Poetry
Poetry is just the evidence of
life. If your life is burning well,
poetry is just the
ash. ~Leonard Cohen
Let’s Explore Connotation!
 What is the dictionary or
denotative meaning of the
word “loser”?
 What does the word “loser”
imply connotatively?
 What is the dictionary or
denotative meaning of the
word “gifted.”
 What is the connotation of the
word?
Who Is the Poet?
Identifying the VOICE, or literary
personality, and TONE of the
poet is very important in
understanding his message.
The TONE is the author’s
attitude about the subject and
can be determined by the
words, phrases, and images he
uses. TONE is expressed in
emotions, such as angry, joyful,
sad, etc.
Note: Often a poet’s TONE shifts
or changes through the poem
Ink runs from the corners of my
mouth
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
~Mark Strand
Tone
writer's attitude toward the material
and/or readers.
Tone may be playful, formal, intimate,
angry, serious, ironic, outraged,
baffled, tender, serene, depressed,
etc.
*
“Apparently with no
Surprise”
Apparently with no surprise
To any happy Flower
The Frost beheads it at its play –
In accidental power –
The Blonde Assassin passes on –
The Sun proceeds unmoved
To measure off another Day
For an Approving God.
~ Emily Dickinson
Apostrophe
A poetry technique where
the writer addresses
an inanimate object,
an idea, or a person
who is either dead or
absent.
Poetic Forms
Stanza: unit of a poem
often repeated in the
same form throughout
a poem; a unit of
poetic lines ("verse
paragraph")
Free verse: lines with no
prescribed pattern or
structure
Couplet: a pair of lines,
usually rhymed
“Heart! We will forget him!”
by Emily Dickinson
Heart! We will forget him!
You and I – tonight!
You may forget the warmth he
gave –
I will forget the light!
When you have done, pray tell
me
That I may straight begin!
haste! Lest while you’re lagging
I remember him!
Rhythm
The alternation of stressed and unstressed
syllables .
Writers use rhyme, repetition, pauses,
punctuation marks, pauses, and variations in
line length or word length to effect the rhythm.
Rhyme Scheme
Pattern of rhymes in a poem. Rhyme scheme is
usually referred to by letters representing the
rhyming words, so that one can refer to an abab
rhyme scheme.
Example: Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet
And so are you!
a
b
c
b
Internal Rhyme:
Rhyme that occurs within a line of poetry or within
consecutive lines.
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered,
weak and weary,…
Ah distinctly I remember it was in the bleak
December…”
“The Raven”
Tell it Slant
Slant Rhyme- occurs when words include
sounds that are similar but not identical.
(Jackal and buckle)
Involves a variation of consonance and
assonance.
“A 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 sore ---And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over --Like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Types of Poems
Ballad: A poem that uses simple language and a
great deal of repetition to tell a sensational story
of tragedy or adventure.
Lyric Poem: A poem that expresses a writer’s
thoughts and feelings on a given subject.
Narrative Poem: A poem that tells a story or
relays a sequence of related events.