POETRY
UNIT 5
What is poetry?
Poetry is the most concentrated form of
literature.
 It makes every word, every syllable, and every
punctuation mark count for something.
 All good poems allow the reader to
experience the power and magic of words in a
way that no other form of literature can.

Poetry Form Review
Poetry is arranged by lines and stanzas.
 A line is a horizontal row of words, which may or
may not form a complete sentence.
 A stanza is a group of lines forming a unit and
separated from the next stanza by a space.
 The speaker is the voice that communicates with
the reader of the poem. A speaker can be the
voice of a person, an animal, or even a thing.

Poetry Sounds Review
Rhyme is the repetition of sounds in poetry.
 Internal rhyme occurs within lines of poetry.
 External rhyme occurs at the ends of lines.
 Rhyme scheme is the pattern formed by
external (end) rhymes.
 Repetition occurs when any word, sound or line
is repeated.

Poetry Sounds Review
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Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at
the beginning of words.
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds
within words or at the ends of words.
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within
non-rhyming words.
Onomatopoeia is the use of a word or phrase (like
snap, crackle, or pop) that imitates or suggests the
sound of what it describes.
Figurative Language Review
Simile- uses the word like or as to compare two
seemingly unlike things.
 Mrs. Balas is as grumpy as “Oscar the Grouch” in
the morning.
 Metaphor- compares two or more different things
by stating or implying that one thing is another.
 Mrs. Balas is “Oscar the Grouch” in the morning.

Figurative Language Review
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Personification- involves giving human characteristics to
an animal, object, or idea.
 The chair is tired from having people sit on it all day
long.
Imagery- descriptive language used to represent objects,
feelings, and thoughts. It often appeals to one or more of
the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
 The old, wooden chair creaked and groaned under the
weight of its users who were seeking a place to rest
briefly from the long, hard work day.
Poem #1: “Those Winter Sundays”
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chronic (adjective)- persistent; ongoing, especially in
sickness or pain
indifferently (adverb)- not concerned about someone
or something; without a preference
austere (adjective)- stern; severe in appearance
offices (noun)- duties and responsibilities or favors
and kindness
word
part of speech
definition
use it in a sentence
Poem #1 “Those Winter Sundays”
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Write a poem about something from your childhood
that you appreciate and/or for which you are
grateful now BUT you were not appreciative or
grateful at the time that it was happening.
Your poem must be 3 stanzas in length.
Your poem should not rhyme.
Your poem should have alliteration and imagery.
Your poem should end in a question.
Poem #2 “Three Haiku”
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A haiku is a traditional
Japanese form of poetry that
has three lines and seventeen
syllables. Haiku are usually
about nature.
The first line has five syllables.
The second line has seven
syllables.
The third line has five syllables.
Spring
Outside of this room,
Sits a lonely run down pondThe sun shines on it.
Justin McCord
He sings songs all day
Only thing that makes him stop
Is some free chicken
Poem #2 “Three Haiku”
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Write three haiku verses about nature. You can write
three separate poems with one verse each; or you can
write one poem with three separate verses.
Each verse must have five syllables in the first line, seven
in the second, and five in the third line (17 syllables
total).
No rhyme.
Possible Nature Topics
rain, rainbows, snow, snowflakes, snowmen, sunshine, sunrises, sunsets, moon,
moonlight, stars, shooting stars, flowers, leaves, autumn (fall), wind, spring, summer,
winter, oceans, rivers, creeks, ponds, animals, sand, rocks, grass, dirt, mountains,
valleys, thunderstorms, etc.
Poem #3 “Woman With Kite”
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querulous (adjective)- argumentative;
uncooperative
disgruntled (adjective)- in a state of grumpy
dissatisfaction
translucent (adjective)- allowing light to pass
through; almost clear; see-through
flecking (verb)- leaving spots or streaks
word
part of Speech
definition
use it in a sentence!
Poem #3 “Woman With Kite”
Poem #3 “Woman With Kite”

