6th Grade ELA
Mr. Roe
Room 19
A Poem
A poem is a portrait sketched in words.
It is a synonym for the soul, a sermon
From the stars. It is a song of mockingbirds
Who mimic men; the fragrance of a forgotten
Rose. It is the grammar of the soul
And the language of the heart. It is a dream
That comes to those who are awake; a stroll
Upon the boulevard of time; a scheme
To conquer death. It is the romance of France
In a triolet or it is the power of Rome
In a sonnet. It is a waltz for words, a dance
Of the pen to the time of a mental metronome.
A poem is a mental prayer and a breath
From the soul which says that life is more than death.
- Roger Bates Kronmann
How to (carefully!)
Read a Poem
How do you define poetry?
• Almost impossible to do.
• As you grow older and are able to
understand more words, poems take on
entirely new dimensions.
How to (carefully!)
Read a Poem
What kind of language is used in poetry?
• A poet seeks the most meaningful words
• Poets use sounds deliberately to enhance the
message of the poem
• A poet uses words that are the most
suggestive, expressive, and precise for the
poet’s purpose
How to (carefully!)
Read a Poem
And what IS the poet’s purpose?
• This is a hard question to answer.
• Poetry communicates feelings and
experiences rather than objective facts.
• Poetry “says more and talks less” than other
forms of expression.
• It does this by using a number of language
resources – “POETIC DEVICES”
How to (carefully!)
Read a Poem
How then, do you respond to a poem?
• You need to understand and react to its
special language and structure.
• It is a good idea to read a poem several
times and aloud at least once.
• It is often helpful to write a prose
paraphrase of a poem to help you clarify
and simplify the author’s ideas and
language.
Guidelines for Close Reading of
Poetry
1. Read the poem aloud at least once,
following the punctuation for phrasing.
• Commas, semicolons, periods, and other
marks of punctuation tell you where to
pause!
• Poets do not expect the reader to pause at
the end of each line!
Guidelines for Close Reading of
Poetry
2. Respond thoughtfully to key words and
references.
• Many words have both denotative and
connotative meanings.
• Denotative meaning is the dictionary
definition
• Connotative meaning carries emotional
associations.
Guidelines for Close Reading of
Poetry
3. Write a paraphrase of any lines that need
clarification or simplification.
• A paraphrase helps a reader respond more
fully to the poem and to understand
imagery and figurative language.
• It also puts inverted word order into
normal word order.
Guidelines for Close Reading of
Poetry
4. Using your own response to the poem,
write a statement clarifying its central idea
or meaning.
• Try to state this idea in one or two
sentences.
• In this way you can use your own
reactions as a means of exploring the
poet’s message.
Poetic Devices
 Words or phrases used to put the senses to work in an effort to
create pictures (or images) in the reader’s mind. Imagery
is chiefly visual, but images also help one hear
something, smell something, taste something, or touch
something.
 The purpose of imagery is to help one re-create in the mind
the situation the writer imagines, so that we can react as
we would to the thing or experience itself.
 Writers use imagery as a tool to achieve intensity in their
work.
With words, the writer creates “visual” images that make the
reader “see” what is being described with the mind’s eye.
Not just a moon…but…“The soft yellow glow of the
moon peeked out behind the blanket of dark clouds.”
With words, the writer creates a clear and definite sound that the
reader can relate to and “hear” with his or her imagination.
Not just a cricket’s sound…but…”The sharp, melodious trill of
the chirping cricket on a hot summer’s night.”
With words, the writer describes a clear smell that the reader
can relate and respond to with his or her imagination. (This is
one of the strongest senses; yet, it is rarely used in writing).
Not just pie…but…”Opening Grandma’s kitchen door, I was
warmly greeted by the cinnamon sweet aroma of her ‘just
baked’ apple pie.”
With words, the writer creates a “taste” so clear and defined
that the reader can actually taste what is being described by
using one’s imagination.
Not just lemonade…but…”The unexpected tart of the freshly
squeezed lemonade caused my lips to pucker as I drank it all
down.”
With words, the writer describes a “touch” so clear that the
reader can actually “feel” what is being described by using one’s
imagination. (Touch can be both texture and temperature).
Not just sand…but…”The wet gritty sand squished between my
toes as I walked along the beach.”
