Poetry
Poetry is concentrated
thought which focuses our
attention simultaneously on
the combination of rhythm
and image to express its
meaning
Where Were You Yesterday?
Prose
Yesterday it rained, and I stood out in it
hoping by chance that you’d just happen
to come outside. But I knew that if you did
come out, we’d never be like we were
before. Maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t
come out. Besides who comes out in the
rain anymore just to talk?
Where Were You Yesterday?
Poetry
Yesterday it rained
and I stood out in it
hoping
by chance
that you’d just happen to come outside.
But I knew that if you did come out,
we’d never be like we were before.
Maybe it’s a good thing
you didn’t come out.
Besides
who comes out in the rain
anymore
just to talk?
Prose
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No rhyme
No pattern/rhythm
No line division
Can use images
Can target emotions
Divisions are
paragraphs
Vs.
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Poetry
Rhymed/Unrhymed
Follows a beat/has
rhythm
Line division
Uses images to focus
on a particular idea
Targets emotions
through use of
images
Divisions are stanzas
Poetry Vocabulary
Prose-Opposite of poetry, paragraph form
 Formula poetry -Poems that must follow
certain guidelines (and, most of the time, a
certain rhyme scheme) to be classified as a
particular kind of poem
 Cinquain-Five line poem in which each line
requires a certain number of syllables (1st line2, 2nd line-4, 3rd line-6, 4th line-8, 5th line-2)
 Limerick-Funny poem with rhyme scheme of
aabba
 Haiku-Japanese nature poem of three
unrhymed lines (syllables in lines-1-5, 2-7, 3-5)
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Poetry Vocabulary
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Rhyme Scheme-Pattern made by how poem
rhymes at the end of a line-letters assigned to lines
according to end rhyme
Alliteration-Repetition of the same sounds at the
beginning of words in a poem (ex. My mom made
my Monday more magnificent.)
Onomatopoeia-Words that imitate sounds (ex.
pow, bang, pop)
Enjambment-Continuation of a complete
thought/idea from one line to the next
Couplet-Pair of lines that are the same length and
usually rhyme
Quatrain-Stanza/poem of four lines
Poetry Vocabulary
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Consonance-Repetition of consonants in a line-not
at the beginning (ex. Sue was passing Art class.)
Assonance-Repetition of the same sounds in a line
(ex. Saul was filled with awe over Mardi Gras.)
End Rhyme-How poem rhymes at the ends of lines
Stanza-Lines of poetry that form a division in the
poem
Stress-Syllables stand out because they have a
different pitch or are louder than other syllables
Accent-Emphasis given to a syllable or word
shown by a small mark above stressed syllable
Poetry Vocabulary
Meter-Arrangement of a line of poetry by the
rhythm of stressed and unstressed syllables
 Idiom-Words are not meant to be taken word
for word (ex. You are pulling my leg.)
 Literal -Words are meant to be taken word for
word
 Tone-Emotion or feelings author felt or wants
audience to feel while reading poem (aka
mood)
 Figurative Language -Expressions used to
create memorable poems (ex. idioms,
alliteration, onomatopoeia)
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Poetry Folder
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During the next week and a half, we will be working
through a unit on poetry. You will be required to
keep a folder with all of your poetry work in it. This
folder will be worth 100 points.
The poems in this folder will be a compilation of
(mostly) original poems you create based on all
slides in this powerpoint presentation
Your folder will contain 14 poems. Nothing else
should be in your folder except these poems. All
worksheets should be turned in separately. Number
each poem according to the list that follows.
Poetry Folder Requirements
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“I am” poem, folder decorated to express self as
revealed in poem (5-7 lines)-see slide #14
An original “I can’t write a poem” poem, excuse/lie
poem, or an Irritating Sayings poem (10-15 lines)see slides #15-19
Poem with rhyme scheme identified at end of each
line (10-15 lines)-see slides #20-22
Poem with effective imagery divided into stanzas
(10-15 lines)-see practice on slides #23-26
Extended Simile/Metaphor Poem or Line-by-line
Simile/Metaphor Poem (8-10 lines)-see slides #2731
Poetry Folder Requirements
(cont’d)
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Cinquain-must display tone and mood
effectively (5 lines)-see slides #32-37
Limerick-must use alliteration-underline
alliterated letters (5 lines)-see slides #38-39
Poem that uses onomatopoeia and
enjambment-underline onomatopoeia (8-10
lines)-see slides #40-41
Poem that uses assonance at least once and
consonance at least once-underlines the
assonance and consonance (5-8 lines)-see
Poetry Folder Requirements
(cont’d)
Concrete poem-see slides #46-47
 2 poems of your choice-may be a clerihew, haiku—
see slides # 48-49
OR you may write another limerick, cinquain, double
cinquain, sensory poem, concrete poem,
simile/metaphor poem, or a poem that you freestyle (may
be rhymed or unrhymed)-line minimum depends on type
of poem you choose
 2 poems written by someone other than you that you
enjoy. You need to include the poem, the author, and
why you chose to include these poems in your
collection.
