English 8 - Poetry

• A poem consists of elements like a title, author, stanzas, space, verses, form, rhyme, mood, theme and layout.

Title and Author

• The title is the name of the poem.
• The author, or poet, is the person who wrote the poem, and usually signs it.

Stanza

• A stanza is a fixed number of lines forming a unit within a poem.
• A couplet contains two lines.
• A tercet contains three lines.
• A quatrain contains four lines.
• A cinquain contains five lines.
• A sestet contains six lines.
• A septet contains seven lines.
• An octave contains eight lines.
• The space between stanzas are gaps.

Verse

• A verse is a single line in a poem that gives structure to the poetry.
• Rhymed verse has a metrical form that rhymes.
• Blank verse lacks a rhyme scheme but has a consistent meter, typically with 10 syllables per line in a pattern of unstressed followed by stressed syllables.
• Free verse does not follow rules of rhyme or meter, still expresses artistic concepts.

Form

• Lyric poetry expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically in the first person.
• Narrative poetry tells a story, often using a narrator and characters.
• Descriptive poetry describes the world using imagery and adjectives.

Rhyme

• Rhyme involves words with similar ending sounds, primarily based on sound rather than spelling.
• Perfect rhyme occurs when ending sounds match exactly such as "soap" and "hope".
• Rich rhyme involves words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings such as "break" and "brake."
• Eye rhyme involves words that look similar but do not rhyme in pronunciation such as "move" and "love."

Rhyme Scheme

• Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of rhymes at the end of each verse or line.
• Alternate rhyme follows an ABAB CDCD EFEF pattern.
• Ballade rhyme follows an ABABBCBC pattern.
• Coupled rhyme occurs in pairs, such as AABBCC.
• Enclosed rhyme follows an ABBA pattern.

Other Elements

• Mood encompasses the emotions conveyed in a poem.
• Theme is what the poem is about.
• Centering refers to how a poem is arranged on a page.
• Capital letters are used to begin each line of a poem.

Types of Poems

• Free Verse: Lacks strict rules, allowing varied rhythms and optional rhyme, suitable for beginners.
• Acrostic: Spells out a word or phrase vertically, with each letter beginning a new line.
• Haiku: A short Japanese form with three lines and a 5-7-5 syllable structure, often about nature.
• Lyric Poetry: Focuses on feelings and emotions, often short and songlike, using rhyme or free form.
• Blackout Poetry: Creates a new poem by erasing parts of an existing text.
• Narrative Poetry: Tells a story with plot development, usually with a narrator and rhyme scheme.
• Limericks: Short, comedic five-line poems with an AABBA rhyme scheme and specific syllable counts.
• Concrete Poetry: Uses layout and spacing to create a shape that reflects the poem’s subject.
• List Poems: Composed of lists of items, often with a humorous or impactful last line.
• Catalog Poem: Catalogs people, places, things, and ideas to evoke an emotion or story.
• Lyrical Mashup: Creates a poem by mixing and matching song lyrics.
• Etheree: A 10-line poem starting with one syllable, increasing by one syllable per line up to ten.