UNDERSTANDING POETIC STRUCTURE

QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS: 1.What do you notice about the way the poem is organized on the page? 2.Read “Suppose Columbus” to yourself first, from right to left. 3.We will then read the poem out loud together. 4.How does the poet reimagine Columbus’ journey? 5.What happens to the ship names? 6.How does the placement of the words affect the meaning of the poem? 7.What might someone miss if they only hear the poem without seeing it? CHARLES SUHOR’S “SUPPOSE COLUMBUS”

 Stanzas are groups of lines within poetry.  Helps to create and audio and visual flow to poetry  No specific length or form to stanzas  New stanza = shift in mood, time, or train of thought  Types of Stanzas :  couplets  tercets  quatrains  quintets  sestets  octaves STANZAS AND LINE BREAKS

 When a sentence or thought continues over a line break  Adds auditory interest to a poem  Example of enjambment: "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks Example of enjambment: "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks ENJAMBMENT