindly given to this forum by Eve Hanninen.
An agreement was made with her by Anthay that her copyright and working link be displayed.

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amanda88T Posted this 22/06/06 16:41

Quote:

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A good template for critique...
hi every one, i found this very useful when critiquing poems, but also if you are just struggeling to understand the poem it makes you think about it in a logical and cohearent way.. well any way here it is:

Guidelines for Critiquing Poetry:

Take all these things into consideration, and try to comment on them all, when critiquing.

(If necessary, treat this as a questionaire that each poem must "fill out".)

1: Who is the speaker of the poem? Describe him or her in as much detail as possible.

2: What is the literal situation of the poem? Ignoring the subtext, what is going on?

3: The above established, what is the subtext of the poem? What is going on beneath the words? What is the meaning of the poem?

4: Does the poem make use of any literary devices? If so, what are they? Are the metaphors (if any) clich� or original? How effective is the figurative language?

5: Is the title significant or just there? Does it have relevance to the poem? Is it overly obvious?

6: Does the poem have any specific form (ie: written in meter, formed into stanzas, et cetera)? How does the form reflect the meaning of the poem? Are the form and meaning tied together or seemingly unrelated?

7: Examine the syntax of the poem. Are there problematic sentenences or lines? Is there anything you stumbled over while reading? Is there anything that doesn't flow as it should?

8: Does the punctuation make sense? Is there punctuation? Do the decisions regarding punctation match up with the themes and/or structure of the poem?


hope this helps some of you!!
Copyright Amanda88T

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Thanks Amanda

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