Poetry Workshop, pp.-540-546 What is a poem?

Do you like to listen to songs. Do you like to sing along to them Do you like to listen to songs? Do you like to sing along to them? If so, why? What makes songs so enjoyable? What is a poem?

There are just about as many poems are there are people and occasions There are just about as many poems are there are people and occasions. Poems are just as different as people can be. Some are fun, some are serious, some are formal, and some are informal. What is a poem

Objectives Understand form in poetry Identify characteristics of free verse, lyric poetry, narrative poetry, ballads, haiku, and limerick Identify and interpret imagery and figurative language Identify and interpret sound devices, such as rhyme, repetition, and alliteration Identify and compare mood Make inferences Use text features to locate and comprehend information Use reading strategies, including monitoring and visualizing Objectives

Academic Vocabulary Imagery Figurative language Sound devices Form Personal response Connotation Academic Vocabulary

Form is the way a poem’s words and lines are laid out on the page. Lines may or may not be complete sentences and can vary in length. In some poems, the lines are arranged into groups, called stanzas. Each stanza helps to convey a poem’s overall message – much like a paragraph in prose. The basics

Some poems have traditional, or structured, forms. Traditional poems follow fixed rules (i.e., a certain number of lines, a repeating pattern of rhythm or rhyme. Poems that do not follow set rules are called free verse. The basics

The speaker in a poem is the voice that talks to the reader. The speaker may be the poet, or it may be a character created by the poet (a child, for example). The basics

The basics Let’s read “A Minor Bird,” by Robert Frost Open your literature book to page 542. Before you read, look at the form of the poem. How many stanzas are there? How many lines are in each stanza. Do they rhyme? The use of two rhyming lines (back to back) is called a rhyming couplet. Always pay close attention to rhyming couplets because they often provide important messages. Let’s see if we can tell if the speaker is the poet. As I read, listen for the rhythm – the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The basics

“ Minor Bird,” by Robert Frost

Free verse

Now, let’s read “Under the Back Porch,” by Virginia Hamilton (p. 543). Look at its form – grouped in stanzas, but not in consistent line length. These stanzas will still be sort of like paragraphs and will have main ideas. Notice, too, that it doesn’t appear to have a pattern of rhyme. This poem is an example of free verse. As I read it aloud, notice that it sounds very much like everyday speech. The basics

Just like movies, poems might have special effects – words and figurative devices that help the reader imagine and sense things as vividly as if he or she was watching a movie. Special effects

Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the end of words, as in me and see in the example of an excerpt of a poem called “Faults” by Sara Teasdale. Some poems have a rhyme scheme, a set pattern of rhyming lines. Rhyme is a sound device

Rhythm is another sound device Rhythm is the pattern of stressed (‘) and unstressed (u) syllables in each line. A poem with a repeating pattern has what is called a meter. Rhythm is another sound device

Look on page 544 and listen as I read aloud Look on page 544 and listen as I read aloud. Note that the stressed and unstressed syllables are marked for you. Let’s try it!

Excerpt from “Faults,” by Sara Teasdale

Repetition is another sound device. Repetition is the use of a word, phrase, or line more than once. Repetition might be used to stress a point the poet wants to make or to create a certain atmosphere or mood or to emphasize an image the poet wants to create for the reader. Repetition is another sound device.

Alliteration is another sound device. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, such as the c in curved crook. Next time you hear our National Anthem, listen for the repeating s sound. Francis Scott Key did that for a reason. We’ll discuss. Alliteration is another sound device.

On page 544, you will find three lines of a poem by Langston Hughes On page 544, you will find three lines of a poem by Langston Hughes. Look for repetition and alliteration. What is the effect of these sound devices? Let’s try it.

Excerpt from “Winter Mood,” by Langston Hughes

On page 545, you will find “A Word is Dead,” by Emily Dickinson On page 545, you will find “A Word is Dead,” by Emily Dickinson. Let’s listen for the effect of her rhyming couplet. Let’s try it.

“A word is dead,” by Emily Dickinson

Onomatopoeia is a sound device. Onomatopoeia – the use of words (made-up or real) whose sounds suggest their meanings. Onomatopoeia is a sound device.

Let’s read “Cynthia in the Snow,” by Gwendolyn Brooks, p. 545. What onomatopoeic words does the poet use? Can you hear how the silencing effect of snow? Line six contains alliteration. Can you tell that the poet chose these words to create a light, joyful mood? What do you think the repeated s sound does for the reader (lines 10 and 11)? Let’s try it.

“Cynthia in the Snow,” by Gwendolyn Brooks

Imagery and Figurative Language Imagery is the language that appeals to the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). Often various forms of figurative language are used to help readers picture ordinary things in new ways (e.g., “white as milk or shirts.”) Imagery and Figurative Language

Imagery and Figurative Language Look on page 546. Find the definitions of simile, metaphor, and personification. I know you already know the meanings of these devices, so let’s just read the examples together. Imagery and Figurative Language

Simile

Metaphor

Personification