Free Verse: Poetry of Spoken Language PDF

Free Verse The Poetry of Spoken Language by: Ms. Mary Joy Bensig Lesson Objectives: 1. Understand the Characteristics of Free Verse Poetry Identify the lack of rhyme schemes, irregular meters, and the use of natural speech patterns in free verse poetry. 2. Differentiate Free Verse from...

Free Verse The Poetry of Spoken Language by: Ms. Mary Joy Bensig Lesson Objectives: 1. Understand the Characteristics of Free Verse Poetry Identify the lack of rhyme schemes, irregular meters, and the use of natural speech patterns in free verse poetry. 2. Differentiate Free Verse from Traditional Poetry Compare the flexibility and focus on content in free verse with the structural elements of traditional poetry. 3. Appreciate the Historical Context and Key Contributors Explore the role of poets like Walt Whitman in pioneering free verse poetry and its evolution. 4. Analyze the Structure and Themes in Free Verse Poems Examine the structure and emotional impact of poems like Come Up from the Fields Father by Walt Whitman. 5. Critically Engage with Opinions on Free Verse Discuss critical perspectives, such as Robert Frost’s view on free verse, and form an independent understanding of its value in poetry. 6. Summarize and Interpret Free Verse Poetry Analyze and summarize each stanza of a free verse poem to understand its narrative flow and emotional impact. 7. Apply Learning through Creative Expression Write a free verse poem emphasizing imagery, natural rhythm, and emotional depth. What Is Free Verse? Free verse poetry is a form of poetry that doesn’t adhere to traditional rules of rhyme, meter, or structure. Here are some key characteristics that define free verse: Lack of consistent rhyme scheme Absence of regular meter or rhythm Variable line lengths and stanza structures Emphasis on natural speech patterns Use of poetic devices like imagery, metaphor, and alliteration Poets who write in free verse try to reproduce the natural rhythms of spoken language. Free-verse poets use many of the traditional poetic elements, including rhyme—but they do so without any strictly set pattern. One of the most appealing aspects of free verse is its flexibility. When crafting a free verse poem, you can choose to incorporate elements of traditional forms or discard them entirely, depending on what best serves your artistic vision. Free Verse vs. Traditional Poetry Free Verse Traditional Poetry Rhyme Optional Often required Meter Irregular Regular Line Length Variable Often consistent Structure Flexible Fixed Focus Content and emotion Form and technique There is beauty and skill involved in traditional poetic forms, but free verse offers a unique set of advantages. In Free verse you can tell a story through poetry without worrying about maintaining consistent rhyme or rhythm. The freedom you experience in writing free verse allows you to focus on the content and emotional impact of your poetry, rather than getting caught up in technical requirements. Note: This doesn’t mean that free verse is easier to write — in fact, it often requires more skill to create a powerful poem without the scaffolding of traditional forms. What Shapes Free Verse? Free verse is not entirely "free" or without rules. Freeverse poets organize their poems using the natural, unstructured rhythms of spoken language important images and patterns of images Some Important Free- Verse Poets Although modern free verse was first written in France, important American writers have used it as well: Walt Whitman T. S. Eliot Carl Sandburg Marianne Moore William Carlos Williams Walt Whitman (1819–1892) Pioneered free verse in America Was a public spokesperson for the masses and a prophet of progress Changed the course of American literature with his collection Leaves of Grass (1855) Whitman'S Free Verse Whitman discusses free-verse poetry in the prefaces to Leaves of Grass— Come Up from the Fields Father BY WALT WHITMAN Stanza 1 Come up from the fields father, here’s a letter from our Pete, And come to the front door mother, here’s a letter from thy dear son. The poem opens with the daughter calling her parents to read a letter from their son, Pete, bringing an initial sense of anticipation. Stanza 2 Lo, ’tis autumn, Lo, where the trees, deeper green, yellower and redder, Cool and sweeten Ohio’s villages with leaves fluttering in the moderate wind, The setting is described as a calm, beautiful autumn in Ohio, emphasizing the peace and abundance of their home life. Stanza 3 Where apples ripe in the orchards hang and grapes on the trellis’d vines, (Smell you the smell of the grapes on the vines? Smell you the buckwheat where the bees were lately buzzing?) Above all, lo, the sky so calm, so transparent after the rain, and with wondrous clouds, Below too, all calm, all vital and beautiful, and the farm prospers well. The natural beauty and prosperity of their surroundings contrast with the ominous tone building in the family's hearts. Stanza 4 Down in the fields all prospers well, But now from the fields come father, come at the daughter’s call, And come to the entry mother, to the front door come right away. The family is content working in the fields, but the daughter urgently calls them inside, hinting at unsettling news. Stanza 5 Fast as she can she hurries, something ominous, her steps trembling, She does not tarry to smooth her hair nor adjust her cap. The mother’s hurried, trembling steps reflect her dread and instinctive sense of inner warning. Stanza 6 Open the envelope quickly, O this is not our son’s writing, yet his name is sign’d, O a strange hand writes for our dear son, O stricken mother’s soul! She realizes that the letter is not in Pete’s handwriting, a detail that raises her alarm. Stanza 7 All swims before her eyes, flashes with black, she catches the main words only, Sentences broken, gunshot wound in the breast, cavalry skirmish, taken to hospital, At present low, but will soon be better. She reads broken, painful words describing Pete’s gunshot wound and hospitalization, feeling her world blur with shock. Stanza 8 Ah now the single figure to me, Amid all teeming and wealthy Ohio with all its cities and farms, Sickly white in the face and dull in the head, very faint, By the jamb of a door leans. In her grief, she becomes faint, symbolizing