(discuss the use of imagery in the following lines of poetry)
#1
By…Samuel Hazo
“I threw and threw until my shirtback clung
adhesively and cold against my spine.
It was no more a case of having fun.
I swore I would keep throwing till I won.”
#2
By…Thomas J. Lyon
“Little lady of wrinkled potato skin
Clutching a five and dime shopping bag
I try to stop to take your hand
To tell you you are there.”
#3
By…William Wordsworth
“A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
- Fair as a star when only one
Is shining in the sky.”
(work on creative imagery one-liners for the following…)
VISITING AN
AMUSEMENT
PARK
SIGHT
SOUND
TASTE
TOUCH
SMELL
PLAYING
A SPORT
PREREADING:
Take a moment to write about a favorite place. Focus on the
sights and sounds found there.
As you read the following poems, pay careful attention to the
sight and sound imagery. After completing the reading, we will
share your findings and discuss your reactions to the speaker’s
fantasy.
 Language that is used to describe one thing in terms of
something else; language that is not intended to be taken
literally. Figures of speech are not literally true, but they
can help one to see the similarities between things that
seem to be completely different; therefore, figurative
language depends upon a comparison that is made
between two or more things that are basically unlike.
 Figurative language is very common in everyday conversation
as well as in the written word. It contains such forms as
simile, metaphor, personification, and symbol.
A simile is a type of “figurative language” (…language that shows
one way of saying something while meaning something else.
To understand it, we cannot take it literally; we must
interpret it.)
A simile is a direct comparison made between two unlike things,
using a word of comparison such as like, as, than, such as,
or resembles. Similes are one of the most frequently used
figures of speech. Ex: “My Luve’s like a red, red, rose.”
 Similes are similar to metaphors in their comparison of two
essentially unlike things. The main difference lies in their
degree of directness. Similes use specific comparative
words to denote the comparison. While similes are
sometimes rather direct, they can also be quite subtle.
Discuss the effectiveness of the similes in the poems to follow.
1) By…Amy Lowell
“When I go away from you
The world beats dead
Like a slackened drum.”
2) By…Samuel Hazo
My Sealed Aquarium
Seatbelted for the worst,
I slither into traffic like a trout.
Downstream, down
sluicing ramps, down
capillary boulevards, down
freeways, Mississippis,
I ogle from my sealed
aquarium and swim with schools
in the current
Fish-eyed
in glass, I minnow sideways
to the blink of go and stop.
I race the passing gills.
I trail the leadering fish.
A metaphor is another type of “figurative language” (see
simile).
A comparison made between two things which are basically
dissimilar, with the intent of giving added meaning to one of
them. Metaphor is one of the most common forms of
figurative language. A metaphor eliminates the specific word
of comparison that the simile uses and directly identifies the
comparison. Ex: “All the world is a stage.”
 An (B) EXTENDED METAPHOR is a metaphor that is
extended throughout a majority of the poem or
throughout the entire poem. (The Poison Tree)
 Metaphors are effective because they often help to put a
specific picture/image in our minds. They often arouse
strong emotional feelings, for the reader can then relate to
the author’s/speaker’s words.
Exercise A: Shakespeare once wrote…
“All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players.”
Expand this metaphor by continuing these lines and composing
some of your own comparisons of elements of acting to aspects of
our lives.
Exercise B: Write a paragraph/poem (at least 6 lines) expanding
a metaphor (as you did for the previous exercise). Try to
make as many logical and creative relationships as
possible. Begin with at least two of the following
metaphors, and then create two of your own.
1)
Life is a football game.
2)
My little brother is a grasshopper.
3)
School is a carnival.
4)
Getting into college is a marathon.
5)
Shopping for new clothes is a battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------If time allows, discuss the (type of) metaphor on the following slide.
 The repetition of consonant sounds in a group of words close
together. Most often, alliteration comes at the beginning of
words, although it can appear in the middle and at the end
of words as well.
Ex: “a dime a dozen,” “bigger and better,” and “jump for
joy.”
 One important function of alliteration is to give special
emphasis to the words alliterated. Our ear hears them as
having special value. This is why, although alliteration is
most often used in poetry, it is also used in advertising and
political speeches.
