10 Forms of Poetry PDF

EPIC - a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation. GILGAMESH is an Assyrian epic(perhaps the oldest example) about a young Assyrian king who is sent on a quest by the gods. Beowulf...

EPIC - a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation. GILGAMESH is an Assyrian epic(perhaps the oldest example) about a young Assyrian king who is sent on a quest by the gods. Beowulf is another example of epic poetry, and is considered the national epic for the British. Beowulf must protect his home from the monster Grendel. A BALLAD isa form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. ODEis a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms. ELEGY isa form of poetry in which the poet or speaker expresses grief, sadness, or loss. History of the Elegy Form. The elegy began as an ancient Greek metrical form and is traditionally written in response to the death of a person or group. SONNET isa fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization. The name is taken from the Italian sonetto, which means "a little sound or song." DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE is a poem written in the form of aspeechof an individual character; it compresses into a singlevividscene a narrative sense of the speaker’s history and psychological insight into his character.  10 Forms of Poetry 1. Ghazal Length: Minimum of 10 lines Stanzas: Couplets Metrical requirements: All lines must have the same number of syllables. Rhyme Scheme: Both lines of the first couplet end with the same word. This word also ends line 4, 6, 8, etc. The word preceding the repeating word follows a different rhyme scheme. The ghazal (pronounced like “guzzle”) has a long and complex history, migrating throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in its 1400 year history. The earliest ghazals date back to 7th century Arabia, shortly after the Islamic Caliphate was formed. Ghazals are romantic and tragic in nature, a tradition which many contemporary poets uphold. The ghazal’s form and function varies slightly between cultures, but the general rules for writing a ghazal are the following: Every line must have the same number of syllables. Each stanza must be a couplet. There must be a minimum of 5 couplets. The first and second line of the poem end with the same word, called the radeef. Lines 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc. also end with the radeef. The word before the radeef must also rhyme. It cannot rhyme with the radeef, and the same word cannot be used twice. This word is called the kaafiya. Each couplet must operate independently and as a whole. The couplet can stand alone as a poem, and it can form a larger poem, much like pearls on a string forming a necklace.  10 Forms of Poetry 2. Sestina Length: 39 Lines Stanzas: 6 sestets and 1 tercet Metrical requirements: None Rhyme scheme: None. Rather, emphasis is placed on the last words of each line, which are repeated throughout the poem and then reused to form the final tercet. Yes, it’s tricky. The sestina form hails from Italy, and the earliest known sestina was written at the turn of the 13th century. As most things do, the sestina changed slightly when it was reintroduced to American poets; nonetheless, this relatively unchanged poetry form remains a headache to write for poets everywhere. The sestina is composed of 6 sestets, as well as a final 3 line envoi (concluding stanza). (Note: this envoi is optional, and some sestinas eschew it.) In a sestina, special attention is placed on the last word in each line. These words are repeated throughout the poem in a special pattern, essentially forming the poem’s backbone. The last word of each line follows this order: Stanza 1: ABCDEF Stanza 2: FAEBDC Stanza 3: CFDABE Stanza 4: ECBFAD Stanza 5: DEACFB Stanza 6: BDFECA Stanza 7: (B)E(D)C(A)F Alternate Stanza 7: (A)B(C)D(E)F This is much easier to understand when you see it color-coded. See below, using the sestina “Homes” by early Feminist Charlotte Anna Perkins Gillman.  