Poetry

Types of Poetry Free Verse/Open form is composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern. Closed form is composed of some sort of pattern with a fixed metrical pattern. Metrical pattern – a succession of alternate stressed and unstressed syllables

ABC poem has a series of lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling ABC poem has a series of lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines are made up of words and phrases. The first word of line 1 begins with an A, the first word of line 2 begins with a B etc. A lthough things are not perfect B ecause of trial or pain C ontinue in thanksgiving D o not begin to blame E ven when the times are hard F ierce winds are bound to blow

Ballad - A poem that tells a story similar to a folktale or legend which often has a repeated refrain. Bio - A poem written about one self's life, personality traits, and ambitions. Dramatic monologue - A type of poem which is spoken to a listener. Haiku is a Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. It reflects on some aspect of nature and creates images.

Limerick A light, humorous style of fixed form poetry Limerick A light, humorous style of fixed form poetry. Its usual form consists of five lines with the rhyme scheme aabba. Lyric - expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Couplet A couplet has rhyming stanzas made up of two lines. Elegy A sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual. Epic An extensive, serious poem that tells the story about a heroic figure.

Sonnet A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes. Narrative A poem that tells a story. Ode A lengthy lyric poem typically of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanza structure.

Imagery Imagery is the language that creates pictures and sensory impressions. These images appeal to your sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Figurative Language Figurative language suggest similarities in things that are not usually compared. Figurative language may consist of such literary devices as hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and personification.

Figurative Language A comparison using like or as is called a simile – “The sea is like a hungry dog” A metaphor’s comparison is more direct, without either of those words – “The sea is a hungry dog” In personification, an animal, object, or concept is given human characteristics – “I looked the sun straight in the eye. / He put on dark glasses.”

Oxymoron - combines two normally contradictory terms. E. g Oxymoron - combines two normally contradictory terms. E.g. The war was a bitter sweet victory. Hyperbole – an exaggerated statement. E.g. His pants were so sharply creased they could have cut frozen fish. Idiom - is a term or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal definitions, but its meaning is known only through common use.

Sound Devices Poets choose words for their sound as well as their meaning. Rhyme is the repetition of the same sound in two or more words. For example rat/cat, history/mystery are rhyming word pairs. Rhyme often occurs at the ends of lines, and this is called end rhyme

Sound Devices Example of an end rhyme: There was a great swimmer named Jack Who swam ten miles out – and nine back Internal rhyme occurs within a single line. E.g. See the mean gleam in his eye and deep crease in his cheek

Sound Devices Rhyme Pattern/Scheme Mark each line according to the sound at the end. Mark the first line with an “a.” If you find another line-ending sound that rhymes with the first line ending then mark that with an “a” also. Mark the next line-ending sound with a “b”, and so on.

Try the following poem, “Dust of Snow”, by Robert Frost. The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I ruled.

Sound Devices Often poets repeat a rhyme scheme or metre pattern within a four or five line stanza. A stanza is something like a paragraph; it is a group of lines standing together.

Sound Devices Rhythm is the beat of lines. Predictable rhythm is called metre and is usually associated with closed form poetry. Free verse poems may use a loose kind of rhythm in which the sound of long phrases are balanced against sounds of short phrases.

Find the Metre of a Poem 1) Listen to the beat and mark each syllable. Mark the lighter or unstressed syllables this way: 2) Mark the heavy or stressed syllables this way: 3) Now listen again to the beat of the lines: duh-DAH, duh-DAH, duh-DAH 4) After marking the beat, look for the pattern. Usually the rhythm pattern repeats.

Try scanning, or reading the poem to find the rhythm pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The sun that brief December day Rose cheerless over hills of gray, And, darkly circled, gave at noon A sadder light than waning moon.

Sound Devices Refrain is a word, phrases, line, or stanza repeated exactly or almost exactly throughout the poem. It is used to create rhythm, build suspense, or emphasize important words or ideas.

Sound Devices Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to another, such as “bright, black, and beautiful.” The echoes that alliteration creates increase the poem’s rhythmic and musical effects.

Sound Devices Onomatopoeia – the use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning, such as buzz, hiss, and crack. It often reinforces meaning while creating musical sound effects.

While Reading Poetry 1. Note line breaks They help set the pace and rhythm of a poem. They tell you where to pause and where to breath.

While Reading Poetry “CAP”ing in a poem. C – Comprehension – understand the meaning of the poem. A – Analyze the imagery, figurative language, and sound devices. P – Personal Response: use specific examples from the poem to clarify what you mean. Are the images familiar and try to relate to what you have read.

Other Terms Needed for Poetry Allusion – a reference to another literacy works, film, art, event or person. Connotation - refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. E.g. the word “hot” means heat or high temperature but the connotation is something good looking.

Denotation – a dictionary meaning of a word. Diction – author’s word selection. Extended metaphor – a metaphor that is used throughout a piece of writing. Thermal imagery – images referring to hot or cold.

Sarcasm – when appears a person is praising something but is actually insulting it. Speaker – the voice in a poem. Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds – deep and green Consonance – repetition of consonant sounds – middle and muddle