Understanding Poetry

Some people find poetry easy to understand while others think it is impossible. I tend to fall somewhere between those two categories, though unfortunately probably more toward the second one. Here's some poetry that I think is too easy, too hard and just right for my current comprehension level.

Too easy: "Every Day" by Rich Acetta-Adams

     Not a bad poem, but there isn't much to misinterpret here. It is just talking about the daily routine of the author's family. No hidden messages as far as I'm aware- though if I'm wrong, I bet I look like an idiot for putting it up here as the "easy" poem.

Too hard:  "Elegy in a Spider's Web" by Laura Jackson

     This poem is insane. It makes no sense whatsoever. The title sheds a pinprick of light on what it means, but I can't make any kind of sense of it. You really have to read the poem to see what I mean here; look it up.

Just right: "The Road Not Taken" By Robert Frost

     Okay, I'll admit it, I don't fully understand all the possible meanings of this poem. But that's what I like about it; it seems simple to interpret, yet there's always a deeper meaning. It seems to be a happy poem at first, but there's an element of wistfulness to it, as if he knows he will never get a chance to take the other road. I'm not a poetry person, but this one is actually really good. Here's a link: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-road-not-taken/

No Fear Shakespeare

     My English class is reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet this quarter. I know a lot of people in modern times have trouble understanding Shakespeare's works, so I'm posting some links for anyone who needs help.

http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/

This handy site has plenty of information about both Shakespeare himself and all his works. If you're having trouble understanding anything, this is as good a place as any to start.

http://shakespeare.about.com/od/teachingshakespeare/a/shakespeare_words.htm

It has nowhere near the amount of total  info of the above site, but it's a nice list of all the Shakespeare terms and what they mean.

http://www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom/guide/page1.shtml

As the name suggests, this site is practically an online classroom for learning about Shakespeare that should be a lot of help.

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/howtostudybard.html

A guide devoted specifically to help students be able to better understand how to deal with Shakespeare in general.

http://www.enotes.com/romeo-and-juliet-text/strategies-for-understanding

Here's one focusing on Romeo and Juliet specifically.