The Practice of Poetry
The Writing and Reading Program
At Western New England College
Paul Signac. French, 1863-1935. The Bonaventure Pine. 1893.
Definitions
“Poetry is a kind
of
representation
using rhythm,
speech, and
melody.”
Aristotle
Definitions
“ Poetry is an
extension and
refinement of the
mind’s extreme
recognitions, and of
language’s most
unexpected
apprehensions.”

Seamus Heaney
Definitions
“Poetic meaning is like and yet unlike ordinary
meaning, just as poetry is both like and unlike
ordinary speech or ordinary writing in prose
forms. There are aspects of a poem which we
can understand much as we understand a
request for a loan or a declaration that it is
raining. There are other aspects of a poem
which must be approached somewhat
differently.”
Burton Raffel
Definitions
“Poetry is a synthesis of
hyacinths and
biscuits.”
Carl Sandburg

Although difficult to define, poetry is a
literary genre that binds cultures, indeed,
our whole species together.
From the earliest days, poetry passed great
stories along in an oral tradition with the aid of
rhythm, rhyme, and figurative language:
“Athena
cast a grey glance at her friend and said:
‘Son of Laërtês and the gods of old,
Odysseus, master of land ways and sea ways,
command yourself. Call off this battle now
or Zeus who views the wide world may be angry.’”
The Odyssey
Getting the Beat

Rhythm has to do with cadence and beat. Like
music, poetry is suffused with various rhythms:

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Whan that April with his showres soote…
Chaucer
Out of the cradle endlessly rocking,
Out of the mocking-bird’s throat, the musical
shuttle…
Whitman
Keeping Count

Meter, on the other hand, is a count of
stressed and unstressed syllables in a line
of poetry.
“When my love swears that she is made of
truth / ”
Shakespeare
The underscored words in the line above are the stressed
syllables.
Keeping Count

In poetry, the relationships between
stressed and unstressed syllables are
expressed in many different ways:
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Iamb (, /)
“withDRAW”
Trochee (/,  )
“WHEther”
Anapest (, , /) “reproDUCE”
Sister Sounds

Rhyme is often a favorite feature of poetry,
and it comes in two basic “flavors.”

Direct rhyme presents two words that sound
very similar:


fleece / cease
Indirect rhyme underscores either similar
internal vowel sounds or it stresses
consonant sounds:


Time / Prior
Gate / Greet
Blank Verse

Of course, not all poems rhyme. Blank
verse is a very popular, unrhymed poetic
form which uses an iambic ( /) rhythm in
lines with five stressed feet (pentameter).

“The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood.”
Robert Frost
Shakespeare’s Sonnets – First
Lines

Here are some examples of iambic
pentameter:
“When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
“My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun”
Key Terms Pertaining to Poetry


Speaker – don’t equate the speaker of the
poem with the poet. Often the first person
narrator is a character or a persona that
the poet has created.
Diction – carefully chosen words to convey
precise meaning.
Key Terms Pertaining to Poetry



Personification – attributing human
characteristics to animals, objects, and
ideas.
Hyperbole – an intentional exaggeration
used with humorous or ironic results.
Understatement – treats a serious issue
as if it were of little importance.
Key Terms Pertaining to Poetry



Allusion – a reference to a person, place,
or event meant to enhance the reader’s
understanding or experience of the poem.
Imagery – impressions created by strong
sensory data.
Paradox – a seemingly absurd or selfcontradictory statement that expresses a
possible truth.
Key Terms Pertaining to Poetry

Alliteration – the repetition of initial consonants
“Death’s second self , that seals up all the rest”

Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds
“My cycle-clips in awkward reverence”

Onomatopoeia – the sound of a word imitating
meaning and sense
“Bees go buzz and flies go splat”
Figurative Language

Figurative language defines one thing in
terms of another.

Similes make comparisons:
You are as quiet as a mouse.
 Billy looks like a gladiator in those clothes.


Metaphors are stronger, more concentrated
comparisons:

Life is “a tale / Told by an idiot.”
How to Read a Poem

Attempt to classify the poem:
 Is it a narrative poem? Does it tell a
story?
 Is it a lyric poem? Does it primarily
convey emotions, mood, or a state of
mind?
How to Read a Poem

Factual or Non-factual Meaning?


Literal meaning refers to lines, stanzas, or
poems that can be understood
straightforwardly and then taken at face
value.
Non-literal meaning refers to figurative or
metaphorical language used to convey a new
reality or emphasize an idea, image, or
symbol.
Poetry Readers’ Axiom #1

Take your time reading!

Although some poems may seem short and
quite straightforward, most poetry requires a
thoughtful, deliberate reading style. Plan to
read each poem several times.
Poetry Readers’ Axiom #2

Read Aloud!


Poetry is part of an oral tradition. Reading
aloud brings out the sound and meaning
intended by the poet.
It often takes two or three tries to achieve a
smooth reading. If the poem uses
punctuation, let it guide your reading impulse,
and remember that pauses can be critical to
the overall affect.
Poetry Readers’ Axiom #3

Read closely!

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Define unfamiliar words.
Think about connections between ideas,
images, and figures of speech.
Define the speaker and tone.
Examine word choice.
Identify predominate imagery.
Look for an identifiable theme.
Poetry Readers’ Axiom #4

Paraphrase the poem.


Use your own words to briefly restate the
action or intended meaning of key lines,
stanzas and / or the whole poem.
Paraphrasing can help you understand the
structure and meaning of poetry, and it can
help you remember significant details of a
poem when you are surveying many different
poems by a variety of poets.


Like a great piece of
music, a poem
improves with each
encounter.
Enjoy every
experience as you
would a concert or
play, and remember,
poetry is meant to
reflect the world.