The World of Poetry
Poetry Terms and Techniques
Bear Creek High School
Mr. Bernstein
Why poetry?
The poet
doesn’t
invent. He
listens.
~Jean Cocteau
Poetry is important
because it reflects
the emotions and
character of society.
It is a mirror to
humanity, just like
all literature and
fine art.
Sound + Meaning = Poetry
A
You must look at meaning and
sound elements to truly take
meaning from a poem.
collage of
images,
thoughts
and
sounds
that
evoke
feeling
and
meaning.
Why is poetry difficult to read and
understand?
Denotation (the literal)
vs.
Connotation (the understood)
“You’re on fire!”
“That’s Sick!”
Meaning
Denotative (Literal) Connotative
Language:
(Figurative) Language:
A basic, strict
Using language that is
dictionary meaning of not meant to be taken
a word or phrase.
literally, but has
underlying meaning.
This is my home.
This is where I live,
sleep and eat. This is
my shelter from the
elements.
This is my home.
It feels natural to be
here and this is where
my heart belongs.
Sound
In many ways,
poetry is like music.
A poet will use and
manipulate their
language to make
certain sound
qualities that are not
usually found in
prose. Prose is any
form of writing that
is not poetry or
drama.
Imagery:
Language that evokes the senses.
Visual – Sight
Aural – Hearing
Tactile – Touch
Gustatory – Taste
Olfactory – Smell
What types of imagery are the
following lines?
The dry scent of a dying garden in
September. ~Hart Crane
The iron kettle sings on the stove.
~Elizabeth Bishop
I’ve been driving over back roads, fringed
with queen anne’s lace.
~Adrienne Rich
Similes and Metaphors
Simile : A figure of speech likening one
thing to another by the use of “like” or
“as”.
Metaphor: A figure of speech in which
one thing is spoken of as if it were
another.
Extended Metaphor: A metaphor in which
the initial comparison between two unlike
things is made, and then additional
comparisons are made based on that
initial comparison.
Similes and Metaphors
My faith is a steel bridge.
My faith is as strong as a steel bridge.
Personification: Giving living
characteristics to non-living things.
Fog
The fog comes
On little cat feet.
It sits looking
Over harbor and city
On silent haunches
And then moves on.
~Carl Sandburg
Symbolism
Symbolism:
When a thing
or object
actually
represents a
concept,
emotion or
idea.
What might the
following image
symbolize for you?
Vagabonds
We are the desperate
Mood: The
Who do not care,
feeling the
The hungry
reader gets from
Who
have
nowhere
the poem.
To eat,
Tone: The tone
No place to sleep,
of voice the
The tearless
author is using.
Who cannot
Weep.
Langston Hughes
Theme:
Theme: the universal message about
humanity and human nature that the
poem explores.
Like every novel, short story, and film each
poem has many themes that you can relate
to. It makes you FEEL and CONNECT.
Have you ever experienced loss, first love,
fear of death, the tragedies of war? So has
the poet.
Theme:
What is the main subject of the work?
+
What is the author saying about the
subject? __________________
= Theme Statement
Rhyme
Internal vs. End Line
Internal: Two or more words found
inside one line that rhyme.
End Line: Words at the end of lines
that rhyme.
My mind is not kind.
My name I have signed.
Rhyme
Perfect vs. Slant
Perfect: Words that have the same end
sound.
Smart/Heart
Slant: Words that are have the same
first and last sounds but different
vowels in the middle.
Ball/Bell
Rhyme Pattern
The pattern of rhyme is determined
and labeled using letters.
So sweet,
My love,
My dove,
When we meet.
A
B
B
A
Meter and Rhythm
Meter: The counted syllables in a
line.
Poems without a set pattern are
called free verse.
Meter can be used to help set mood
or feeling. Is the beat strong and fast
or soft and slow?
Meter and Rhythm
We Real Cool
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike Straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die Soon.
~ Gwendolyn Brooks
Alliteration, Assonance,
Consonance and Onomatopoeia
Alliteration: the repetition of the
same beginning consonants
Assonance: the repetition of the same
vowel sounds in the middle of words
Consonance: the repetition of the
same ending consonants
Onomatopoeia: words that are spelled
much like how they sound.
What sound techniques are used in
the following lines?
I heard the crunch of
bones.
My dinner was decidedly
delicious.
I think we should crank
up the funk.
She is tall, gaunt and
always around.
TPCASTT
Title- What do you think the poem will be
about?.
Paraphrase – What basically happens in
the poem?
Connotation – What figurative language
exists in the poem?
Attitude – Describe the mood and tone.
Shift – Is there a shift in subject or tone?
Title – After reading the poem, what does
the title mean?
Theme – What is one common human
experience that this poem explores?
“Interior”
Her mind lives in a quiet room,
A narrow room and tall,
With pretty lamps to quench the gloom
And mottos on the wall.
There all things are waxen neat
And set in decorous lines;
And there are posies round and sweet ,
And little straightened vines.
Her mind lives tidily; apart
From cold and noise and pain,
And bolts the door against her heart,
Out wailing in the rain.
Dorothy Parker 1928-
Learning Objective: To understand concepts in poetry.
English 9 Poetry Vocabulary
Ventured
Lamentation
Venerable
Sullen
Infested
Cursory
Euphemism
Adept
Destitute
Unwieldy
Communal
Conspicuous
Assuage
Hoodwink
Impending
Judicious
Imploring
Fettered
Sordid
Pervaded