Bowen's version of Perrine's "General Exercises for Analysis and Evaluation"

Revise 6, 7, 8, 9 as follows:

6. What is the central subject of the poem (what is the speaker talking about)?

7 Prose meaning

7a. Paraphrase the poem. (Not summarize–try to maintain the original length and level of detail.)

7b. Note the main ways in which the effect of the poem is different from the effect of the paraphrase. This should give you a good idea of how the style of this poem affects its substance.

8. Outline, diagram, or describe the structure (parts) of the poem and how they interact.

9. Write a preliminary interpretation of the poem

Discuss theme, purpose, and/or total meaning.