Poetry -One of the major types of literature, the others being fiction, non-fiction, folk tales, and drama.

Elements of Poetry Speaker But believe me, son. Every poem has a speaker, or voice, that talks to the reader The speaker is not necessarily the poet Can be fictional person, animal, or thing But believe me, son. I want to be what I used to be When I was like you. -speaker is a father

Lines and Stanzas A line is a word or row of words that may or may not form a complete sentence. A stanza is a group of lines forming a unit. The stanzas in a poem are separated by a space. Open it. --line Go ahead, it won’t bite. Well…maybe a little. } Stanza

Kinds of Stanzas Couplet = two line stanza Triplet = three line stanza Quatrain = four line stanza Quintet = five line stanza Sestet or Sextet = six line stanza Septet = seven line stanza Octave = eight line stanza

Sound Effects

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, used to emphasize words, imitate sounds, and create musical effects. Ex: “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout” Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry ex: “weak and weary” Consonance: Repetition of consonant sound in words (not just at the beginning of words) Ex: “Rubbery Blubbery”

Rhythm and Meter Rhythm is the pattern of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. Rhythm can be regular or irregular Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, which sets the overall rhythm of certain poems. The pattern is repeated throughout the poem.

A word always rhymes with itself Rhyme Words sound alike because they share the same ending vowel and consonant sounds A word always rhymes with itself Internal rhyme occurs within a line of poetry End rhyme occurs at the end of lines. Rhyme scheme is the pattern of the end rhymes. The golden brooch my mother wore ------ a She left behind for me to wear; ----------- b I have no thing I treasure more; -----------a Yet it is something I could spare ----------b

Figurative Language Words and phrases that help the reader picture things in a new way. Allusion: Reference to a well known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art Connotation: Meaning beyond the literal; deeper meaning Denotation: A word’s dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have

EX. You are pulling my leg. Hyperbole:obvious and intentional exaggeration often used for emphasis. EX. There are a million people here. I have a ton of homework tonight. Idiom: An expression where the literal meaning of the words is not the meaning of the expression. It means something other than what it actually means. EX. You are pulling my leg. Onomatopoeia is the use of a word or phrase, such as “hiss”, “buzz”, “thud” or “sizzle” that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes.

Oxymoron: a combination of contradictory words, such as 'Jumbo Shrimp' (Jumbo means 'large' while Shrimp means 'small'). It is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, terms, phrases or ideas are combined to create a rhetorical effect. EX. Pretty Ugly Personification: Figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics Ex: “The moon walks in the night” Metaphor: A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, implying a comparison between the two things EX. “All the world’s a stage, and we are merely players.” -William Shakespeare

EX. “She is as beautiful as a sunrise.” Simile: A figure of speech in which a comparison is made of two unlike things or ideas using the words “like” or “as” EX. “She is as beautiful as a sunrise.” Symbol: Anything that stands for or represents something else. Theme: Central message or insight into life, revealed through a literary work. Tone: Author’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

Types of Poems Concrete Poem: poem whose meaning is conveyed through shape or pattern printed on a page Epic: A long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes. (“The Odyssey” by Homer is an epic poem) Free Verse: Poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern, or meter. It seeks to recapture the rhythms of speech, and it is the dominant form of modern poetry.

Limericks: humorous poem of 5 lines (aabba rhyme scheme) Lyric Poem: A highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker Narrative Poem: A poem that tells a story. Sonnet: A fourteen-line lyric poem, often written in rhymed iambic pentameter