How is a prose analysis of a poem done?

Question:

How is a prose analysis of a poem done?

How do you analyze a poem when you only have one or two stanzas and you are seeing it for the first time? What should I keep in mind when doing a prose analysis?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: This will pretty basic because there are a lot of areas to consider.

If you have the title consider it first.

Define every word in the poem that isn't a conjunction, article, etc (i.e., and, the, of).

Look for every figure of speech being used (synecdoche, metonomy, antithesis, metaphor, simile, personification, etc)

Try to get a sense of the tone of the poem

Ask yourself are they any historical, or literary allusions in the text (common literary allus: shakespeare, bible especially king james version of 1611)?

Ask yourself how the poem uses sound to convey meaning?

What is the genre of the poem (sonnet, epic, ballad, etc)?

What is the structure of the poem (formal and thematic)?
Formal : Stanzas, strophes, etc
Thematic: basically what is the plot

Identify the voice of the narrator?

What is the poem's setting?

Describe in a basic way what the poem is trying to say.

I'd start with that.