Write a poem in a similar style to “Woman with Kite.”
Use verse paragraphs, which are like stanzas that
don’t have the same amount of lines in each.
 You
must have14 lines total and at least two verse
paragraphs.
 You must describe an instance when you participated in an
activity (MUST BE LEGAL) that helped you to put aside
your troubles and just “let go!”
 You must have at least two similes.
 Your poem is not to have rhyme.
Poem #4 Sonnet 18
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temperate (adjective)- calm and free from extremes
of temperature
word
part of speech
definition
use it in a sentence
Poem #4 Sonnet 18
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A Shakespearean sonnet is always 14 lines:
3
quatrains (4 lines each)
 Concluded with a couplet (2 lines)
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In a sonnet, the speaker presents his/her innermost
thoughts and feelings.
Each sonnet is a complete poem that stands on its
own, although each sonnet was part of a much
larger collection about the same subject.
Poem #4 Sonnet 18
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Write a sonnet on the topic of your choice
containing:
EXACTLY fourteen lines (3 quatrains and 1 couplet)
Ten syllables per line
The appropriate rhyme scheme (a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d,
e, f, e, f, g, g)
Poem #5 “I Am Offering This Poem”
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mature (adjective)- having reached a desired state
of growth
dense (adjective)- thick
hogan (noun)- a traditional Native American hut
made of logs and earth
word
part of speech
definition
use it in a sentence
Lyric Poems
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Lyric poem- a poem that expresses a
speaker’s personal thoughts and feelings. They
are usually short and focus on an emotion, a
feeling, or an object, rather than focusing on a
lesson or theme.
Poem #5
Write a lyric poem.
 Requirement: You must repeat 4 times “I
______ you”
 Requirement: No rhyme, unless it is subtle
 Requirement: 1 simile, 1 metaphor
 Requirement: 20 lines, four stanzas, same
format as “I Am Offering This Poem”
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Poem #6 “Ballad of Birmingham”
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preliminary (adjective)- introductory
word
part of speech
definition
use it in a sentence
Poem #6 “Ballad of Birmingham”
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“Ballad of Birmingham” is a narrative poem.
Narrative poem- a poem that tells a story. There are
usually characters, or a story about the speaker.
There is some type of theme in mind.
Poem #6 “Ballad of Birmingham”
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Beginning- a child asks his/her mother if he/she may
march for freedom in the streets of Birmingham; the
mother refuses to allow this because it may be
dangerous.
Middle- the mother allows the child to go to church
instead of the march, and is satisfied that he/she is
safe there.
End- The mother hears the explosion, and runs through
the city streets only to find her child’s shoe in a pile of
rubble. Her child has been killed.
Poem #6
Write a narrative poem about an exciting
or dramatic event in your life or in
somebody else’s.
 Requirement: 28 lines, 7 stanzas, 4 lines per
stanza
 Requirement: Follow “Ballad of Birmingham”
for the rhyme scheme. The second and fourth
lines of each stanza should rhyme.

Poems #7 “Dream Boogie,” “Motto,” “Harlem”
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deferred (verb)- put off; postponed
 This

is the past tense of the verb “to defer”
fester (verb)- to become increasingly
infected or inflamed; to rot
word
part of speech
definition
use it in a sentence
Poem #7
Write a poem about a “dream deferred.”
 You are to write from the perspective of a
teenager or an adult.
 You may or may not have rhyme.
 You must have 1 example of
onomatopoeia.
 It should be no longer than “Harlem”.

Poem #8
Write a poem that provides advice from a
parent/guardian to a child. Your poem
should be teaching the child a lesson about
life.
 Write this poem from the perspective of a
grandparent/parent/guardian.
 You are to have no more than 18 lines and it
should be two stanzas.
 You should have at least one significant
metaphor.
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Poem #9
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Write a short lyric poem in which you describe an
emotion other than love.
You must use three similes or metaphors.
You must not name the specific emotion. Try to create
your poem so that the reader has to guess, like a
riddle.
Your moods are the tears on my pillow.
Your words are the soggy bits of cereal drowning in my bowl.
Your actions are the rose petals that have fallen to the ground
Neglected.
Poem #10
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Write a poem about an instance or situation from
your own life when you chose to follow “the road
less traveled” and it was for the best. Meaning, you
chose your own path instead of what others were
doing and it turned out well for you.
You must have alliteration.
You must have rhyme.
You are the speaker in this poem.
Poem #11 “.05”
1.
2.
3.
4.
Can you infer from the poem how many rejections
the speaker has had in life? How do you know?
Does the lower case “i” give you a clue as to how
the speaker feels about himself?
What can you infer about the number of women
who have loved the speaker?
Do you think the speaker would rather be rich or
loved? Explain.
Poem #11
Write a two verse (stanza) lyric poem.
 Each verse should start with the following
line:
“If i had a nickel for…”
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Your poem should model “.05”
Poem #12 “Ex-Basketball Player”
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Write a poem about a person with whom you are
not very close.
In this poem, you are to describe the person’s
character… their occupation… how they ended up
where they are…
Your title should relate to how you described the
person in the poem.
The tone of the poem should be observant,
reflective, and perhaps even critical.
15 line/3 stanza minimum
Poem #13 “The Flying Cat”
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2.
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4.
What does the speaker imagine might happen to
her cat during the airplane trip?
How do you know the speaker is a worrier?
Why do you think she uses different voices on the
phone? How do the airline workers respond to
her?
How do the cat’s feelings contrast with the
speaker’s? Do you agree that an animal doesn’t
know the “rise of fear?” Why or why not?
Poem #13
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Write a poem from the perspective of an animal.
Be creative with this one!
You may or may not have rhyme.
Minimum of 10 lines!
You must have a lot of imagery (sensory details). Be
descriptive!
You must have onomatopoeia!
Poetry Portfolio: Due May
Poem #2
Title
By Your Name
Type Poem Below
th
6 !
Poem #1
Title
By Your Name
Type Poem Below