The act of reading a poem involves more than simply scanning the words on the page. It requires both an appropriate attitude and the technical ability to analyze the poem’s structure and meaning. A reader must approach a poem with an open mind and a willingness to engage with its themes and ideas. At the same time, the reader must have the necessary skills to decode the poem’s language, syntax, and imagery, as well as an understanding of poetic devices such as meter, rhyme, and metaphor. By combining the right mindset and the appropriate techniques, a reader can fully appreciate a poem’s beauty and complexity, unlocking its deeper meanings and insights. My personal experience reading “My Mistress” gave me trouble and led to confusion because of how the author talked about his mistress in the poem led me to believe that he didn’t think too highly of her until the end i assumed that the author was talking in code since i could not understand why would he put other things before his mistress these lines in the poem sounded like little insults for his mistress.
“And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks”
“I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
[10]That music hath a far more pleasing sound”
