LYRIC POETRY
DEFINITION
Lyric poetry refers to a short poem, often with
songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker’s
personal emotions and feelings. Historically
intended to be sung and accompany musical
instrumentation, lyric now describes a broad
category of non-narrative poetry, including
elegies, odes, and sonnets.
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HISTORY
Lyric poetry began as a fixture of ancient
Greece, classified against other categories of
poetry at the time of classical antiquity: dramas
(written in verse) and epic poems. The lyric
was far shorter, distinguished also by its focus
on the poet’s state of mind and personal
themes rather than narrative arc.
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Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed."
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RYHME
1. Perfect rhyme. A rhyme where both words
share the exact assonance and number of
syllables. Also known as an exact rhyme,
a full rhyme, or a true rhyme.
ex: well, sell; chase, face; saw, flaw; form,
dorm; trouble, bubble
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2. Slant rhyme. A rhyme formed by words with
similar, but not identical, assonance and/or the
number of syllables. Also known as a half
rhyme, an imperfect rhyme or a near rhyme.
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ex: worm, swarm; cat, sad; soul, all; last, taste;
ways, grace
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3. End rhymes. These are rhymes that occur
between the final words on two particular lines
of poetry. End rhymes can be either masculine
(for instance “below” and “furlough”) or
feminine (for instance “actual” and “factual”).
Feminine: a rhyme between stressed syllables
followed by one or more unstressed syllables
(e.g., stocking / shocking,
“ glamorous / amorous .).
Masculine: a rhyme of final stressed syllables
(e.g., blow / flow, confess / redress ).
IMAGERY
Imagery refers to language that stimulates the
reader's senses. By evoking those senses through
touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight, the writer
imparts a deeper understanding of the human
experience, connecting with the reader through a
shared sensory experience.
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IMAGERY
1. The autumn leaves are a blanket on the
ground.
2. Her lips tasted as sweet as sugar.
3. His words felt like a dagger in my heart.
4. My head is pounding like a drum.
5. The kitten's fur is milky.
6. The siren turned into a whisper as it ended.
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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Figurative language is a way of expressing
oneself that does not use a word's strict or
realistic meaning. Common in comparisons
and exaggerations, figurative language is
usually used to add creative flourish to
written or spoken language or explain a
complicated idea.
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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. Simile
comparison of one thing with another thing of
a different kind, used to make a description
more emphatic or vivid
(e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).
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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
2. Metaphor
figure of speech that describes something by
saying it's something else. It is not meant to
be taken literally.
Ex: (Life is a highway, Her eyes were
diamonds, He is a shining star, The snow is
a white blanket, She is an early bird)
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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
3. Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant
to be taken literally.
Ex: They ran like greased lightning.
He's got tons of money.
He is older than the hills.
She is as big as an elephant!
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4. Paradox
a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory
statement or proposition that when
investigated or explained may prove to be
well founded or true.
Ex: less is more, do the thing you think you
cannot do, you're damned if you do and
damned if you don't, the enemy of my
enemy is my friend.
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SOUND
Sound devices are elements of literature and
poetry that emphasize sound. There are a few
different types of sound devices including
alliteration, rhyme schemes and rhythm.
Alliteration is the repetition of constant
sounds.
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SOUND
1. Alliteration
repetition of initial or medial consonants in
two or more adjacent words.
Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers.
Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.
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SOUND
2. Assonance
is the repetition of vowel sounds across a line
of text or poetry
Ex: The light of the fire is a sight.
Go slow over the road.
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CRITERIA
Rubric5 on Group Poem Reading
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Vocal intonation and
expression
Highly effective and
expressive intonation
used to reinforce
change in mood, voice,
setting, and/or
characterization.
Effective and
expressive intonation
used to reinforce
change in mood, voice,
setting, and/or
characterization.
Moderately effective
and expressive
intonation used with
room for improvement
and practice
Volume (loudness)
Highly appropriate
audience volume used
when speaking and
performing.
Appropriate volume
used when speaking
and performing, with a
little room for
improvement.
Volume not used
effectively. More
practice is
recommended.
Audience address
Appropriate audience
address with a high
likelihood to engage
and entertain.
Appropriate audience
address; audience may
be engaged and
entertained.
A little more practice in
voice, intonation,
language, and volume
is recommended to
engage and entertain
the audience.