10 Forms of Poetry 3. HAIKU Length: 17 syllables divided into 3 lines, following the pattern 5- 7-5. Stanzas: One tercet Metrical requirements: None Rhyme scheme: None The haiku hails from Japan, though a lot has been lost-in- translation between Japanese haikus and English-language haikus. Originally, the haiku was the opening stanza to a renga— a collaborative work of poetry common in the Japanese tradition. By the 17th century, poets published haikus as standalone pieces, and a new poetic tradition developed. Despite its brevity, the traditional haiku form has a bit of complexity. These simple 17-syllable poems often juxtapose opposing ideas or images, centered around a kireji, or “cutting word.”  10 Forms of Poetry 4. TANKA Length: 31 syllables divided into 5 lines, following the pattern 5-7-5-7-7 Stanzas: 1 quintain Metrical requirements: None Rhyme scheme: None Many Western writers erroneously compare the tanka to the haiku. Yes, their syllable requirements are similar: the haiku’s 17 syllables are written 5-7-5, and the tanka’s 31 syllables are written 5-7-5-7-7. Despite this, the two poems have different histories and terminologies. The earliest tanka were written in the 7th century, and the form evolved as a short, romantic poem often shared between lovers. In both content and construction, the tanka shares many similarities to the sonnet: both often dwell on love, and both rely on a sudden or unexpected turn in language. A tanka has three parts: the top image (kami-no-ku), the bridge (engo), and the bottom image (shimo-no-ku). This bridge varies from the kireji in haiku: where kireji should be a single cutting word, the bridge in a tanka can use multiple words, but it must connect the tanka’s images in a surprising way. Few poets today write tanka, so it’s harder to find good contemporary pieces. However, Tanka by Sadakichi Hartmann provides great examples of brevity and wit.  10 Forms of Poetry 5. ITALIAN SONNET Length: 14 lines Stanzas: 2 stanzas, an octet and a sestet Metrical requirements: Iambic Pentameter Rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. Some variation exists for the rhyme scheme of the last six lines, but the first eight lines are always ABBA. There are three major types of sonnets: Italian, Elizabethan, and Contemporary. Moving chronologically, we’ll start with the Italian Sonnet. Italian Sonnets originate in the 13th century, but poets weren’t captivated by the sonnet until Petrarch. Francisco Petrarca, contemporarily known as Petrarch, was a 14th century sonneteer whose dedication to form promulgated the first sonnet tradition. This tradition requires the following: An opening octet which introduces the poem’s core problem. The poet must express a question, argument, moral quandary, or other such issue. A closing sestet which responds to the octet and offers a resolution. A volta at the beginning of the sestet (line 9). The volta should be a sudden change in the poem’s tone, images, and/or style. Strict adherence to iambic pentameter. To see these traditions in action, look no further than the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus.  10 Forms of Poetry 6. ELIZABETHAN SONNET Length: 14 lines Stanzas: Either isometric OR 3 quatrains and a couplet Metrical requirements: iambic pentameter Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG The Italian Sonnet hasn’t changed much in Italy, but when Englishmen started writing sonnets, the form evolved into something new and exciting. Also known as the Shakespearean Sonnet, Elizabethan Sonnets entered poetic history in the 16th century, then grew in popularity under the reign of Elizabeth I. Shakespeare commandeered the sonnet for most of his plays, owing to the form’s continued appreciation. Like the Italian Sonnet, Elizabethan Sonnets have 14 lines in iambic pentameter. These lines include a core issue, a 9th line volta, and a poetic resolution. Additionally, the final two lines of the sonnet often comment on the first 12 lines. Elizabethan Sonnets are just as tricky to write as Italian Sonnets, but poets often prefer the Elizabethan because of its Shakespearean history. Many poets of antiquity would compose strings of Shakespearean Sonnets that built off of one another, creating entire stories out of iambic pentameter. For contemporary poets, the only difference between these two sonnets is the rhyme scheme. You can see this rhyme scheme in action here: 1. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare 2. Sonnet 1 by Sir Philip Sidney 3. Fancy in Nubibus by Samuel Taylor Coleridge  10 Forms of Poetry 7. CONTEMPORARY SONNET Length: 14 lines Stanzas: variable Metrical requirements: variable Rhyme scheme: variable Sonnets created a lot of history between Shakespeare’s time and ours.You might remember that rhyme schemes fell out of favor with poets in the 20th century; the sonnet was no different. Contemporary sonnets have less rules and more flexibility, and today’s poets have certainly risen to that challenge. Today, a sonnet doesn’t have the same strict requirements. There are no metrical requirements, so the sonnet’s tradition of iambic pentameter is optional. Rhyme schemes and stanza breaks also vary, and the volta now rests between the 7th and 9th line. Rather than force certain rules of rhyme and meter, the contemporary sonnet asks the poet to use form as a vehicle for meaning. Terrance Hayes takes this task rather literally: his American Sonnets tread our modern political landscape, using language to create form rather than using form to create language. Other great contemporary sonnets include: Sonnet by Billy Collins Sonnet by Alice Notley Sonnet by Anthony Opal  10 Additional Forms of Poetry 8.LIMERICK Length: 5 lines Stanzas: 1 quintain Metrical requirements: none SAMPLE: Rhyme scheme: AABBA There once was a poem from How is that for a short poem? The limerick was invented in England during the 19th century. What began as a silly form of poetry quickly turned into a quippy poetic ode, as the limerick England became a fun and humorous way to write about other people. acting like a poetic wingman. The limerick has some strict requirements, but they’re a pleasure to write nonetheless. It has It was stolid and stout five lines following the rhyme scheme AABBA. A lines are usually longer and B lines are usually and raucous throughout shorter—you’ll notice this in the example I wrote. You might also notice a certain rhythm to the words. Generally, the A lines are 8-10 syllables and the B lines are 5-7, though this is though deep meaning was mostly a recommendation to fit the poem’s lightheartedness. rarely to be had. Limericks usually talk about people, though of course, poets have hijacked it to talk about other things. Nonetheless, you can find wondrous and pithy poetry in the following limericks. Limericks by Edward Lear(the creator of the Limerick) A Young Lady of Lynn(anonymous) There Was a Small Boy of Quebec by Rudyard Kipling  10 Forms of Poetry 9. VILLANELLE Length: 19 lines Stanzas: 5 tercets and a quatrain Metrical requirements: none Rhyme scheme: Too complicated to summarize The villanelle didn’t begin as a complicated form. Throughout the Renaissance, villanelles were simple rustic poems designed to appreciate the idyllic country life. It wasn’t until the villanelle rose in popularity among English poets that the form gained complexity, resulting in the rather complicated rhyme scheme we see today. A villanelle is composed of two rhyming refrains (repeating lines). These refrains interweave throughout the rest of the poem, forming the skeleton of the poem’s rhyme and subject matter. As a general rule, it’s best to start a villanelle by figuring out the refrains, as most villanelles get remembered for these through-lines. The 4 components of a villanelle are best summarized below: A1: Refrain 1 A2: Refrain 2 A: Non-refrain rhyme beginning most stanzas B: Alternate rhyme in the middle of each stanza These components are arranged into the following: A1BA2 / ABA1 / ABA2 / ABA1 / ABA2 / ABA1A2  10 Forms of Poetry 9. FREE VERSE Length: Variable Stanzas: Variable Metrical requirements: Variable Rhyme scheme: Variable Free verse open space of nonconforming anythingness. A great beacon of poetic possibility. Nothing and everything can fit into the space of free verse, the poet’s version of a blank page. No rhymes to jail. No meters to constrict. That perilous python of poetry will not wrap its scaled and coiled tail around contemporary poets any longer. Free verse poetry doesn’t have metrical requirements, but that doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all. Rather than relying on meter or rhyme to achieve the poem’s euphony, free verse poetry uses images, internal rhymes, and other poetic devices to search for deeper meaning. That doesn’t mean free verse poems are constructed willy-nilly (though they can be!). Just like Terrance Hayes’ American Sonnets, form follows language. You might write a sequence of non- rhyming couplets, like instructor Jonathan McClure does in “A Prayer”; or, you might explore the staccato of 1s and 0s like Franny Choi does in “Turing Test”.  