Poetry Analyses of Famous Poems

Understanding poetry can be nerve-racking. What did the author mean when he said this? What does this word mean in this context? Is this a metaphor? This is why reading a poetry analysis can be instrumental to our understanding of the writing.

This is the place to go to read explications of famous poetry throughout history. Read about the meaning, style, tone, and any figurative language it may use in these thorough analyses articles.

Before reading on, check out our short workshop on how to explicate a poem. It’ll give you at least an idea of the process taking place in order to fully comprehend a poem.

Next, go ahead and check out some of our favorite poets below. Some great poems have already been analyzed for your better understanding.

Famous Poets and Their Poems

Below you'll find a variety of famous classic poets and some of their poems. Click on one of them and you'll find a synopsis, analysis, and meaning of any figurative language the poem includes.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Birthplace: Somersby, Lincolnshire, England
Birth: August 6, 1809
Death: October 6, 1892

Analysis of “The Kraken” Poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Poetry Analysis of “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Tennyson

Angelou, Maya

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Birth: April 4, 1928
Death: May 28, 2014

Analysis of “Phenomenal Woman” Poem by Maya Angelou
Analysis of “Still I Rise” Poem by Maya Angelou

Awoonor, Kofi

Birthplace: Wheta, Gold Coast, Ghana
Birth: March 13, 1935
Death: September 21, 2013

Analysis of “The Sea Eats the Land at Home” Poem by Kofi Awoonor

Berman, David

Birthplace: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Birth: 1967

Analysis of “Snow” Poem by David Berman

Blake, William

Birthplace: London, England
Birth: November, 28 1757
Death: August, 12 1827

Analysis of “The Clod and the Pebble” Poem by William Blake
Analysis of “The Tyger” Poem by William Blake

Bradstreet, Anne

Birthplace: Northampton, England
Birth: March 20, 1612
Death: September 16, 1672

Analysis of “To My Dear and Loving Husband” Poem by Anne Bradstreet

Carroll, Lewis

Birthplace: Daresbury, Cheshire, England
Birth: January 27, 1832
Death: January 14, 1898

Analysis of “The Mad Gardener’s Song” Poem by Lewis Carroll
Poetry Analysis of “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll

Collins, Billy

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
Birth: March 22, 1941

Analysis of “Afternoon with Irish Cows” Poem by Billy Collins
Analysis of “Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House” Poem by Billy Collins

Cummings, E. E.

Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Birth: October 14, 1894
Death: September 3, 1962

Analysis of “a total stranger one black day…” Poem by E. E. Cummings

Dickinson, Emily

Birthplace: Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Birth: December 10, 1830
Death: May 15, 1886

Analysis of “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” Poem by Emily Dickinson
Analysis of “I Never Saw a Moor” Poem by Emily Dickinson
Analysis of “I died for Beauty, but was scarce” Poem by Emily Dickinson

Duffy, Carol Ann

Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Birth: December 23, 1955

Analysis of “War Photographer” Poem by Carol Ann Duffy

Frost, Robert Lee

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA
Birth: March 26, 1874
Death: January 29, 1963

Analysis of “Fire and Ice” Poem by Robert Lee Frost

Henley, William Ernest

Birthplace: Gloucester, England
Birth: August 23, 1849
Death: July 11, 1903

Analysis of “Invictus” Poem by William Ernest Henley

Hughes, Langston

Birthplace: Joplin, Missouri, USA
Birth: February 1, 1902
Death: May 22, 1967

Analysis of “Mother to Son” Poem by Langston Hughes

Hughes, Ted

Birthplace: Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire, England
Birth: August 17, 1930
Death: October 28, 1998

Poetry Analysis of “Bayonet Charge” by Ted Hughes

Lerman, Eleanor

Birthplace: Bronx, New York
Birth: 1952

Analysis of “That Sure is My Little Dog” Poem by Eleanor Lerman

Loomis, Jon

Birthplace: Athens, Ohio, USA
Birth: 1959

Analysis of “Deer Hit” Poem by Jon Loomis

Magee, John Gillespie Jr

Birthplace: Shanghai, Republic of China
Birth: June 9, 1922
Death: December 11, 1941

Poetry Analysis of “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee, Jr

Millay, Edna St. Vincent

Birthplace: Rockland, Maine, USA
Birth: February 22, 1892
Death: October 19, 1950

Analysis of “The Buck in the Snow” Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Moore, Clement Clarke

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
Birth: July 15, 1779
Death: July 10, 1863

Analysis of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” Poem by Clement Clarke Moore

Neruda, Pablo

Birthplace: Parral, Maule Region, Chile
Birth: July 12, 1904
Death: September 23, 1973

Analysis of “Ode to the Tomato” Poem by Pablo Neruda
Analysis of “Ode to Large Tuna in the Market” Poem by Pablo Neruda

Paz, Octavio

Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Birth: March 31, 1914
Death: April 19, 1998

Analysis of “Touch” Poem by Octavio Paz

Poe, Edgar Allan

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Birth: January 19, 1809
Death: October 7, 1849

Analysis of “Annabel Lee” Poem by Edgar Allan Poe

Shelley, Percy Bysshe

Birthplace: Horsham, Sussex, England
Birth: August 4, 1792
Death: July 8, 1822

Poetry Analysis of “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Poetry Analysis of “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Sitwell, Edith

Birthplace: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
Birth: September 7, 1887
Death: December 9, 1964

Analysis of “Heart and Mind” Poem by Edith Sitwell

Strand, Mark

Birthplace: Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Birth: April 11, 1934
Death: November 29, 2014

Analysis of “Eating Poetry” Poem by Mark Strand

Thomas, Dylan

Bithplace: Uplands, Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
Birth: October 27, 1914
Death: November 9, 1953

Analysis of “Do not go gentle into that good night” Poem by Dylan Thomas

Williams, William Carlos

Birthplace: Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
Birth: September 17, 1883
Death: March 4, 1963

Analysis of “This Is Just To Say” Poem by William Carlos Williams

Wordsworth, William

Birthplace: Cockermouth, Cumberland, England
Birth: April 7, 1770
Death: April 23, 1850

Analysis of “She was a Phantom of Delight” Poem by William Wordsworth
Analysis of “The World Is Too Much With Us” Poem by William Wordsworth
Analysis of “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” Poem by William Wordsworth
Analysis of “London, 1802” Poem by William Wordsworth