“The Art of Poetry” By Former Student
“What do I Write About?” The most important element of a poem is the idea behind it! Your poetry should express your thoughts and feelings. Poems that only state the obvious bore us! Use the high points, low points, or turning points in your life.
Ideas!! Some subjects for poetry you may want to write about are: Love Nature Special Occasions No matter what it is you choose, make sure you are prepared to write about it!
“Voice” Voice is a very important aspect of any poem. Always be sure the voice that you are using is appropriate for the subject of your poem. For Example: If you are talking about loss or death, you would not want to come across, with a cheerful voice in your poem right?
Lines in a Poem It is always a good idea to use a zinger as a first line in your poem. A zinger, is a line that grabs the attention of readers, and pulls them into your poem. The length of the line can also help to express the mood of your poem. The longer the line, the greater the emotion. The shorter the line, the greater the drama.
The Stanza The stanza pivots your poem like chapters in a book. It helps to set the mood, and the pace of a poem. It also creates patterns in the poem , to guide the poet, and empowers the patterns of a formal verse.
Title? Whenever deciding on a title, think of it as a commitment to your readers. You are promising to tell them about something, if they take the time to stop and read you work. The poem should always meet the expectations it’s title sends out!
Rhyme Not all poems have to rhyme, but if you do choose to, it is very important that it is done the right way. Rhyme can help shape your poem by, enhancing the sound, combining and adding a beat, and set a mood for the content. But, if it is used, use it throughout the poem, and not just parts of it. If you don’t your poem could sound incomplete.
Formats of Poetry There are many different formats including: Narrative Lyric Dramatic Free Verse The sonnet
The Narrative Poem All Narrative poems have one thing in common; they tell a story. There a 6 elements to a narrative poem being: topic, theme, voice, viewpoint, moment, and ending. In the topic you must determine what happens in your story. You then have to come up with a theme to portray in your poem.
The Narrative Poem continues… Then make sure the voice of your poem matches the subject matter. After that establish a viewpoint. Each character will have a different one( Use the one that will have the biggest impact) Then you must choose the moment, this is where you relate the events in your story. And then of course create the ending, open or closed, it is up to you!
The Lyric Poem This poem focuses intensely on one subject, and tries to evoke emotions out of the reader. They rely mainly on poetic devices, like metaphors, similes, rhymes, voice, and so on. A lyric poem often tries to re-enact and experience.
The Dramatic Poem Dramatic poems can be either narrative, or lyric. It contains a series of dramatic events, or character studies. The focus is intense, and it’s characters are featured.
Free Verse Poetry Free Verse lacks distinctive form or tradition. If you compose a poem, and follow the guidelines on idea, voice, stanza, and such, then your poem isn’t free, it’s structured. For example, if you follow a rhyme scheme, then the rhymes would determine where the lines end. In free verse, you decide when to break a line, make a stanza, and end the poem.
The Sonnet Every sonnet form was designed to convey topics using a rhyme scheme. In a sonnet, there must be a turn point. This is where the poem addresses the theme, or the conflict is resolved. Each sonnet was designed to fit in short form, so be careful when choosing a topic.
A Form Poem A form poem has a fixed scheme. They tend to have only a few rhymes, and often repeat entire lines. Each form in the poem was created to convey different moods. Choose rhyming words that are associated with your topic, because these will repeat.
A Sequence A sequence is a poem in parts. It is made up of individual poems that can stand alone, but when grouped together, become a much greater work. It is tricky to build, topics need significant time elements, and logical concepts. After you gat your topics in order build away!
Bugeja J. Michael. The Art and Craft of Poetry. Cincinnati, 1994 Works Cited Bugeja J. Michael. The Art and Craft of Poetry. Cincinnati, 1994