HOW TO MEMORIZE A POEM
Memorization sounds difficult, but it’s not really. It takes a bit of time and repetition, and you’ll find that you'll improve with practice. Here are 10 tips for how to memorize a poem quickly and accurately.
2. Read the poem. Then read it again. You should read the entire poem through a few times to get a feel for it as a whole. Then read it again.
3. Read the poem aloud. It’s important to hear how the poem sounds. You’ll learn the poem better (and faster) if you can hear it while you’re reading it and later reciting it. If you want to hear how it's meant to sound, ask a teacher or parent who's comfortable with reading poetry aloud to read it to you. You may also be able to find audio versions on iTunes.
4. Look closely. Read the poem again and think about every word: what it means, what it sounds like, how it fits into the poem as a whole. Understanding the essence of your poem, picturing every image, and imagining every item and action in the poem will also help you learn it. When you visualize your poem you’re also adding another sense to the mix. The more senses you can employ the easier it will be to memorize your poem.
5. Make a recording. If you want to memorize while riding in the car or waiting to get your braces tightened you could also record yourself reading the poem and then play it back when you otherwise can’t read.
6. Break it up into sections. Using the copy you printed, put a mark every 4-5 lines (or every stanza if the poem is broken into lines separated by a blank line). Re-read just those few lines over a few times, slowly, and then put the paper down and try to recite the first line, then the second, and so on. You may need to go back to your paper and re-read again. After you’ve learned one section, move on to the next. Once you’re able to recite the second section, practice reciting both the first and second sections together, and then move on to the third, and so on.
7. Take a break. Once you feel confident that you can recite each section, take a break and do something else. You may forget a little now, but you’ll remember more of the poem in the long run if you don’t cram. Give the poem a chance to sink deeper into your long term memory.
8. Use training wheels. When you first learned how to ride a bicycle you may have used training wheels to keep you from toppling over. Consider that sheet you’ve been carrying around your training wheels or a crutch. When reciting the poem again after a day or two you may forget a bit of a line, or you may get stuck transitioning from one section to another. Don’t panic! You can always glance back down to your crib sheet to get you back on track again until you no longer need it.
5. Make a recording. If you want to memorize while riding in the car or waiting to get your braces tightened you could also record yourself reading the poem and then play it back when you otherwise can’t read.
6. Break it up into sections. Using the copy you printed, put a mark every 4-5 lines (or every stanza if the poem is broken into lines separated by a blank line). Re-read just those few lines over a few times, slowly, and then put the paper down and try to recite the first line, then the second, and so on. You may need to go back to your paper and re-read again. After you’ve learned one section, move on to the next. Once you’re able to recite the second section, practice reciting both the first and second sections together, and then move on to the third, and so on.
7. Take a break. Once you feel confident that you can recite each section, take a break and do something else. You may forget a little now, but you’ll remember more of the poem in the long run if you don’t cram. Give the poem a chance to sink deeper into your long term memory.
8. Use training wheels. When you first learned how to ride a bicycle you may have used training wheels to keep you from toppling over. Consider that sheet you’ve been carrying around your training wheels or a crutch. When reciting the poem again after a day or two you may forget a bit of a line, or you may get stuck transitioning from one section to another. Don’t panic! You can always glance back down to your crib sheet to get you back on track again until you no longer need it.
9. Enlist a friend or classmate. Sometimes it may help to give the page to someone else and then try to recite the entire poem, letting them prompt you with a few words to jog your memory when you get stuck. Reciting the poem to another person will also help you get practice reciting poems in front of others (which is beneficial if you’re memorizing a poem to recite in front of a class).
10. Keep reciting the poem to yourself. Once you know the poem fairly well you should be able to recite it to yourself whenever you have a spare moment alone - in the shower, while eating breakfast, waiting your turn in a line, etc. Sometimes it helps to recite the poem a few times to yourself just before you go to sleep instead of counting sheep, as people tend to remember what they read just before going to sleep. It’s a scientific fact.
Once you’ve memorized your first poem, learning subsequent poems will be easier, and after you’ve memorized a bunch of poems you’ll have a whole repertoire at your disposal. You could perform at weddings or birthday parties!
10. Keep reciting the poem to yourself. Once you know the poem fairly well you should be able to recite it to yourself whenever you have a spare moment alone - in the shower, while eating breakfast, waiting your turn in a line, etc. Sometimes it helps to recite the poem a few times to yourself just before you go to sleep instead of counting sheep, as people tend to remember what they read just before going to sleep. It’s a scientific fact.
Once you’ve memorized your first poem, learning subsequent poems will be easier, and after you’ve memorized a bunch of poems you’ll have a whole repertoire at your disposal. You could perform at weddings or birthday parties!
Adapted from Jough Dempsey's article "How to Memorize a Poem"