I.
Basic Elements of Poetry
A.
Stanza: A stanza is to a poem what a paragraph is to a piece of prosaic
writing - a fixed number of lines of verse forming a single unit of a poem. A poem
is usually composed of multiple stanzas that are separated from each other an
empty line in between.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A couplet is a stanza that has only 2 lines.
A tercet is composed of 3 lines.
A quatrain consists of 4 lines.
A cinquain has 5 lines.
A sestet comprises 6 lines.
A sonnet is an entire poem with exactly 14 lines.
B.
Rhyming and Rhyme Scheme: Rhyming in poetry is one convention that
makes this form of literature recognizably different from prose and drama. Even in
this age when free verses are quite popular, rhyme in poesy is what renders it
poetic. A very unique quality of rhyme in poetry is that it has the ability to provide
a systematic flow to a bundle of thoughts that may seem absolutely chaotic if put
together otherwise. It smoothens out the rough edges and abrupt protrusions.
This element can be simplistically defined as the similarity in the sounds of two or
more lines. In poetry, this is generally achieved by using similar sounding words at
the end of lines.
1.
Example:
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
C.
Rhythm and Meter: Rhythm is the pattern in which a pet chooses to
sequence the stressed and unstressed syllables in every line of a poem.
1.
The three factors that determine rhythm
a)
b)
Number of syllables in each line
The total count of stressed syllables
c)
The number of recurring patterns of syllables- stressed and unstressed
2.
Meter: like rhythm, it refers to the pattern of stressed unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry (number of feet)
3.
a)
One foot: mono meter
b)
c)
d)
Two feet: dimeter
Three feet: trimester
Four feet: tetrameter
Feet/foot: the pattern of two syllables as stressed and unstressed
D.
Figurative Language: is a technique poets use to express more than the
literal meaning of the words.
1.
Devises poets use
a)
b)
Simile: comparing two things using like or as
Metaphor: an indirect comparison not using like or as
c)
Imagery: the figurative painting of a vivid picture in the mind of the
reader
d)
Symbolism: When a word or phrase or object represents more than the
literal meaning