INTRODUCTION TO POETRY … or something like that
* Source: A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
“Writing a poem is … a kind of possible love affair between something like the heart (that
courageous but also shy factory of emotion) and the learned skills of the conscious mind.
They make appointments with each other, and keep them, and something begins to
happen. Or, they make appointments with each other but are casual and often fail to keep
them: count on it, nothing happens.”
“Poetry is a river; many voices travel in it; poem after poem moves along in the exciting
crests and falls of the river waves. None is timeless; each arrives in historical context;
almost everything, in the end, passes.”
* Can the same be side about reading poetry?
Considerations When Reading Poetry:
* “The poem is always a blending of statement and form, which is intentional and meant
to be clarifying.
* The importance of sound:
- You MUST consider that poetry was originally meant to be heard, and many of
its elements are missed if you are not HEARING the poem. Furthermore, there
is a correlation between the sound and the connotation of the word, an
instrumental connection when analyzing the diction of a poem. (ex. stone/rock)
- Devices:
o onomatopoeia: ding-dong, buzz, etc … the word imitates the sound
o alliteration: repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words
 cacophonous: harsh, hard-hitting sounds like p, t, k, d
 euphonious: soft sounds like m, l, s
 consonance: repetition of consonant sounds in neighboring words but
not at the beginning of the words
o assonance: repetition of vowel sounds in neighboring words, regardless of
position of vowel in the word
* The importance of the line:
- The turning of the line – every turn is a meaningful decision
- Length and Rhythm:
o In metrical verse, each line can be divided by feet and each foot into
stresses.
o Metrical Lines:
 one-foot line: monometer
 two-foot line: dimeter
 three-foot line: trimeter
 four-foot line: tetrameter
 five-foot line: pentameter
 six-foot line: hexameter
 seven-foot line: heptameter
 eight-foot line: optameter
o Metrical Feet
 iamb: light/heavy, standard speech
 trochee: heavy/light, effective way to begin a line with emphasis
 dactyl: heavy/two light
 anapest: two light/heavy
 spondee: two equal
o Considerations:
 The pentameter line is the one most free from any particular effect
because it is the one that most matches how we speak and the
capacity of our lungs. Otherwise, the shorter the line, the quicker
the pace and the higher the sense of anxiety, excitement, agitation,
etc. This is not ALWAYS the case, but typically so. The prevailing
mood for lengthy lines (higher than pentameter) is one of confidence,
ease, leisure, etc. It can also indicate abundance, richness, joy.
 Consider the effect when there are a variety of meters.
o Caesura: structural and logical pause within the line or within the metrical
foot itself; indicates hesitation, breathlessness, anxiety; could also compel
the reader to think and ponder; usually evident where emotion is amassed
or for setting a conversational tone.
o The most important part of the line is the end, and the next important, the
beginning. (Ex. Poems beginning in iambic are typically “natural” and
more relaxed; poems that begin with a stress signal that something
dramatic is present or significant.)
o True rhyme/slant rhyme: pure vs. close; bat/cat; down/noon
o Both types of rhyme create rhythm in sound, but the latter is more subtle
in its effect.
o Enjambment: Turning the line so that a phrase that a logical phrase is
interrupted. It speeds up the line for two reasons:
 Creates curiosity and impels the reader
 Speeds up the pace
o The pattern on the page can also carry meaning; like the sound, the look of
the poem can hint at the tone of the poet, the mood of the poem, the
message of the poem, etc.
* The importance of the form:
- Rhyming Patterns:
o Couplet: aa bb cc dd, etc.
o Tercet: aaa bbb ccc ddd, etc.
o Quatrain: abab cdcd, etc.
o Terza Rima: aba bcb cdc ded, etc.
o Spenserian stanza: abab bcbc c
o Italian/Petrarchian sonnet: abba abba cdd ee (8/6 line stanza; statement or
premise and response)
o Shakespearean sonnet: abab cdcd efef gg (three quatrains and a couplet;
poses question and then potential resolution/answer)
- Blank verse: iambic pentameter with no end rhyme
- Syllabic verse: number of syllables in each line of the first stanza is exactly and
rigorously repeated in the following stanzas
- Free verse: no external pattern, but does not mean that the form or the line are
not important; relatively new and modern form and is still in its developing
stages; the informal tone of free verse established a stronger connection between
reader and writer
* The importance of diction, tone, voice, and figurative language:
-