Poetry Basics

Basic Poem Structure * A line is the main unit of a poem * Stanzas are paragraphs in prose (poetry) Form is the way words and lines are laid out on page Capitalization in a poem = Importance, Emphasis Limited or No capitalization/punctuation in a poem = poetic creativity. Different Forms = poetic creativity

Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll (TE 606) Rhyme scheme Many poems include rhyme. The pattern of rhymes at the end of lines is the poems rhyme scheme. To describe the rhyme scheme, assign each line a letter, starting from the first line; assign the same letter to lines that rhyme. Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll (TE 606) “Beware the Jabberwock my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!” Rhyme Scheme is: ABAB

Let’s Practice

Let’s Practice Questions 1. How many stanzas are in the poem? 2. How many lines are in the poem? 3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? 4. What is the ‘theme’ of the poem?

Let’s Practice Answers 1. How many stanzas are in the poem? 4 2. How many lines are in the poem? 16 3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? ABAB 4. What is the ‘theme’ of the poem? The theme of the poem is Friendship, because the poem gives many examples of what friends do for one another. Text evidence includes: making a person smile, kindness, cheering a friend up, a friend is always around when you need them, and a friend is always in your heart.

Examples

Let’s Practice Questions 5. What poetic ‘forms’ did you see in the previous slide? 6. Why would an author’s put their poems in different ‘forms?’ 7. In the Cookies poem, why are some letters capitalized and bolded? 8. In the cat poem, why is there no punctuation and limited capitalization?

Let’s Practice Answers 5. What poetic ‘forms’ did you see in the previous slide? Cat, Heart 6. Why would an author’s put their poems in different ‘forms?’ Poetic creativity 7. In the Cookies poem, why are some letters capitalized and bolded? For emphasis or importance 8. In the cat poem, why is there no punctuation and limited capitalization? Poetic creativity

Basic Poetry Structure Notes Poem Structure A ____________ is the main unit of a poem ____________ are paragraphs in prose (poetry) ___________ is the way words and lines are laid out on page _________________in a poem = Importance, Emphasis __________________________in a poem = poetic creativity Different ________________ = poetic creativity