Poetry
English 9
Objectives:
 To
identify and interpret various literary
elements used in poetry
 To analyze the effect that poetic elements
have upon the reader
 To analyze poetry for the ways in which
poets inspire the reader to share emotion
What distinguishes
poetry from prose?
 The
Form and Structure
 The Language
 The Sound
Form
 The



external patter of a poem
Its rhythm,
rhyme scheme, and
organization by line and stanza
The Structure of Poetry
Created through the organization of
 Images
 Ideas
 Words
Organization
 Stanzas


Most poems are divided into stanzas, the
“paragraphs” of poetry
Each stanza contains a prescribed number of
lines- rows of words that may or may not form
sentences
Some poems have regular stanzas (for
example, each stanza may have 4 lines), but
others may vary in length of stanzas
Language of Poetry
 Imagery-
descriptive language used to
represent objects, feelings, and thoughts


Appeal to one or more of the five senses
Intended to remind readers of something they
have seen, heard, tasted, smelled, or touched
Language of Poetry
 Figurative
Language- words used
differently from their ordinary, literal
meanings

Poets use figurative language to bring power,
vitality, and freshness to their writing
Language of Poetry
 Figure
of speech: a word or expression not
meant to be taken literally

Examples:
• Simile- uses the word like or as to compare two
seemingly unlike things
• Metaphor- states or implies that one thing IS
another
• Hyperbole- uses exaggeration to express strong
emotion, make a point, or evoke humor
• Personification
The Sound of Poetry
 Rhythm
& Meter
 Rhyme
 Sound
Devices
Rhythm & Meter
 Rhythm:
the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

A poem’s rhythm can be regular or irregular
 Meter:
the regular pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables that can establish the
rhythm of the poem

The basic unit of measuring meter is the foot
• A foot usually contains one stressed syllable and
one or more unstressed syllables
Rhyme
The repetition of the same stressed vowel sounds
and any succeeding sounds in 2 or more words
(ex. stop rhymes with drop)

Internal rhyme: occurs when two words in the
same line rhyme
 End rhyme: occurs at the end of lines
 Slant rhyme: occurs when the sounds of words
are similar but not identical (ex. soul and all)
 Rhyme scheme: the pattern of end rhyme in a
poem
Sound Devices
A poems’ impact depends not only on what it says,
but also on how it sounds.
 Alliteration:
repetition of consonant
sounds at
the beginning of words
 Assonance: repetition of similar vowel
sounds w/in non-rhyming words
 Onomatopoeia: words that imitate the
sound of what they describe
 Repetition: the repetition of a sound,
word, phrase, line, or even an entire
stanza
Guide to Reading Poetry
 Respond
to a poem as a whole before
analyzing its details
 Pay attention to the ways a poem may
“refresh language” and make it seem new
 Use your emotions, experiences, and
imagination to help you create meaning in
a poem
Guide to Reading Poetry

Read a poem at least 3 times:
1st time:
2nd time:
3rd time:
For enjoyment
For meaning
For structure and language
Other Elements of Poetry







Speaker
Tone
Enjambment
Parallelism
Juxtaposition
Paradox
Epiphany







Symbolism
Diction
Apostrophe
Catalog
Repetition
Alliteration
Character
Style
 The
expressive qualities that distinguish
an author’s work

Includes:
• Word choice
• Length and arrangement of sentences
• Figurative language & imagery
Types of Poems
 Haiku
 Sonnet
 Epic
 Lyric
 Free
verse
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
Lake District of England
“I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud”