What is Poetry? ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Introduction Poets use language imaginatively to create images, tell stories, explore feelings, and describe experiences. To do this, poets use a variety of specific elements and techniques.

Sound Devices …add musical quality to poetry. Poets use these devices to enhance a poem’s mood and meaning.

Rhyme The repetition of sounds at the ends of words. Pool – rule – fool Sun – bun – won Cash – splash – bash Car – bar – far Cat – bat - hat

Rhythm The beat created by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables The cat sat on the mat

Repetition The use of any element of language – a sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence – more than once.

Onomatopoeia The use of words that imitate sounds Crash – bang – hiss - splat

Alliteration The repetition of consonant sounds in the beginning of words. Lovely lonely lights Ferny forest floor Darla danced dreadfully

Figurative Language …is writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. The many types of figurative language are called figures of speech. Writers use these figures of speech to state ideas in a vivid and imaginative way.

Metaphors Describe one thing as if it were something else. They often point out a similarity between two unlike things The snow was a white blanket over the town.

Similes Use like or as to compare two apparently unlike things and show similarities between the two She is as slow as a turtle.

Personification Gives human qualities to something that is non-human The ocean crashed angrily during the storm

Sensory Language Writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the five senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This language creates word pictures, or images. Poets often use these word pictures to help the reader experience a poem fully.

Forms of Poetry Narrative Poetry tells a story in verse. Narrative poems often have elements similar to those in a short story, such as plot and characters.

THE GAME OF SOCCER Stadium overcrowded by hooligans and fans Cheering, waving flags, and clapping their hands Players on the field, they’re ready to start There goes the whistle; it pumps up their hearts Adding strength to the ball, and kicking it high The ball travels overhead, how beautiful it can fly Over center field, and still it goes strong Pass received with ease, and the player runs long There he goes, for his opponent’s goal He dribbles through each player; he’s on a roll He takes the shot, and curves it by The keeper dives for it, far and high The goalie misses it; the ball’s in the net There’s a moment of silence, and no regrets The winners jump for joy, that win was a must Opponents, heads tilt down low, they leave in disgust A player’s life fulfilled is playing world class, To be playing all year long on the rich green grass Play with heart, that’s the real answer Of how to play the true game of soccer.

Lyric Poetry expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker, often in highly musical verse

Love Lyric by: Jake Erkens Guitar strings strummed The drum sticks beating And the vocalist singing A love lyric to his beloved one A love lyric for all star-crossed lovers A love lyric to true love Going falsetto And three notes lower His girlfriend in the front row Lifts her hands up high in the air As he sings a love lyric While the band plays the notes

Concrete Poems are shaped to look like their subjects. The poet arranges the lines to create a picture on the page.

Haiku A three-line Japanese verse form. The first and the third lines each have five syllables, and the second line has seven.

As the wind does blow Across the trees, I see the Buds blooming in May I walk across sand And find myself blistering In the hot, hot heat Falling to the ground, I watch a leaf settle down In a bed of brown. It’s cold—and I wait For someone to shelter me And take me from here. I hear crackling Crunch, of today’s new found day And know it won’t last So I will leave it At bay; and hope for the best This bitter new day

Limerick Humorous, rhyming, five-line poem with a specific rhythm pattern and rhyme scheme. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 8 or 9).  The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 5 or 6).   Limericks often start with the line "There once was a..." or "There was a..."

Example of an 8,8,5,5,8 syllable limerick: There once was a clover named Kate, Who sat on the edge of a plate, The fancy folk dined, On foods of all kind, Then tossed her at quarter past eight.