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“I Am” Poem
I am
(Two special characteristics the person or thing has)
I wonder
(something the person or thing could actually be curious about)
I hear
I see
I want
I am
(an imaginary or actual sound)
(an imaginary or actual sight)
(a desire)
(the first line of the poem is repeated)
I pretend
(something the person or thing could actually pretend to do)
I feel
(a feeling about the imaginary)
I touch
(an imaginary touch)
I worry
(something that could really bother the person or thing)
I cry
(something that could make the person or thing sad)
I am
(the first line of the poem is repeated)
I understand
(something the person or thing knows to be true)
I say
(something the person or thing believes in)
I dream
(something the person or thing could actually dream about)
I try
(something the person or thing could make an effort to do)
I hope
I am
(something the person or thing could hope for)
(the first line of the poem repeated)
“I Can’t Write a Poem” poem
Forget it.
You must be kidding.
I’m still half asleep.
My eyes keep closing.
My brain isn’t working.
I don’t have a pencil.
I don’t have any paper.
My desk is wobbly.
I don’t know what to write about.
And besides, I don’t even know how to write a poem.
I’ve got a headache. I need to see the nurse.
Time’s up? Uh oh!
All I have is this dumb list of excuses.
You like it? Really? No kidding.
Thanks a lot.
Would you like to see another one.
-Bruce Lansky
Kidnapped By Shel Silverstein
This morning I got kidnapped
By three masked men.
They stopped me on the sidewalk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn’t take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in the backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
Then they put a blindfold on my
So I couldn’t see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn’t hear their voices.
Kidnapped By Shel Silverstein (cont’d)
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then
Dragged me from the car down to
Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool…
That’s why I’m late for school!
Irritating Sayings
Isn’t it about time you thought about bed?
It must be somewhere
You speak to him Harold, he won’t listen to me.
Who do you think I am?
You’d better ask your father
It’s late enough as it is
Don’t eat with your mouth open.
In this day and age
Did anybody ask your opinion
I remember when I was a boy
And after all we do for you
You’re not talking to your school friends now, you know
Why don’t you do it the proper way
I’m only trying to tell you
What did I just say?
Now, wrap up warm
Irritating Sayings (cont’d)
B-E-D spells bed
Sit up straight and don’t gobble your food
For the five hundredth time
Don’t let me ever see you do that again
Have you made your bed?
Can’t you look further than your nose?
No more lip
Have you done your homework?
Because I say so
Don’t come those fancy ways here
Any more and you’ll be in bed
My, haven’t you grown
Some day I won’t be here, then you’ll see
A chair’s for sitting on
You shouldn’t need telling at your age
Want, want, want, that’s all you ever say
Rhyme Scheme
Pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem.
You can identify the rhyme scheme in
stanzas by looking at the last word in the
line and assigning letters to the rhyming
words
 Example:
Like the sun behind the clouds
A
Like the darkness of the night
B
Like the grass beneath the trees C
You stepped into the light…
B
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Rhyme Scheme Practice
1.
I knew I’d have to grow up sometime,
That my childhood memories would end,
But a spark within me died,
When I lost my imaginary friend.
______
______
______
______
2.
As the sun set and the moon came,
I looked out the window in dread and shame.
The sound of birds rose from the sky,
I waved my hand and bid goodbye.
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______
______
______
Rhyme Scheme Practice
3.
When I look into his eyes,
I see the deep blue sea.
I hope my love never dies,
That he’ll always be there for me.
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______
______
______
4.
And here ends the saga
Of writers who have grown.
We’re successful authors,
Now we will be unknown.