the impact of the devastating news. Stanza 9 Grieve not so, dear mother, (the just-grown daughter speaks through her sobs, The little sisters huddle around speechless and dismay’d,) See, dearest mother, the letter says Pete will soon be better. The daughter tries to comfort her, hoping Pete will recover, but her words seem hollow. Stanza 10 Alas poor boy, he will never be better, (nor may-be needs to be better, that brave and simple soul,) While they stand at home at the door he is dead already, The only son is dead. The tragic truth is revealed: Pete has already died, shattering the family’s hope. Stanza 11 But the mother needs to be better, She with thin form presently drest in black, By day her meals untouch’d, then at night fitfully sleeping, often waking, In the midnight waking, weeping, longing with one deep longing, O that she might withdraw unnoticed, silent from life escape and withdraw, To follow, to seek, to be with her dear dead son. The mother sinks into despair, wishing to escape life and follow her son, consumed by her grief. Source: Walt Whitman: Poetry and Prose (The Library of America, 1996) ABOUT THE POEM Walt Whitman (1819-1892) whose poetry broke through traditional boundaries. The poem we explored, you can see that both stanzas and individual lines are of varying lengths. Whitman's poem is written in free verse, which has irregular lines and lacks a regular metre (such as the sonnet's iambic pentameter). In this poem, you can see at a glance that Whitman exercises total freedom in deciding how long his lines and stanzas will be. It is important to remember that whether the verse is free or more rigidly traditional, it is used to reinforce the meaning. The poem is the sad story of a mother receiving the news of her son's death in battle in the American Civil War (1861-1865). The grief of one family in this poem is typical of the grief of all families who lost sons in battle. Criticism Of Free Verse Not all poets appreciate free verse. Robert Frost, the well-known American poet who wrote both rhymed and blank verse, commented: "I, myself, as I said before, don't like it for myself. I do not write free verse; I write blank verse. I must have the pulse beat of rhythm, I like to hear it beating under the things I write." "When a man sets out consciously to tear up forms and rhythms and measures, then he is not interested in giving you poetry. He just wants to perform; he wants to show you his tricks." Quotes by Robert Frost from "Robert Frost Relieves His Mind," interview by Rose C. Feld, from The New York Times Book Review, October 21, 1923. Copyright 1923 by Robert Frost. Reproduced by permission of The Estate of Robert Frost. What Have You Learned? Are the following statements true or false? _________Free verse does not follow a regular meter. ________Walt Whitman was one of the first important American poets to use free verse. _________Free-verse poetry does not rhyme entirely. _________Free verse echoes the patterns of spoken language. ACTIVITY 1: Stanza summary. Walt Whitman’s Come Up from the Fields Father tells the story of a family’s tragic experience with loss during wartime, unfolding stanza by stanza to capture their emotional journey: 1. The poem opens with the daughter calling her parents to read a letter from their son, Pete, bringing an initial sense of anticipation. 2. The setting is described as a calm, beautiful autumn in Ohio, emphasizing the peace and abundance of their home life. 3. The natural beauty and prosperity of their surroundings contrast with the ominous tone building in the family's hearts. 4. The family is content working in the fields, but the daughter urgently calls them inside, hinting at unsettling news. 5. The mother’s hurried, trembling steps reflect her dread and instinctive sense of foreboding. 6. She realizes that the letter is not in Pete’s handwriting, a detail that raises her alarm. 7. She reads broken, painful words describing Pete’s gunshot wound and hospitalization, feeling her world blur with shock. 8. In her grief, she becomes faint, symbolizing the impact of the devastating news. 9. The daughter tries to comfort her, hoping Pete will recover, but her words seem hollow. 10. The tragic truth is revealed: Pete has already died, shattering the family’s hope. 11. The mother sinks into despair, wishing to escape life and follow her son, consumed by her grief. The poem, stanza by stanza, mirrors the family's emotional descent from hopeful anticipation to heartbreaking loss, illustrating the deep sorrow of those left behind by war. Whitman uses vivid imagery and the family’s reactions to express the sorrow and longing that such losses create. ACTIVITY: Writing an "I Am" Poem 1. Introduction: You will write an "I Am" poem, which is a personal and creative way to express yourself. Follow the given template to structure your poem. 2. Steps to Complete the Poem: First Stanza: Fill in each line by reflecting on your traits, curiosities, and desires. The first and last lines of this stanza are the same. Second Stanza: Focus on your emotions, fears, and things you imagine or pretend. Third Stanza: Reflect on your truths, beliefs, dreams, efforts, and hopes. The first and last lines of this stanza are again the same. 3. Creative Choice: You can write the poem about yourself. 4. Format Requirements: Use proper grammar and punctuation. Keep each line concise and creative. Use vivid imagery and descriptive language. 5. Submission Guidelines: Write your poem neatly on your notebook.  "I Am" Poem FIRST STANZA: I am (two special characteristics you have) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (an imaginary sound) I see (an imaginary sight) I want (a desire) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) SECOND STANZA: I pretend (something you actually pretend to do) I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) I touch (an imaginary touch) I worry (something that really bothers you) I cry (something that makes you very sad) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) THIRD STANZA: I understand (something you know is true) I say (something you believe in) I dream (something you actually dream about) I try (something you really make an effort about) I hope (something you actually hope for) I am (the first line of the poem repeated)