Poets on Poetry
“Poetry is emotion put into measure. The
emotion must come by nature, but the
measure can be acquired by art.”
– Thomas Hardy
“Immature poets imitate; mature poets
steal.” – T S Eliot
“Perhaps no person can be a poet, or can
even enjoy poetry, without a certain
unsoundness of mind.” – Thomas
Babington Macaulay
You on Poetry
What are your views about poetry?
Do you like or dislike poetry? Why?
Misconceptions About Poetry
Poetry is just for girls.
Poetry always rhymes.
Poetry is about weird and stupid things.
Poetry doesn’t make any sense.
Poetry is something we HAVE to do.
A lot of poetry is about love and death.
Poetry uses weird language.
Poetry isn’t about anything I like.
I can NOT write poetry!
What is Poetry?
Poetry – an imaginative response to
an experience reflecting a keen
awareness of language.
There are many elements used in
writing effective poetry.
Language in Poetry
Two Types:
Figurative – language used to create a
special effect in feeling; characterized by
figures of speech or language that
compares, exaggerates, or words that
mean something other than its literal
meaning.
Literal – The exact primary meaning of a
word or words.
SPEAKER
Speaker – the person who speaks in
or narrates a poem.
The speaker and writer are NOT
necessarily the same person.
THEME
Theme – a statement about life that a
particular work is trying to get across
to the reader.
Theme = Main Idea
DICTION
Diction – an author’s choice of words
based on their correctness, clarity
(clear), or effectiveness.
Some words are purposely chosen to
represent ideas, not to come right out
and say them.
IMAGERY
Imagery – words or phrases a writer
selects to create a certain picture in
the mind; based on sensory detail.
Imagery uses descriptive words to
evoke the five senses.
METER AND RHYTHM
Meter and rhythm describe patterned
repetition of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry.
The meter and rhythm of a poem
creates a beat.
VERSE AND REFRAIN
Verse – metric line of poetry names
according to the kind and number of
feet composing it.
Refrain – repetition of a line or phrase
of a poem at regular intervals,
especially at the end of a stanza
(chorus).
STANZA
Stanza – a division of poetry named
for the number of lines it contains.
When you see a space between lines
in a poem, that means a new stanza
is beginning.
RHYME
Rhyme – similarity or likeness of
sound existing between two words.
T op = Top
St op = Stop
END RHYME
End Rhyme – rhyming words that
appear at the ends of two or more
lines of poetry.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them Sam I am.
INTERNAL RHYME
Internal Rhyme – occurs when
rhyming words appear in the same
line of poetry.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
RHYME SCHEME
Rhyme Scheme – the pattern or
sequence in which rhyme sounds
occur in a stanza or poem.
To label a rhyme scheme, a similar
letter is assigned to each pair of
rhyming sounds in a stanza.
LABELING RHYME SCHEME
Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Though are more lovely and temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
A
And summer’s lease hath all to short a date.
B
Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines
C
A
B
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
D
And every fair fom fair sometimes declines
By chance or nature’’s changing course
untrimmed.
D
The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD
ALLITERATION
Alliteration – repetition of initial
consonant sounds in words.
She sells sea shells
down by the seashore.
ASSONANCE
Assonance – repetition of vowel
sounds without the repetition of
consonant sounds.
How now brown cow.
C
SIMILE
Simile – comparison of two unlike
things using the words “like” or “as.”
He acts like an animal when he eats!
METAPHOR
Metaphor – comparison of two unlike
things NOT using “like” or “as.”
He is an animal when he eats!
PERSONIFICATION
Personification – giving human
qualities to non-human objects.
The wind whispered through the trees.
The sun smiled down on the earth.
The flag waved at us.
The statue stared at us.
ONOMATOPOEIA
Onomatopoeia – the use of a word
whose sound suggests its meaning.
RUFF!
MEOW!
EEK!
HYPERBOLE
Hyperbole – The use of exaggeration
for a heightened effect.
I’ve told you a million
times to get to work!!!
ALLUSION
Allusion – an indirect reference to art,
literature, history, etc. that the author
expects the reader to recognize.
Gift of the Magi
SYMBOLISM/SYMBOL
Symbolism – the use of a person,
place, or thing or an event used to
represent something else.
Symbol – the use of a concrete object
to represent something abstract.
PARADOX
Paradox – an apparent contradiction
which is somehow true.
Dry Ice
Should be cold…
… but it’s hot!
OXYMORON
Oxymoron – a paradox where two
successive words (side by side)
seemingly contradict each other.
JUMBO SHRIMP
METONYMY
Metonymy – the substitution of a term
naming an object closely associated
with the word in mind for the word
itself.
Using the word crown in place of saying king.
LIMERICK
Limerick – a short funny poem that
follows certain rules:
AABBA rhyme scheme.
Lines 1, 2, 5 have 8-10 syllables.
Lines 3, 4 have 5 syllables.
Common limericks use the name of a
place at the end of the first line.
SAMPLE LIMERICK
There once was a lady from France.
Who went to an old fashioned dance.
She dances really quick.
And did a neat trick.
But she left with a hole in her pants.
CINQUAIN
Cinquain (“sin-kane) – five line poem with definite
requirements for each line.
Line 1: One word – what the poem is about (noun).
Line 2: Two words – words that describe the word in
line 1 (adjectives).
Line 3: Three words – actions associated with the
word in line 1; what it does (verbs in the same form)
Line 4: Four Words – Words that express thought or
feeling about the word in line 1; words that make a
statement about the word in line 1 (NOT A
COMPLETE SENTENCE)
Line 5: One word – Another word for the word in line
1; or a word that tells how you feel about the word in
line 1 (noun)
SAMPLE CINQUAIN
Mice
Little, quiet
Running, crawling, jumping
Eat holes in furniture
Demons
DIAMANTE (DIAMOND)
Diamante – seven-line poem with definite
requirements.
Line 1: One word (noun that has an opposite)
Line 2: Two words (two adjectives describing the
noun)
Line 3: Three words (three participles – words ending
in –ing or –ed)
Line 4: Four words (two nouns related to the word in
line 1 and two nouns that are opposite of the first
two)
Line 5: Three words (three participles indicating
change or development of the subject ending in –ing
or –ed)
Line 6: Two words (two adjectives carrying on the
idea of change or development)
Line 7: One word (noun that is opposite of line 1)
SAMPLE DIAMANTE
Fire
Red, hot
Burning, scalding, blistering
Heat, flames – frost, freezer
Cooling, soothing, refreshing
Cold, chilly
Ice
Notice the diamond shape of the poem.
BALLAD
Simple narrative poem.
Presents a single dramatic episode.
Very little characterization, description, or motivation.
Story told through action and dialogue.
Deals with subjects such as adventure, love, jealousy,
heroism, disaster, or revenge.
Four-line stanzas.
Usually meant to be sung.
Usually ABCB rhyme scheme.
Often 8 syllables in lines 1 and 3 and 6 syllables in
lines 2 and 4.
Usually has a refrain – ending of a stanza or separate
stanza that is repeated.
HAIKU
Haiku – traditional form of Japanese
poetry composed of three lines.
Haiku is used to capture a moment,
express a feeling, and/or celebrate
some phase or element of nature.
1 Line – 5 syllables
1 Line – 7 syllables
1 Line – 5 syllables
These lines can be in any order.
SAMPLE HAIKU
Whoppers sitting on a plate,
Aroma so sweet,
The thrill of eating.