Introduction to Poetry and Poetic Devices

Poetry, Poem, and Poet

• Poetry is the art of making or creating.
• A poem is a work of art created by a poet.
• A poet is the creator of poems.

Origins and Themes of Poetry

• Poetry originated as an oral art form, often accompanied by music and dance.
• Early poetry reflected what people considered meaningful in their lives, encompassing themes like natural disasters, births, deaths, brave actions, battles, and religious rites.
• Poets and listeners engaged in wordplay, selecting and arranging words for musicality and meaning.

Poetic Devices: Rhyme and Sound

• Rhyme: Repetition of similar sounds, either within a line (internal rhyme) or at the end of lines (end rhyme). It adds rhythm, musicality, and memorability to poems.
• Sound Devices: Techniques used to emphasize various sounds in poetry and prose.
  • Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (e.g., "cabin, campfire, cat").
  • Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., "beat, meat, heat").
  • Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Interjections and Transitional Devices

• Interjections: Words or phrases expressing strong emotion or command (e.g., "Wow!", "Alas!", "Ouch!").
• Transitional Devices: Words or phrases that show the relationship between ideas. Categories include:
  • Chronological Order: Indicates time sequence (e.g., "first," "then," "finally").
  • Spatial Order: Indicates location (e.g., "here," "there," "beneath").
  • Order of Importance: Presents information from most to least significant.
  • Comparison and Contrast: Highlights similarities and differences (e.g., "like," "unlike," "however").
  • Developmental Order: Shows a progression or development.

Common Text Types

• Narrative Text: Tells a story, fictional or non-fictional, with a beginning, middle, and end, using characters, setting, and plot.
• Descriptive Text: Uses vivid language to create a mental image of people, places, things, or events.
• Expository Text: Explains or informs by presenting facts, definitions, or processes clearly and concisely.
• Procedural/Instructional Text: Explains how to do something through step-by-step instructions, often with diagrams or illustrations.
• Argumentative/Persuasive Text: Tries to persuade the reader to agree with a particular viewpoint using evidence and reasoning.

Text Structures

• Text Structure: The way authors organize information in a text. Understanding text structure aids comprehension.
• Five Common Text Structures: Description, Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast, Chronology/Sequence, Problem and Solution.
• Text Signals: Words or phrases that indicate the text structure being used.

Text Structures in Different Text Types

• Narrative Text: Often uses description, cause-effect, chronology/sequence, and problem-solution structures. Includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
• Descriptive Text: Primarily uses description and compare-contrast structures.
• Expository Text: Can utilize all five common text structures, depending on the author's purpose.
• Procedural/Instructional Text: Typically uses chronology/sequence.
• Argumentative/Persuasive Text: Often uses description, cause-effect, compare-contrast, and problem-solution. Includes a claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaims, and rebuttals.

"Considerate Texts"

• "Considerate texts" are user-friendly and easy to comprehend, utilizing clear structures, plain language, and helpful features like headings, subheadings, and definitions.

Detailed Breakdown of Text Structures

• Description: Explains a topic by providing details. Signal words include "for example," "for instance," "such as," "is like," "looks like," and questions like "What does it look like?" or "What does it do?".
• Cause and Effect: Shows the relationship between events (cause and effect). Signal words include "because," "therefore," "as a result," and questions like "What happened?" or "What caused it?".
• Compare and Contrast: Examines similarities and differences. Signal words include "like," "unlike," "similarly," "however," and questions like "How are they the same?" or "How are they different?".
• Chronology/Sequence: Presents events or steps in order. Signal words include "first," "second," "next," "then," "finally," and questions like "What happened first?".
• Problem and Solution: Identifies a problem and presents a solution. Signal words include "problem is," "solution is," and questions like "What is the problem?" or "What is the solution?".

Literary Works Mentioned

• Monkey's Paw
• The Scarlet Letter