Poetry Elements PDF

Poetr y What is poetry?  Poetry (from the Greek word poiesis, "making") is a form of literary art that uses attractive and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. In poetry, the sound and meaning of words...

Poetr y What is poetry?  Poetry (from the Greek word poiesis, "making") is a form of literary art that uses attractive and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. In poetry, the sound and meaning of words are combined to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. The poet chooses words carefully. Poetry is usually written in lines.  Think of the poems you’ve read in the past. Can you remember one you’ve enjoyed? Now think of the lyrics of your favorite song. Now consider the following questions: What is the most memorable line of the poem or song? Are the lines grouped in any particular way? Do any of the lines rhyme?  Elements of Poetry 1. Simile 2. Metaphor 3. Theme 4. Personification 5. Imagery 6. Sound 7. Rhyme 8. Rhythm  1. Simile Compares one thing to another using “like” or “as” Examples: The milk tasted like pickles. It was as dry as a bone. Life is like a box of chocolates.  2. Metaphor A comparison between two things which does not use like or as. May sound false at first, but is a clever way to make a point. Examples: You are my sunshine.  Metaphor Comparing two unlike objects or ideas My love is a rose  “My love has a rosy bloom” “The night is a big black cat”  3. Theme The message, point of view, and idea of the poem. The topic or subject. Examples: Nature School Love  4. Personification Assigning the qualities of a person to something that isn’t human. Examples: The leaves danced in the wind. Opportunity knocked on the door. The moon smiled down on the lovers  5. Imagery The reader can picture the scene in his mind. Usually appeals to the 5 senses (Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch) Examples: I wandered lonely as a cloud. A host of golden daffodils.  Where are you now? When the night begins to fall And the sky begins to glow You look up and see the tall City of lights begin to grow – In rows and little golden squares The lights come out. First here, then there Behind the windowpanes as though A million billion bees had built Their golden hives and honeycombs Above you in the air. The rhythm in this poem is By Mary Britton Miller slow – to match the night gently falling and the lights slowly coming on.  6. Sound Writers love to use interesting sounds in their poems. After all, poems are meant to be heard. These sound devices include: Rhyme Repetition  7. Rhyme The repetition of sounds at the ends Example: hat, cat, brat, fat, mat, sat The beat When reading a poem out loud, you may notice a sort of “sing-song” quality to it, just like in nursery rhymes. Rhyme is the most common sound device in poetry.  Repetition Repetition occurs when poets repeat words, phrases, lines, or stanzas in a poem. Creates a pattern. Increases rhythm. Strengthens feelings, ideas and mood in a poem.  A stanza is a grouped set of two or more lines within a poem, usually separated from other stanzas by an indent or blank line. Stanzas can be rhyming, but this is not always required.  8. Rhythm Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem. Gives poetry a musical feel. Can be fast or slow, depending on mood and subject of poem.