Some Questions to Ask when Reading Literature

• What is the tone (attitude or emotional impression) of the work?
• What aspects of the work create this tone?
• What images, descriptions, or comparisons are involved?
• Is there an argument (thesis) in this work?
• How does the author create this argument?
• What examples does he or she bring in to support the claims presented?
• How, if at all, does historical setting influence the impression created by the work?
• How does the use of figurative language (metaphor, simile, symbolism) influence the impression created by the work?

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Other Questions (More geared toward poetry):

• Who is the speaker?
• Is the speaker addressing a particular person?
• Does the poem have a setting?
• Is the theme of the poem stated directly or indirectly?
• From what perspective (or point of view) is the speaker describing specific events?
• Does a close examination of the figurative language (see Literary Terms  ) of the poem reveal any patterns?
• What is the structure of the poem?What do sound and meter (see Literary Terms  ) contribute to the poem?
• What was your response to the poem on first reading?