Poetry.docx

Poetry vs. Prose Before one can understand the meaning of poetry, one must first understand its distinction from prose. Prose is a style of writing in which words are combined into sentences. It is the main form in which most documents are written, including books, reports, and social media posts. P...

Poetry vs. Prose Before one can understand the meaning of poetry, one must first understand its distinction from prose. Prose is a style of writing in which words are combined into sentences. It is the main form in which most documents are written, including books, reports, and social media posts. Poetry is an item created through the systematic and deliberate use of language to convey an idea or feeling. Whereas prose may not be deliberate, poetry usually follows a certain set of standards. Elements of language to which poetry is bound include meter, rhyming schemes, stanzas, and form. What is Poetic Form? Poetic form is the style of poetry that determines the other characteristics. It may be thought of as a set of characteristics. Certain forms have their own meter or style. Forms of poetry include the couplet and the haiku. A couplet is a form of poetry in which two rhyming lines are placed close together. They share the same exact meter. Couplets have inspired other forms of poetry. For example, the limerick form of poetry includes two couplets and another line that rhymes with the first couplet. A haiku is a Japanese poetry form that does not have a fixed meter. It also does not have a rhyming scheme. However, it does have a certain structure. The first and third lines of a haiku poem have five syllables. The second line has seven syllables. Other types of poems include: Sonnet: This form of poetry has been used by many poets. Most notably, Shakespeare created his own version of this form. Sonnets have only one stanza and are written in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare's unique type of sonnet has its own rhyming scheme. Blank Verse: This type of poem has no rhyming scheme. However, it does have a specific meter. Usually, blank verse poems are written in iambic pentameter. Some scholars argue that the reason for the frequent use of this meter is because it mirrors the usual speech patterns of people in everyday conversation. Others note that the unstressed-stressed pattern mimics a person's heartbeat or breathing patterns. Free Form: This type of poetry has no guidelines or restrictions as to meter, rhyme scheme, or stanzas. This type of poetry is also referred to as free-verse poetry. Blank verse and free form poetry have become particularly common in the modern world. They both began in the early twentieth century. Understanding Meter The meter of a poem is the rhythm or cadence of the poem. This rhythm is created by organizing a poem so that there is an emphasis on certain syllables. The term that refers to a meter is called ''feet.'' The four most common feet are the iamb, trochee, dactyl, and anapest feet. The iamb is the most common foot. It is used in any poem that has segments of two syllables. The first syllable of the segment is unstressed while the second is stressed. A trochee foot is the opposite of the iamb. The first syllable of two syllables is stressed and the other is unstressed. Poetry with dactyl feet contain three syllables with the first syllable emphasized. The other two syllables are unstressed. Anapest feet are the opposite of dactyl feet in terms of emphasis. The first two syllables of the segment are not stressed. The last syllable is stressed. After the designation of the type of feet used in a poem, a reference to the number of feet in a line usually follows. For example, a poem using iambic pentameter has five sets of two-syllable segments per line. Types of Poetic Structures In addition to meter and form, there are other elements of poetic structure that must be considered. A poem's rhyme scheme is deliberately chosen by the creator of the poem. Certain rhyme schemes are required for certain forms. Other types of poems do not require specific rhyme schemes. The other major element is the stanza. A stanza is one section of a poem that is isolated from the others. A poem can have one or multiple stanzas. Similar to rhyme schemes, certain poetic forms require certain types of stanzas. Rhyme Scheme The rhyme scheme of a poem determines what words are used in certain sections of a poem. Rhyme schemes are designated by the use of letters in the alphabet. For example, in a poem marked ABAB, the first and third lines would rhyme. The second and fourth lines would also rhyme. Another prominent type of rhyme scheme is ABBA. The couplet poem form, mentioned above, has a rhyme scheme of AA. Both of the lines in the form rhyme with each other. A famous couplet from Shakespeare is the parting lines of Juliet to Romeo on their first night together: ''Good night! Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow / That I shall say good night till it be morrow.'' Stanza A stanza is an isolated section of a poem. It is usually indicated by a blank space between sections. A poem can have one or many stanzas. Typically, the stanzas of a poem are all the same length. However, free form poetry has changed this assumption. An example of stanza is the first stanza from the poem ''Because I could not stop for Death'' by Emily Dickinson. Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me— The Carriage held but just Ourselves— And Immortality. Lesson Summary Poetry is a unique form of writing with many varying rules of form, rhyme, stanza, and other characteristics. There are multiple poetic forms. A couplet is a unique poetic form that has two rhyming lines. Both lines have the exact same meter. A haiku is a poem with three lines. The first and third lines have five syllables and the second line has seven. The haiku does not have a fixed meter or rhyming scheme. The meter of a poem is the rhythm or cadence created by structuring a poem around specific syllables. For example, poems built around an iamb foot have repetitions of segments with two syllables. The first syllable in each segment is unstressed and the second is stressed. The trochee feet structure is the opposite of the iamb. A dactyl foot is a series of three syllables. The first syllable is stressed but the other two syllables are not. Other elements besides meter are associated with poetic form. A rhyme scheme of a poem means that words containing certain syllables are put at the end of lines. A stanza is an isolated segment of a poem. Stanzas are usually separated from each other by line breaks. All of these aspects of a poem work together to communicate an idea or feeling to the reader.