10 Forms of Poetry 10. ACROSTIC This is another common poetic form that makes up many school assignments and short writing tests. Also known as ‘name poems,’ acrostic poems generally spell out a person’s name, a word, or a phrase. The names or phrases are usually formed by the first letters of each line in the poem. However, there are more complex versions of acrostic poems, including poems where the last letters in each line also spell out a name or phrase. PROSE ü Prose Drama. These are literary compositions in verse forms intended to be mounted on stage and performed there with a live audience. They are either comedy or tragedy, with a hybrid called dramedy. Prose Fiction. These are imaginary stories written down and told in everyday, natural language. ü Short Stories are typically read in one sitting. It involves a selfcontained incident or series of linked incidents. The overall plot moves forward with usually a single effect. üNovels are fictional narratives that are longer in length. It involves more interrelated storylines between characters that embody intimate human experiences. üCreative Nonfiction. This category encompasses writings written creatively using literary styles and techniques to create narratives that show factually accurate information. It includes autobiography, biography, essay, memoir, testimonio, literary journalism, blogs, and leisurely writings (e.g. travel, food, nature). GROUP ACTIVITY: Provide a concept discussion and actual illustrationof the various elements of fiction based on a Philippine short story originally written in English. u Group 1: Character u Group 2: Setting u Group 3: Plot u Group 4: Theme u Group 5: Point of View u Group 6: Style üThe First Element of Fiction: Character In many ways, characters are the foundation for the entire work. Is there conflict? That’s going to involve the emotional and mental condition of your characters. Have you chosen a point of view? That’s you following specific characters as you tell the story.Your characters are the people through whom your reader experiences the tale, and the trick is to make those fictional characters feel completely real. üThe Second Element of Fiction: Plot Plot is like blueprints. Your plot, its connections, and its structure determine the way you shape your story. It includes the order in which your characters face things. Generally, “plot” as a concept is split into five parts: 1.Exposition or introduction,which establishes characters and setting. 2.Rising action, which reveals the conflict. Now that your characters are established (along with some sense of what their “normal” looks like),you throw in the wrench and raise the stakes. 3.Now comes theclimax, also known as the turning point. This should be the greatest moment of tension in your story; everything is critical, with emotion and interest peaked. This is make-or-break, the moment when things matter the most. 4.After that comesfalling action, when things start to wind down. All that tension is actively being resolved. Your reader has a deep need for that resolution in this section, so make sure that when you “fix” the problems, you address the issues you’ve been carefully setting up. 5.Finally, we haveresolution. Don’t let the word fool you: this ending isn’t necessarily happy or sad. üThe Third Element of Fiction: Setting or This includes the physical location (real invented)andthesocial environment of the story (including chronology, culture, institutions, etc.). The setting actually develops who characters are. üThe Fourth Element of Fiction: Point-of-View POV determines things like tense and how much the reader gets to see. There’s first-person (I, my), second-person (you, your), and third- person/narrator (she, hers). There’s present tense (I see/she sees), past tense, (I saw/she saw), and even that cockamamie future tense nobody uses (I will see/she will see). It’s the combination of these things that create an effective POV. So how do you choose? It all depends on (1) the particular feel you’re going for and (2) how much your reader needs to see. uThe Fifth Element of Fiction: Theme uTheme is a hidden element, but incredibly important: in essence,themeiswhat a story is REALLY about. uThe Sixth Element of Fiction: Style uStyle is needed. Style is the thing that makes ones work stand out from everybody else’s, because in essence, it’s the writer’s “voice.” uStyles include: u Syntax u word choices utone u style can demonstrate not only voice as a writer, but is crucial to indicating details about story and characters. u Style shows accent and dialect, character intelligence and observation; it shows the underlying humor or drama of the piece. uStyle is a unique flavor, and developing it will not only take the entire writing career, but is also one of the most rewarding activities as a writer. uDeveloping writing style takes work; there are no short-cuts for this. Robert Breault