Poetry Defined
Poetry is literature in verse form, a
controlled arrangement of lines and
stanzas. Poems use concise,
musical, and emotionally charged
language to express multiple layers
of meaning.
The word poetry is derived from the
Greek poiesis, meaning a “making”
or “creating.” It is a form of art in
which language is used.
Figurative Language
Language that is used
imaginatively, rather than
literally, to express ideas
or feelings in new ways
Figures of Speech
1. Similes: compares one thing to
another and uses the words “like”
or “as”
2. Metaphors: an implied comparison
made between two unlike things
3. Personification: giving human
traits (qualities, feelings, action,
or characteristics) to non-human
objects.
Allusion: an allusion is the casual
reference to a figure or event in
history or literature that creates a
mental image in the mind of the
reader.
Symbolism: the use of one object
(a symbol) to represent or suggest
something else
Onomatopoeia: the use of words to
represent sounds
Imagery: Descriptive language that
creates vivid impressions. These
impressions, or images, are developed
through sensory language, which
provides details related to sight,
sound, taste, touch, smell, and
movement.
Theme: the message of the poem
Tone: the manner in which a poet
makes his statement; it reflects his
attitude toward his subject. The reader
must learn to "hear" their tones with
his mind's ear.
Sound Devices
Rhyme is the repetition of identical
sounds in the last syllables of words.
A pattern of rhyme at the ends of
lines is a rhyme scheme.
Rhythm the pattern created by stressed
and unstressed syllables of words in
sequence. A pattern of rhythm is called
meter.
Therefore, meter is a recurring pattern
of stressed and unstressed syllables in
lines of a set length.
For example, suppose a line contains ten
syllables (set length) in which the first syllable
is unstressed, the second is stressed, the third
is unstressed, the fourth is stressed, and so on
until the line reaches the tenth syllable.
The line would look like the following one
(the opening line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet
18") containing a pattern of unstressed and
stressed syllables. The unstressed syllables
are in blue and the stressed syllables in red:
Shall I com PARE thee TO a SUM mer’s DAY?
Each pair of unstressed and stressed
syllables makes up a unit called a foot.
The line contains five feet in all, as
shown next:
....1.............. 2.................3..............4................ 5
Shall.I..|..com.PARE..|..thee.TO..|..a.SUM..|..mer’s DAY?
•Meter is determined by the type of
foot and the number of feet in a
line.
What is the number of feet per
line?
Upon a Lilac Sea
by Emily Dickinson
Upon a Lilac Sea
To toss incessantly
His Plush Alarm
Who fleeing from the Spring
The Spring avenging fling
To Dooms of Balm
Alliteration or initial rhyme, is the
repetition of the initial consonant
sounds of words, as in light and
lemon.
Assonance or vowel rhyme, is the
repetition of vowel sounds in
nearby words, as in the words date
and fade.
Consonance the repetition of
consonants within nearby words in
which the preceding vowels differ,
as in the words milk and walk.
Prosody
1. the science or study of poetic
meters and versification.
2. a particular or distinctive system
of metrics and versification
3. a poem’s “sound meaning,” its
particular “flow”
4. Part of the flavor of the poetry is
conveyed by the tempo of the
words.
Types of Poetry
There are three main types of poetry.
1. Narrative poetry tells a story with
a plot, characters, and a setting.
•Epic is a long narrative poem
about the feats of gods or
heroes.
•Ballad is a songlike narrative
with stanzas and a refrain.
2. Dramatic poetry tells a story
using a character’s own
thoughts or spoken statement
3. Lyric poems express the
feelings of a single speaker
• Lyrics are the most common
type of poem in modern
literature.
Poetic Structure
Poems can also be categorized by
structure, or form. Poetic structures
are defined by patterns of line and
stanza length, rhythm, and rhyme.
Some examples are:
Haiku is a verse form with three
unrhymed lines of five, seven, and
five syllables
Free verse poems have neither a set
pattern of rhythm or rhyme.
Carpe diem is a Latin expression that
means "seize the day." Carpe diem
poems have the theme of living for
today.
Acrostic Poem tells about the word. It
uses the letters of the word for the first
letter of each line.
Imagery Poems draw the reader into
poetic experiences by touching on the
images and senses which the reader
already knows.
Graphic Elements
Poets use graphic elements to help
readers to understand the poem
and to strengthen the sound or
visual appeal of the poem.
Punctuation marks, such as
commas, show the reader where to
slow down or pause.
Line length can help determine
whether a poem has a flowing
sound or a short, choppy sound.
Word position can show
relationships between words and
ideas.
Capital letters Capitalizing the
first word in a line is one of the
traditional tools of poetry writing,
and using or not using it is a
decision that a poet should make
after some consideration. But
whatever the decision, the practice
today is clearly personal.
Analyzing Poetry
Analysis means literally picking a
poem apart - looking at elements such
as imagery, symbolism, allusion,
metaphor, poetic language, rhyme
scheme, and so on - in order to see
how they all work together to produce
the poem's meaning. Annotating is a
great way to begin analyzing a poem.
Annotating a Poem
Annotation is the act of adding notes.
STEP UP:
S: Subject Matter – What is the poem about? Look at
the title.
T: Theme – What is the message of the poem?
E: Emotions – Tone? Mood?
P: Poetic Devices – Look for figurative language and
sound devices.
U: Your response – What do you think?
P: Positioning – look at the graphic elements in the
poem