 Alliteration is often used to reinforce meaning or to
create mood.
 The most powerful alliterations are those with three
or more words alliterated.
 Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
 A figure of speech in which something nonhuman (a creature,
idea, or object) is given human characteristics or feelings.
Ex: “The moon smiled at me.”
 When discussing poetry and identifying personification, try to
identify WHAT is being personified, as well as HOW the poem
personifies it. Ex: “The moon smiled at me.”
Discuss the personification in the following poems and discuss
the “effect” it creates.
1)
By…Walter de la Mare
Silver
Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws and a silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.
2) By…Kathleen Spivack
March 1st
Coming out of the house on a fresh March morning,
I saw February still meandering around
like laundry caught in a Bendix. Stray shreds
of cloud, like pillow slips, were rent from
her large endlessness. Outdated,
her decrepit body garlanded itself disgracefully with powder. She luxuriated in old age.
Even her graying sheets were still there,
tattered, heaped carelessly on the street,
bearing the indentation of someone’s huge body
and furred with a fine fringe of soot.
She had been plump, she had been heavy, sitting
on top of us since January. Winter, you
old clothes hamper, what mildew
still molders inside you before March
dribbles a bit, dries up, and is done for?
 The use of a word whose sound imitates or reinforces its
meaning. In everyday speech, words such as whoosh, ticktock, zoom, purr, popcorn, and buzz are onomatopoetic.
Discuss the “effect” created by the examples of onomatopoeia
given above.
 A figure of speech that uses exaggeration or overstatement for
effect. Ex: “I could beat you with one arm tied behind my
back.” Or, Robert Burns’ poem, A Red, Red Rose. “As
fair art thou, my bonnie lass, / So deep in luve am I; /And I
will luve thee still, my dear, / Till a’ the seas gang dry.”
Create 4 sentences: 2 sentences containing non-original hyperboles
and 2 sentences containing original hyperboles.
 The speaker of the poem is the voice in the poem. The voice in
a poem can possibly be that of the poet, but more likely it
is the voice of an invented character (person, animal, or
thing) created by the poet. Some poems even have
multiple speakers.
 One of the first things to do when you read a poem is to look
for clues that identify its speaker. Even when the poet
begins the poem with “I,” we cannot assume and should
not assume the speaker is the poet. It is always best to
assume the speaker is invented like any other literary
character.
(Read the following short poem and decipher the speaker).
Patience
“I try to have patience;
but it’s too much to expect from me.
I want my needs met now;
I need to rest…to nap…to plan.
The window is the place where all my needs are met.
Sun beams help me think…help me sleep.
Who is at my window? Little wren…not so wise.
Licking my lips, I creep closer,
a full belly helps me think as well.
Look at you fluttering your wings;
you tempt; you delight.
I slowly gaze at the clock;
dinner is not until ten,
but a “not-so-wise” winged wren will do fine until then.”
 A common form of repetition in which one or more words,
phrases, or lines that are repeated regularly in a poem,
usually at the end of each stanza. Refrains are especially
common in ballads, which are story poems that are meant
to be sung.
 Refrains are used to aid memory and emphasize an idea.
Think of your favorite songs’ refrains. Now focus on one song
that has a particularly effective and memorable refrain. What
is the refrain? What is it about that particular refrain that
makes it effective and memorable?
Refrain Practice
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn
moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
 The attitude a writer takes toward the subject or the reader of
a work of literature. Two writers can write on the
same subject and convey a completely different tone.
An adjective is usually used to describe the tone of a work of
literature: straightforward, serious, humorous, angry,
lighthearted, cynical, affectionate, bitter, scornful,
compassionate, detached, etc.
 It is important to think about the tone of a piece of writing, for
if you misinterpret tone, you can misread the entire story
or poem.
 To interpret tone, you should look at how the writer describes
the characters, what point of view he has chosen, and what he
tells about the characters’ feelings for each other.
 You should also look at the writer’s description of setting and
the mood or atmosphere the words evoke.
 Tone can also be conveyed by the arrangement of words, by
rhythm, sound (volume, inflection, and pitch), images, and figures
of speech.
Describe the tone in the following popular sonnet (Sonnet 130)
Tone = _______________
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red.
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks.
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound.