______
______
______
______
Painting Word Pictures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Frost on the
window
Jet
Kite
Skyscraper
Small child
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Towering giant hovering
above its subjects
Fragile plant sprouting
from the earth seeking
attention
A lace curtain made of
silver thread
Howling monster ripping
apart everything in his
way
Swirly lines of whipped
cream
Write Small/Focused
Big/unfocused image
 Birthday parties
are fun.
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School dances are
strange.
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The holocaust was
inhuman.
Small/focused image
 Licking the pink
frosting off the
ends of the
candles
 Strobe lights
flickering over
laughing faces as
the beat pounds on
 A mountain of
children’s shoes
Now, you turn these big images
into small images.
 His
car was a mess.
 The food did not look good.
 The dog was mean.
 Her shoes did not fit.
Image Practice
Directions: Read each sentence. Write your
response for each question by giving as many
descriptions as possible.
1. How would you describe how you feel when
you are angry?
2. Describe how you feel after winning a game.
3. Describe the odor of rotting garbage.
4. Describe the scent left after a rainfall.
5. Describe the feeling of walking on hot sand on
the beach.
Simile Poem
Prejudice by Kimberly Harmon
Prejudice is like the feeling you get
When you’re left out of a game
It is like the music of
A seashell: hollow and distant
It’s when you never reach the front door;
Always being turned away at the first step.
Metaphor Line-by-Line Poem
The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes (excerpt)
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came ridingRiding-ridingThe highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.
Simile Line-by-Line Example
Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a soreAnd then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar overLike a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Metaphor Poems
Line-by-Line Metaphor
Hate is a sore, festering and bubbling on the heart
Hate is a single-leafed tree, its owner weak and alone
Hate is a wilted rose, time has worn it from beauty to
wretchedness
Hate is a zit, ready to burst
Hate is the Hulk, small when calm, huge and fierce when
agitated
Hate is a snake, it swallows its enemies whole
Hate is a birthday party, it can take you by surprise
Hate is a tree, it stands the test of time
Hate is a rubber band, it will snap when pulled too hard
Hate is a deadly disease, something you don’t want to catch
Metaphor Poems
Extended Metaphor (also called a Conceit)
Hate is a zit
Earned by debris, dirt, oil, grime
Kicked into a face
By a filthy world
It begins beneath the surface
Then pokes out its disgusting head
Makes the face turn red
And grows and grows
Until finally
It explodes
Cinquain Poem
A five-line poem with a set number of
syllables for each line. Each line adds an
additional image to the subject of the
poem
 Formula poem
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Cinquain Formula
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Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
2 syllables
4 syllables
6 syllables
8 syllables
2 syllables
Subject
Description of subject
Describes an action
Expresses a feeling
Another word for
subject
Example
Summer
Fruits, ice cream, fun
Swimming, playing, laughing
No homework, only sun, I smile
Three months
Mood/Voice
Request to a Minstrel by Andrea Cox
Sing unto me a song of seasons
Of death, rebirth, and happiness.
Sing unto me a song of reasons
Staid thoughts and deepest contemplations.
Sing unto me a song of sorrows
Quiet longing and dark despair.
Then, sing unto me a song of tomorrows
Of joy and laughter
Tarry longest there.
Mood/Voice
Like, Am I Noticed, by Mike Gelanger
I kind of got my hands on
One of those slick
Leather jackets
And a mean sort of
Cool brown hat
I was just
Kind of
Walking down the street
Sort of
Minding my business
I felt like
You know, this…
Urge to be noticed,
Kind of
Mood/Voice
Like, Am I Noticed, by Mike Gelanger
I sort of casually walked
Down the street
You know
To the corner
This group of
Like
Kind of like cool kids were
Sort of there
I like slipped by in
Kind of like a
Cool manner
I sort of wondered
Like
Mood/Voice
Like, Am I Noticed, by Mike Gelanger
I kind of turned around
Only to find them like
Laughing at me
I was
Sort of like
Really embarrassed kind of
I kind of, like
You know
Went home
*What is the overall mood of this poem?
*Use text to support your selection of mood.
Limerick
Formula Poem
 Humorous
 5 lines total
 Rhyme Scheme AABBA
 Beats-Lines 1, 2, 5 have 3 beats
Lines 3-4 have 2 beats
 First line usually has the name of a place
(often a fictional name made up to rhyme
with the rest of the poem)
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Alliteration
Cafeteria Chaos
The line lingers,
My stomach growls.
