Elements of Poetry PDF

Poetry What is poetry? Poetry is a type of literature that uses the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words to describe the world in striking imaginative ways. Elements of Poetry Lines and Stanzas 1. Poetry is divided into lines, or groups of words. 2. Lines are organized in units of meani...

Poetry What is poetry? Poetry is a type of literature that uses the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words to describe the world in striking imaginative ways. Elements of Poetry Lines and Stanzas 1. Poetry is divided into lines, or groups of words. 2. Lines are organized in units of meaning called stanzas. The lines in a stanza work together to express one key idea. 3. A blank line, called a stanza break, signals that one stanza has ended and a new stanza is beginning. Lines and Stanzas - Example Elements of Poetry Refrains and Repetition 1. Refrain – a line or group of lines that is repeated at regular intervals in a poem…reminds readers of a key idea…often repeated at the end of each stanza. 2. Variations – changing one or more words with each repetition Refrain and Repetition Examples Elements of Poetry – Sound Devices Rhythm and Meter 1. Rhythm – a beat, created by stressed and unstressed syllables in words 2. Meter – a pattern of rhythm 3. Feet – units of stressed and unstressed syllables…Meter is measured in feet. Examples of Rhythm and Meter Stressed syllables ( ́ ) Unstressed syllables ( ˘ ) Feet are divided by slashes ( / ) or lines ( | ) Elements of Poetry – Sound Devices Rhyme 1. Rhyme – the repetition of vowel and consonant sounds at the ends of words For example: tin and pin hand and sand 2. Rhyme scheme – when rhymes follow a particular pattern Example of Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme How doth the little crocodile A Improve his shining tail, B And pour the waters of the Nile A On every golden scale! B Additional Sound Devices 1. Alliteration – is the repetition of consonant sounds in the beginnings of words, as in slippery slope. 2. Repetition – is the use of any element of language – a sound, word, or phrase – more than once. 3. Onomatopoeia – is the use of words that imitate sounds. splat, hiss, gurgle Poetic Language Shade of Meaning 1. Denotation – dictionary definition of a word 2. Connotation – consists of the ideas and feelings that a word brings to mind canine  dog pooch  friendly, lovable dog mongrel  mean, ugly mixed-breed dog Poetic Language 3. Imagery – descriptions that appeal to the five senses…Imagery helps poets convey what they see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Example: Taste the green in the lettuce, Hear the crunch of its freshness, Smell its earth perfume. Poetic Language Figurative Language – language that is not meant to be taken literally 3 Common Types 1. Simile – uses the word like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things 2. Metaphor – describes one thing as if it were something else 3. Personification – human qualities are given to nonhuman objects Examples of Figurative Language Simile His hands were as cold as steel. The pillow is like a cloud. Metaphor My chores were a mountain waiting to be climbed. Personification The fingertips of the rain tapped a steady beat on the windowpane. Forms of Poetry 1. Narrative – tells a story in verse 2. Haiku – three-line Japanese form that describes something in nature. The first and third lines each have five syllables, and the second line has seven. 3. Free Verse – poetry defined by its lack of structure….It has no regular meter, rhyme, fixed line length, or specific stanza pattern Narrative Poem Example Haiku Example Remember: (about nature) 1st line – 5 syllables 2nd line – 7 syllables 3rd line – 5 syllables Free Verse Forms of Poetry 4. Lyric – expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker, often in highly musical verse. 5. Ballads – songlike poems that tell stories…often deal with adventure or romance. 6. Concrete – shaped to look like their subjects…The poet arranges the lines to create a picture on the page. Lyric Poem Example The Exile by Lucy Maud Montgomery We told her that her far off shore was bleak and dour to view, And that her sky was dull and mirk while ours was smiling blue. She only sighed in answer, "It is even as ye say, But oh, the ragged splendor when the sun bursts through the gray!" We brought her dew-wet roses from our fairest summer bowers, We bade her drink their fragrance, we heaped her lap with flowers; She only said, with eyes that yearned, "Oh, if ye might have brought The pale, unscented blossoms by my father's lowly cot!" We bade her listen to the birds that sang so madly sweet, The lyric of the laughing stream that dimpled at our feet; "But, O," she cried, "I weary for the music wild that stirs When keens the mournful western wind among my native firs!" We told her she had faithful friends and loyal hearts anear, We prayed her take the fresher loves, we prayed her be of cheer; "Oh, ye are kind and true," she wept, "but woe's me for the grace Of tenderness that shines upon my mother's wrinkled face!" Ballad Example Concrete Poem Example Forms of Poetry 7. Limericks – humorous, rhyming five-line poems with a specific rhythm pattern and rhyme scheme 8. Sonnet - a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line. Limerick Example Sonnet Example