What is poetry?

Poetry Poetry by definition is language that is used to communicate experiences. Poetry involves four dimensions of experience: Intelligence Sense Emotions Imagination

Poetry v. Prose Poetry is different than other forms of writing in that it draws more heavily and more consistently than ordinary language or prose on the use of language resources or literary devices such as: connotation, imagery, metaphor, paradox, irony allusion, repetition and rhyme.

To understand and evaluate poetry you should be asking yourself the following: Who is the speaker? Keep in mind the speaker is often NOT the author and in fact is often a voice or character made up by the author. What kind of person is the speaker? Is there an identifiable audience for this piece? What do we know about it? What is the occasion? What is the setting in time? (hour, season, century ect.) What is the setting in place? (indoors, outdoors, city ,country, region)

What is the central purpose of the poem What is the central purpose of the poem? Can I state this in no more than a sentence? Can I perform an outline of the poem to show the structure and development. Can I paraphrase the poem? Can I discuss the diction of the poem? (Point out words that are particularly well chosen and explain why? Can I discuss the imagery of the poem? What kinds of imagery is used? Can I point out examples of literary devices e.g. Simile, metaphor, personification, metonomy.?

Can I point out and explain any symbols Can I point out and explain any symbols? If the poem is allegorical, what is the allegory? Can I point out and explain examples of paradox, overstatement, understatement and irony? What is the function of these devices? Can I point out and explain any allusions? What is their function? What is the tone of the poem? Are there examples of repetition? What is the function? What is my critique or evaluation of the poem.

Poetic Terms Rhythm : Rhythm is different patterns of stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllables. Each unit of these types is called foot Simile : A figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”.

Metaphor: A figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them. Personification: The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Connotation: A meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly Connotations can be positive or negative. Imagery To use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

Paradox A statement that appears to be self- contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. A paradox is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way. Repetition: Repeating words or phrases, to help achieve a distinctive rhythm.

Metonymy: A figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. Overstatement: an act of stating something more profoundly than it actually is, in order to make the point more serious or important or beautiful

Understatement: a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. Allegory: a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events. It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story with a purpose of teaching an idea or a principle. The objective is to preach some kind of moral lesson.

Allusion: a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text. Tone: The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience.

Alliteration : a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series. Consonance : repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession such as in pitter, patter. It is classified as a literary term used in both poetry as well as prose. Assonance : when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.

Irony: A figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality. verbal Irony involves what one does not mean. Situational irony (the unexpected happens) Dramatic Irony the characters are oblivious of the situation but the audience is not. Symbolism : In literature, symbolism can take many forms including: A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning. The actions of a character, word, action, or event that have a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story.

Rhyme Rhyme occurs when the sounds of the accented vowels in words and all the succeeding sounds in the words are identical. Rhyme at the end of verse lines is called end rhyme There are two basic types of rhymes. • An exact rhyme occurs when two words sound exactly alike except for their consonant sounds, as in “joy” and “boy” slant rhyme, or off rhyme, occurs when the rhyme is approximate, as in “come”and “doom” Although rhymes normally fall on accented syllables, slant rhymes may pair an accented and an unaccented syllable, as in “although and “fellow”

Traditional Poetry Stanzas: Groups of lines in poems that function like poetry. Epic: a long, narrative poem; Ode: a meditative or commemorative lyric poem that is meant to celebrate someone or something ; Ballad: a narrative poem written to be sung or recited; Sonnet: a 14-line poem having a set pattern of rhythm and rhyme; Haiku: A form of Japanese poetry having a set number of lines and syllables; 17 syllables. The lines are line 1: 5 syllables, Line 2: 7 Syllables and Line 3: Five Syllables. Limerick: a light or humorous poem with a particular rhyme scheme;

Organic Poetry :is unpredictable; it doesn’t follow the rules of traditional poetry. Elicit or provide brief definitions and examples of these forms: Free verse: poetry that does not have regular meter Concrete poetry: poetry that conveys meaning visually through the arrangement of letters and words