Elements of Poetry
Narrative poem: stresses story and action
Lyric poem: stresses emotion and song - both have many subdivisions!
Narrative poems: incorporate all the elements of a narrative, within the confines of closed
form poetry
Epic – very long narrative poem that includes the adventures and exploits of a hero that are
important to the history of a certain culture. The poem will typically embody the beliefs and
cultural values of these people. Example – Virgil’s Aeneid about the founding of Rome /
Homer’s Iliad about the Greek and Trojan War
Ballad – originally meant to be sung or recited orally. Folk ballads were passed on orally and
written down much later. Literary ballads are for a much higher audience; they imitate the
conventions of folk ballads with more polished poetic style and intentional use of poetic
techniques.
Romantic Ballads – complex plots with surprising and magical actions frequently arisingPopular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Lyric Poetry: subjective poems – often brief – that express the thoughts and feelings of a
single speaker, who may or may not be the poet. Lyric poetry is typically characterized by
brevity, melody and emotional intensity. In short, they express much in little!
Epigram – brief, witty poem – often satirical
Elegy – a lament for the dead
Ode – a poem praising a person, science or an idea
Au bade – a poem praising the dawn or early morning
Sonnet – 14 lines in an expression of emotion or articulation. There are two kinds: the
Italian/Petrarchan and English/Shakespearean – lines and syllables differ
Sestina and Villanelle – similar to the above, but French in origin and a different structure
Diction – the selection of words
Syntax – the order of words
Imagery – descriptive writing that appeals to the five senses and paints a picture for the
reader
Structure – the formal pattern of organization
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Open form poetry – no structure
Closed form poetry– set structure of lines and syllables
Figurative language:
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Symbols
Metaphors
Similes
Synecdoche – using a part to signify the whole (lend me a hand)
Metonymy – subtitling an attribute of something for itself (step on the gas)
Allegory – more direct than a symbol, but same interpretation – just non-negotiable
Sound in Poetry:
Rhyme – the matching of final vowel or consonant sounds
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End Rhyme – final sounds rhyme
Judy went to her bed
On the pillow she laid her head
Internal Rhyme – words rhyme at the middle of the line
The blue petals
Send new ideas
Exact Rhyme – sounds and syllables match
Bed/head flat/cat house/mouse
Imperfect/Slant Rhyme – partially matching sounds
move/love
Alliteration – repetition of consonant sounds
Frank finds funny facts.
Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds
Always asking about anything
Euphony – pleasing, soothing words
Cacophony – harsh, discordant words
Rhythm and Meter:
Rhythm – the pulse or beat in a poem or song that occurs due to regular recurrence of accent
or stress in syllable – Jack and Jill went up the hill
Meter – the measured, patterned count of a poetic line
Foot – the unit of poetic meter in English consisting of one stressed and at least one
unstressed syllable
Verse – A single line in a poem
Stanza – A grouping of lines in a poem
Refrain – repeated lines in a poem – usually for emphasis
Couplets – rhyming lines with the same meter/length