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
-by…William Shakespeare
 The reversal of the usual order of words in a sentence.
Sometimes poetic inversion is used to stress a particular
word, for emphasis, and other times it is used to create
rhythm or for technical reasons such as to create an end
rhyme. Ex. “From heaven sent was he.”
 Anything written using the device of poetic inversion should be
able to be written in “normal” speech. All words in the
inverted sentence should be used in the “normal” sentence.
(“From heaven sent was he” to “He was sent from heaven”)
 In poetry, a rhyme that occurs in the last syllables of verses
 One of the chief functions of rhyme is to insure the unity of the
poem. The repetition of rhyming sounds emphasizes the
relationship of certain lines. Another function of rhyme is
to build our anticipation, which can either be satisfied or
frustrated. Rhyme is often used also to produce humor.
 End rhyme is the most common form of rhyme. This places the
rhyme sound at the end of a line of verse. The effect is one
of closure, rest, and a sense of completion and fulfillment of
expectation.
from Robert Frost's
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
• End rhyme is the most common type of
rhyme in English poetry.
 Rhyme between a word within a line and another word either
at the end of the same line or within another line
 One of the chief functions of rhyme is to insure the unity of the
poem. The repetition of rhyming sounds emphasizes the
relationship of certain lines. Another function of rhyme is
to build our anticipation, which can either be satisfied or
frustrated. Rhyme is often used also to produce humor.
Internal rhyme repeats sound within a single line of the
verse. Ex: “Nibbling like a mouse, someone’s nibbling at
my house.”
from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s
“The Cloud”
I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and
shores;
I change, but I cannot die.
 RHYME SCHEME: The pattern of rhymes in a stanza or
poem. A rhyme scheme is usually indicated by using small
letters to stand for each rhyme, starting with a for the first
rhyme sound, b for the second rhyme sound, and so
on. When analyzing a poem, be sure to give the same
rhyme sound the same letter, even if it appears in a
different position in subsequent stanzas. Rhyme scheme is
based on end end rhyme (this is also part of scansion see example on next slide).
 It is important to note that spelling has nothing to do with
rhyme; rather, it is the sound that counts.
The Purple Cow
Reflections on a Mythic Beast,
Who’s Quite Remarkable, at Least.
a
a
I never saw a Purple Cow;
I never Hope to See One;
But I can Tell you, Anyhow,
I’d rather See than Be One.
b
c
b
c
- by…Gelett Burgess
To begin the process, divide each of the following words and
phrases into syllables (by dashes), and mark each syllable as
either stressed (/) or unstressed (x).
Word List:
1) single
2) radio
3) rehearse
4) celebrate
5) remember
6) poem
7) on the table
8) safely
9) bacon
10) playing the piano
/
x
Example: single = sing - le
 A group of related lines that forms a division of a poem or
song. Stanzas are usually used to mark divisions of
thought in a poem, and so they function somewhat as
paragraphs do. In some poems, each stanza has the same
pattern; in others, each stanza is different.
 Some of the best known of the regular stanza patterns are the
couplet (2 lines/stanza), the quatrain (4 lines/stanza), the
sestet (6 lines/stanza), and the octave (8 lines/stanza).
 Paraphrasing is one way to make sure that you understand a
difficult poem. Paraphrasing means to restate the words
that you have heard or read in your own words (you
explain what is happening in the poem in your own
words).
 Something, such as an object, person, situation, or action, in a
literary work which maintains its own meaning while at
the same time standing for something broader than itself.
When a symbol is used in writing, its “double nature” can
make it very complex and sometimes difficult to
recognize.
 There are many symbols that are used over and over again.
the rose
=
love
seasons
=
human “seasons” of birth
(such as youth, maturity, and old age)
spring
=
rebirth
dove
=
peace
flag
=
patriotism
 A reference to a work of literature or to a well-known
historical event, person, or place. The purpose of
an allusion is to recognize and respond to something after
the allusion gives us a fuller understanding of one thing
by helping us to see it in comparison with something else
we may know better.
 An allusion can call to the reader’s mind a whole series of
associations and feelings.
 Frequently, allusions are made to the Bible, Shakespeare, and
historical events.
 Ex. “Oh, I see you have Hitler for English.”
“I have a date with Aphrodite tonight!”