Tina topples her tray,
And the whole place howls!
Spinach spills!
Pass the paper towels!
Someone pings a pea,
And the fifth grade teacher frowns!
What’s likely at lunch?
Everyone chomps and chows down!
Onomatopoeia Poem
What Some People Do
Jibber, jabber, gabble, babble
Cackle, clack, and prate,
Twiddle, twaddle, mutter, stutter
Utter, splutter, blate…
Chatter, patter, tattle, prattle,
Chew the rag and crack,
Spiel and spout and spit it out,
Tell the world and quack…
Sniffle, snuffle, drawl and bawl,
Snicker, snort, and snap,
Bark and buzz and yap and yelp,
Chin and chip and chat…
Onomatopoeia Poem
What Some People Do (cont’d)
Shout and shoot and gargle, gasp,
Gab and gag and groan,
Hem and haw and work the jaw,
Grumble, mumble, moan…
Beef and bellyache and bat,
Say a mouthful, squawk,
That is what some people do
When they merely talk.
Consonance and Assonance
Consonance-Repetition of consonants
in a line-not at the beginning (ex. Sue
was passing Art class.)
 Assonance-Repetition of the same
sounds in a line (ex. Saul was filled with
awe over Mardi Gras.)
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Consonance Practice
Example: The sun goes down
 Example: Sound beside the wood
 Practice: For each example, underline the
letters that create consonance:
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could be profound
 Mine with inner sanctum
 Looking for a sunset bird in winter
 Died of col
 Thought…alight, sweet, and swift
 Slope where the cattle keep
 Vantage point
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Assonance Examples
Writers sometimes repeat vowel sounds to
reinforce the meaning of the words. It also
helps to create moods. Here, the long o sounds
mysterious.
 Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is
among the oldest of living things. So old it is
that no man knows how and why the first
poems came. --Carl Sandburg, Early Moon
 And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride.
--Edgar Allan Poe, "Annabel Lee"
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Assonance Practice
Find the examples of assonance in the following
selections. Underline the letters that create the
assonance (as done in previous slide’s examples). Write
a sentence that explains the effect/purpose of the
assonance for each (mood it creates)
 Slow things are beautiful:
The closing of the day,
The pause of the wave
That curves downward to spray.
--Elizabeth Coatsworth, "Swift Things are Beautiful"
 Night came on, and a full moon rose high over the trees
into the sky, lighting the land till it lay bathed in ghostly
day.
--Jack London, The Call of the Wild
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Concrete Poetry
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A concrete poem is a poem based on the spacing of
words. The pattern of the letters illustrate the
meaning of the poem. It does not have to rhyme and
can be of any length. For example:
-Minus
-Minu
-Min
-Mi
-M
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Concrete Poem Examples
Clerihew Poem
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Type of formula poem
Clerihew Example
Clerihews have just a few simple
rules:
1. They are four lines long.
2. The first and second lines rhyme
with each other, and the third and
fourth lines rhyme with each other. In
other words, they have a rhyme
scheme of aabb
3. The first line names a person, and
the second line ends with something
that rhymes with the name of the
person.
4. A clerihew should be funny.
That's it! You don&'t have to worry
about counting syllables or words,
and you don’t even have to worry
about the rhythm of the poem.
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Our art teacher, Mr. Shaw,
Really knows how to draw.
Notice that the first line ends with
the name of the person the
clerihew is about, Mr. Shaw. The
second line ends with "draw"
because it rhymes with "Shaw."
To finish the clerihew, you need to
write two more rhyming lines. In a
well-written clerihew, those next
two lines will make the poem
funny, like this:
Our art teacher, Mr. Shaw,
Really knows how to draw.
But his awful paintings
Have caused many faintings.
Haiku
Type of formula poem
 Japanese poem
 Often about nature
 Follows the following
format:
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3 lines
Syllables:
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Line 1=5 syllables
Line 2=7 syllables
Line 3=5 syllables
Haiku Examples
As the wind does blow
Across the trees, I see the
Buds blooming in May
I walk across sand
And find myself blistering
In the hot, hot heat
Falling to the ground,
I watch a leaf settle down
In a bed of brown.