Poetry Unit 3

Whether the poems live on found paper, or come about through black out- book pages, or accompany pictures I’ve taken, they all try to do two things:   1. Dissect big things, giant gestures, grand emotions, into small glimpses, tiny fragments.   2. Take miniature moments, stolen seconds, blink- and-you’ll-miss-them glances, and make them enormous   the miracle in the mundane, the epic made simple.” -Tyler Knott Gregson

Prose Vs. Poetry

Part1:Form

Form Form, or structure, refers to the distinctive way words are arranged on the page. Form refers to the length and placement of lines of poetry, also known as verses, and the way they are grouped into stanzas. Similar to a paragraph in narrative writing, each stanza conveys a unified idea and contributes to a poem’s overall meaning. Poems can be traditional or organic in form. Regardless of its structure though, a poem’s form is often deliberately chosen to echo its meaning.  

Traditional Form Characteristics Follows fixed rules, such as a specified number of lines. Has a regular pattern of rhythm and rhyme. Includes the following forms: sonnet, ode, haiku, limerick, ballad, and epic

Organic Form Characteristics Does not have a regular pattern of rhythm and may not have rhyme. May use unconventional spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Includes the following forms: free verse, concrete poetry, prose poetry, redacted poetry and chance poetry.

Lines and Line Breaks One line: verse Two lines: couplet Depending on the number of lines or verses that are grouped together to form a stanza, the name used for that type of stanza will change. One line: verse Two lines: couplet Three lines: tercet Four lines: quatrain Five lines: quintain Six lines: sestet Seven lines: septet Eight lines: octave

Lines and line breaks There are also special terms used for where a poet chooses to end lines of poetry within a poem. Where a line of poetry ends is known as a line break. There are two types of line breaks: end stopped and enjambed. When a line of poetry ends at the end of a complete grammatical unit, this is called an end stopped line. When the line of poetry ends in the middle of a grammatical unit, usually to create a meaningful pause or emphasis, this is called enjambment.

Rhythm and MeteR Rhythm changes the way you read a poem. It determines whether it is read at a brisk pace, or slowly like everyday conversation. The pattern of stressed ( ’ ) and unstressed ( ˘ ) syllables in a line of poetry is known as rhythm. When this pattern becomes regular, in a pre-established pattern, it is known as meter. Poets use rhythm to bring out the musical quality in language.

Rhythm and Meter In literary terms, a foot refers to two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem. For example, an iamb is a foot that has two syllables; in this type of rhythm unit, one unstressed syllable is followed by one stressed syllable. Note: There are many terms that can be used to describe the numerous patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in a foot.

Rhythm and Meter Rhythm Foot Meter The number of metrical feet in a line are described as follows: Monometer=one foot Dimeter=two feet Trimeter=three feet Tetrameter=four Pentameter=five feet It can go up to eight and beyond, but 1-5 are the most common.

Part2: Poetic devices

Rhyme Rhyme is the occurrence of similar or identical sounds at the end of two or more words, such as suite, heat, and complete. There are several types of rhyme: internal rhyme, slant rhyme, and end rhyme. End rhyme is rhyme that occurs at the ends of lines of poetry. When a regular pattern of end rhyme occurs, this is called a rhyme scheme, and is charted by assigning a letter to matching end rhymes. (always start with “a”) Note: You DO NOT start the rhyme scheme over when a new stanza begins.

Sound devices Sound devices are used to create a specific auditory effect or mood. Repetition is a device that can help create an appealing rhythm in poetry and/or reinforce a particular idea. A sound, word, phrase, or line are all things that can be repeated within poetry for emphasis, unity, or to help create rhythm. An onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds echo their meanings, such as buzz, whisper, tick-tock, pow, bam, snap, crackle, pop, click, boom

Sound devices Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words. “From folk that sat on the terrace and drew out the even long” Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the end of words. “He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake”   Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Gary’s giraffe gobbled gooseberries greedily. Sally sold seashells by the seashore.

Imagery & Figurative Language Imagery consists of descriptive words and phrases to re-create sensory experiences. Writers can use the five senses or figurative language to create vivid details and descriptions. Figurative language is language that communicates meanings beyond the literal meanings of the words. These tools are often used to symbolize ideas and concepts they would not normally be associated with.

Imagery & figurative language A simile makes a comparison between two unlike things using the word like or as. A metaphor makes a comparison between two things that are basically unlike but have something in common. Unlike a simile you do not use like or as. Personification occurs when human qualities are given to an object, animal, or idea. A hyperbole is when the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect.

Part3: Types of Poems

Traditional  Lyric poems are short and tend to have a single speaker who expresses personal thoughts and feelings on a particular subject. These poems use imaginative language and have a strong sense of rhythm. An ode is a complex lyric poem that addresses a serious and dignified topic, such as justice, truth, or the passage of time. A sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem written with a strict pattern of rhyme and rhythm. Traditionally, the subject of sonnets is love. While there are several types of sonnets, they all share certain characteristics (a rhyme scheme and 14 lines).

Traditional An narrative poem tells a story or recounts events. A narrative poem may have many of the elements of a short story. A ballad is a story told in song, using the voice and language of everyday people. Like a work of fiction, a ballad has stanzas, rhythm, and rhyme. Like songs, a ballad uses repetition and has regular rhyme and meter. A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry in which 17 syllables are arranged in three non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. The rules of haiku are strict. The goal of a haiku is to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Nature tends to an important subject and source of inspiration for traditional haikus.

Organic Free verse poetry does not contain regular patterns of rhythm of rhyme. Lines in free verse poems often flow more naturally than rhymed and metrical lines of poetry, thus the rhythm is that similar to everyday speech. Free verse poetry can explore a variety of subjects and may use multiple types of sound devices and poetic elements.

Organic Prose poetry appears as prose, but reads like poetry. It does not have the traditional line breaks associated with poetry It does have a poetic quality because prose poetry uses many techniques that are commonly found in traditional poetry such as fragmentation, repetition, rhyme, sound devices, imagery, and figurative language. Prose poetry, like many forms of organic poetry can explore various styles and subjects.

Chance Poetry Chance poetry is generated independent of the author’s will. Methods for chance poetry can be almost anything from throwing darts, to rolling dice, or drawing words out of a bag. Most poems created by chance operations use some original text as their source. The purpose of such a practice is to play against the poet’s intentions and ego, while creating unusual syntax and images. Example: magnetic poetry

Redacted Poetry "Redacted" poems are similar to "chance" poems, except the poet crosses-out (or redacts) words on a page, rather than pick and place the words. The page of text that is used can be from a variety of sources such as a magazine, newspaper, or book.