Close Reading Poetry Analysis of "Wide River" by Langston Hughes. Analyzing poetry is an art. How do you get better at it? Practice. Here is an easy way to teach close reading with self-guided questions that help the student gain understanding of breaking down lines of poetry.This poem pairs well with other poems of the same era of the Harlem Renaissance, such as the poem "I, Too" also by Langston Hughes or "America" by Claude McKay. It also pairs well with relating poetry to music and teaching