Poetry Notes
Are you afraid you missed
something from the notes you
took in class on Thursday? Look
through your notes while you go
over this slideshow to see if you
have the key information.
What is Poetry?
 According
to our textbook, poetry is “one
of the three types of literature, the others
being prose and drama. Most poems
make use of highly concise, musical, and
emotionally charged language. Many
also make use of imagery, figurative
language, and special devices such as
rhyme. Major types of poetry include lyric
poetry, narrative poetry, and concrete
poetry.
Other descriptions of
poetry
 The
song of the soul or an emotional
response to the world around us (Gary
Soto)
 Pattern in motion, like music but gifted
with human speech (Leonard Nathan)
Our Responses
 Core
1
 Core 2
 Core 3
 Core 5
Poetry Vocabulary
 Line-
a single row of words in a poem
 Stanza- group of lines in a poem
Poetry Vocabulary Continued
 Speaker-
the “narrator” of the poem
 Poet- the person who writes the poem
(not always the same as the speaker)
Poetry Vocabulary Continued
 Symbol-
anything that stands for or
represents something else. A dove with an
olive branch is a symbol for peace.
Poetry Vocabulary Continued
 Free
Verse- poetry that doesn’t have a
regular, rhythmical pattern pr meter.
 Metrical Verse- has a specific amount of
syllables in each line
 Rhyme Scheme- the pattern of rhyming
words in a poem
Poetry Vocabulary COntinued
 Sensory
Language- language that
appeals to the five senses (AKA Imagery)
Sound Devices





Rhyme – repetition of sound at the end of
words
Rhythm – the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a poem (AKA meter)
Repetition – the use of a sound, word, phrase,
clause , or sentence more than once
Onomatopoeia - the use of words that imitate
sounds (Crash, boom, splat, hiss)
Alliteration – the repetition of sounds in the
beginning of words (wind whispered in the
woods)
Figurative Language
 Metaphors-
compare two unlike things by
stating that one thing is another
 Similes
– compare two unlike things using
like or as
 Personification-
compares an object or
animal to a human by giving the object or
the animal human characteristics
Narrative vs Lyric Poetry
Narrative Poetry
 Narrative poetry
tells a story in verse.
Narrative poems
often have
elements similar to
those in a short
story, such as plot
and characters.
Lyric Poetry
 Lyric
poetry
expresses the
thoughts and
feelings of a single
speaker, often in
highly musical
verse
Identify Figurative Language
1)The willow’s branches are like silken thread
2) Let the rain sing you a lullaby
3) Fame is a bee
4) Abuelito who throws coins like rain
5) The half-grown chrysanthemums (flowers)
stare up like accusers
6) Shiny as a copper doorknob
Check the next slide to check your answers.
Wait…
 Did
you skip to the next slide without
completing the problems? Go back and
do them! Evaluate whether or not you
can identify the type of figurative
language used in each line.
Answers
1)The willow’s branches are like silken thread
simile
2) Let the rain sing you a lullaby
personification
3) Fame is a bee metaphor
4) Abuelito who throws coins like rain simile
5) The half-grown chrysanthemums (flowers)
stare up like accusers personification
6) Shiny as a copper doorknob simile