German Abitur – Structure of a Poem Analysis

Many students (and parents) dread the German Abitur: especially poem analysis is a topic that many students do not like to deal with. Yet analyzing poems can be so simple: after reading the poem several times, you make brief notes on content and language. First, you look at the so-called “outer form” of the poem. This includes everything you can determine through external observation: the number of stanzas and lines, the rhyme scheme, the meter, and the cadences. In addition, you should already determine which literary period the poem belongs to, since this often provides insight into its themes, motifs, and type.

You begin with an introduction in which you record all the important information about the poem: the author, year of publication, type of poem, topic, and period. You should also propose an interpretive hypothesis about what the poem might be about. The main part then contains the actual analysis, starting with the “outer form.” You should also identify who the speaker or narrator in the poem is and to whom the poem is addressed. Then, divide the poem into sense units (often it makes sense to use the stanzas) and briefly summarize them in terms of content. With enough preparation, this can often already be connected to the analysis of language. You identify all the important rhetorical devices and stylistic features and interpret them in relation to the content. A frequently cited example of rhetorical devices is the metaphor; expressions like “a heart of gold” represent a moral character. Some rhetorical devices were shaped in certain periods, such as the symbol of the Blue Flower, which in the Romantic era (1785–1835) stood for longing. This is why it is important to know the historical context.

The conclusion of the analysis summarizes all the findings once more and refers back to the interpretive hypothesis from the introduction. You should also evaluate what effect the author intended to achieve and whether they succeeded.

One problem many students have with poem analysis is that they do not focus on a specific theme and instead make random guesses. Therefore, it is extremely important to study the poem beforehand and classify it within a literary period. This often already gives many clues and can guide the analysis in the right direction.