 A contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is
really meant (reality and appearance), or between what is
expected to happen and what actually does happen.
There are three kinds of irony:
(1) verbal irony
(2) dramatic irony
(3) irony of situation
 Verbal Irony: In which a writer or speaker says one thing and
means something entirely different. (Ex. With a record
of 0 – 16, the coach tells another coach, “We are having a
great season!”)
 Writers usually let us know through some context when they
wish us to interpret something as a symbol. Once a
symbol is recognized, its further meanings seem to radiate
outward in our imagination.
 Symbolism is an extraordinarily rich fictional device. It also
places a large responsibility on the reader.
 Dramatic Irony: In which a reader or an audience perceives
something that a character in the story or play does not
know. The character is completely unaware of something
that the reader is aware of. (Ex: As an audience, we all
know that Romeo should not kill himself because Juliet is
only sleeping.)
 Irony of Situation: In which the writer shows a discrepancy
between expected result of some action or situation and its
actual result. (Ex: “The Gift of the Magi.” This story
was ironic because the characters’ actions bring about
results that are the opposite of what they expected.)
 Irony itself is a very important element in fiction because it
drives home the truth that human life is unpredictable. In
fiction, just as in life, our words and our actions do not
always have the meanings or results we expect them to
have.
 Poetry that does not have a fixed line length, stanza form,
rhyme scheme, or meter. Although it does not use fixed
rhymes or fixed rhythms, free verse may make use of
rhyme and rhythm, as well as other poetic techniques
such as alliteration, figurative language, and
onomatopoeia. Free verse often relies on the natural
pauses of conversational speech for correct interpretation.
 Narrative poetry is poetry that tells a story. A narrative poem
can be as long as an…
EPIC: a long poem celebrating the deeds of a society’s
hero, that is, several thousand lines…
or it can be as short as a popular…
 BALLAD: a short poem meant to be sung that depends on
regular verse patterns and strong rhymes for its effect. It
is important to note that ballads frequently use dialogue
to heighten effect and they give out information little by
little to build suspense.
 Poetry in which one or more characters speak usually to each
other, but sometimes to themselves or directly to the
reader. A dramatic poem has many of the characteristics
of a play: a definite setting, a dramatic situation,
emotional conflict, vigorous speech, and natural language
rhythms.
 Dramatic poetry allows the writer to reveal character directly
through dialogue, just as a playwright does. One example
of dramatic poetry would be the…
 DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE, where only one speaker, in a
moment of great personal crisis, reveals his or her
deepest thoughts and feelings.
 Verse, usually brief, which focuses on the emotions or
thoughts of the speaker.
 Poets use this form when the principal aim is not to tell a
story, but to express their personal thoughts or emotions
about the serenity of an autumn day, for example, or
perhaps the remorse that follows the death of a loved one.
Lyric poetry can express any emotion from joy to anguish.
 Fact: The word lyric is derived from the ancient Greek
word Lyrikos, a short poem that was sung with the
accompaniment of a lyre, a stringed instrument.
 The main/controlling idea expressed in a literary work; the
central insight that the work gives us about human life. If
the work is relatively brief, such as a short story or lyric
poem, it will probably have only one theme. If it is a
longer work, such as a novel, play, or epic poem, it will
probably have several themes, which may work together.
 Remember: Theme is different from plot and from subject.
 While a writer may state the theme directly, more often theme
is only suggested and requires analysis and thought to be
brought out. The theme of a work sometimes is a
statement about life, but it often simply is the raising of an
important question for which the writer gives no ready
answers.
 Theme does not by any means have to be a moral or lesson,
giving a prescription for behavior; rather, theme is an
exploration of important ideas about human life. Theme is
often compared to a piece of colored thread being woven
into a tapestry; it appears, disappears, reappears, perhaps
in a different guise, until the final pattern emerges at the
end of the work.
 There is no single “right” way to state the theme of a story or
poem; although some themes are certainly more logical
and stronger than others. Mainly, one should be sure that
his/her statement of theme truly expresses the story’s
underlying idea and that one can defend his/her stance.
 It is also important to note that a statement of theme is not
necessarily very exciting. A statement of theme merely
sums up to the conscious mind what the story makes one
deeply feel.
Now start writing poetry!