A Guide to Understanding Poetry Basics

What Can Poetry Do? Poetry can… Be about anything Surprise us Tap our senses – make us see, feel, hear, and taste in our imagination Make us laugh Make us think Use people, objects, actions, and places as symbols to show something about a life or an experience

What Can Poetry Do? Poetry can… Connect us with other people at the most essential level: heart and mind to heart and mind Express anger and help make sense of a troubling experience Define feelings and craft them as art Tell stories that point to a theme Make us look at everyday life through new eyes Make us think about the kind of lives we want to live

What Can Poetry Do? Poetry can… Help capture stages in a life: who we are; who we’re becoming Help us remember what matters Help us commemorate what matters Feed us, satisfy our thirsts, protect us, take us around the world and back in time, heal us, and let us take big chances yet remain safe Reveal the beauty in everyday existence; open our eyes to the poems that hide around us From Nancie Atwell’s Naming the World

What Is Poetry? Prose vs. Poetry Prose = The ordinary language people use in speaking and writing Poetry = Anything that is not prose

Other Basic Poetry Questions Revealed! Where does poetry come from? What are your thoughts? The beauty of poetry is that it can come from anywhere and everywhere What does poetry have to be about? Love? Nature? The seasons? Rainbows? Flowers? Puppies? Children? Poetry can be about anything. There’s no subject that can’t be explored and captured in a poem. Take a look at the following:

The fanfare that signals the return of the king has stopped. Where Waffles Roam Monday. 2:00 AM. The fanfare that signals the return of the king has stopped. The toothless lady mumbles about children and life lost in the chaos of adolescence and the naiveté of youth. Teenage pregnancy, abuse, and log floats mixed in with triple sugar, triple cream, and stares that say, “I know you,” and “I’ve seen you here before” in a world scattered, smothered, covered, and topped filled with shapes, sizes, and flavors: Gourmet, Gourmand, Glutton. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three-hundred sixty-five days a year, the cycle never stops with grits growing cold and heads butting in a battle for free refills. Redneck, me? Redneck, you. Redneck haven? Redneck heaven. 2:02 AM.

You Can’t Write a Poem about McDonald’s by Ronald Wallace Noon. Hunger in the only thing singing in my belly. I walk through the blossoming cherry trees on the library mall, past the young couples coupling, by the crazy fanatic screaming doom and salvation at a sensation-hungry crowd, to the Lake Street McDonald’s. It is crowded, the lines long and sluggish. I wait in the greasy air. All around me people are eating – the sizzle of conversation, the salty odor of sweat, the warm flesh pressing out of hip huggers and halter tops. When I finally reach the cash register, the counter girl is crisp as a pickle, her fingers thin as french fries, her face brown as bun. Suddenly I understand cannibalism. As I reach for her, she breaks into pieces wrapped neat and packaged for take-out. I’m thinking, how amazing it is to live in this country, how easy it is to be filled. We leave together, her warm aroma close at my side. I walk back through the cherry trees blossoming up into pies, the young couple frying in the hot, oily sun, the crowd eating up the fanatic, singing, my ear, my eye, my tongue fat with the wonder of this hungry world.

Found Poetry

Poetry vs. Prose What are the differences? Stanzas Spacing on page Length Imagery Word choice (literal and figurative language) Rhyme, Rhythm, and other sound devices

Basic Types of Poetry Traditional verse Been around a long time Has “rules” Regular rhythm or meter Regular stanzas Rhyme Figurative language Examples: Sonnet, Haiku, Ballad

Basic Types of Poetry Free verse More modern form of poetry Typically ignores the “rules” No regular rhythm or rhyme Irregular stanzas Strange shapes Unusual capitalization and punctuation Example: concrete poems

Three Types of Traditional Verse Lyric Short Typically expresses strong emotions about a person, thing, or idea

Notes: Rue = Sorrow; Regret Laden = Weighed down; heavy

Three Types of Traditional Verse Narrative May be very long Tells a story Usually contains some of the same elements a story contains (characters, conflict, rising action, etc.)

So did the suitors babble. But the man of many wiles, Odysseus, now had scanned the bow on every side; and just as one expert in song and harping works with ease when he is called upon to stretch a string around new pegs and so at either end makes fast the twisted gut – just so, Odysseus’ stringing of that great bow was effortless. -Excerpt from Book 21 of the Odyssey by Homer

Three Types of Traditional Verse –Dramatic Kind of like a play Presents characters who speak to other characters or to the reader

‘'Is my team ploughing, That I was used to drive And hear the harness jingle When I was man alive?‘ Ay, the horses trample, The harness jingles now; No change though you lie under The land you used to plough. 'Is football playing Along the river shore, With lads to chase the leather, Now I stand up no more?' Ay, the ball is flying, The lads play heart and soul; The goal stands up, the keeper Stands up to keep the goal… -Excerpt from XXVII by A.E. Housman

Symbolism, Tone, Theme What is a symbol? A symbol in literature is a person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well. They often provide meaning beyond the obvious. What does the bald eagle symbolize? What does the American flag symbolize? Eagle = strength, freedom, protection, knowledge Flag = nationalism, unity, American ideals (in other parts of the world)

Symbolism, Tone, Theme What is tone? Tone is the attitude the writer takes towards the audience, a subject, or a character. Tone is conveyed through the writer’s choice of words and details. Think about the tone of your voice and how it helps convey how you are feeling. Examples of tone can include just about any adjective you can think of: scared, anxious, excited, worried, depressed, smart, etc.

Example of Tone Consider the tone of The School by Donald Barthelme. Here, words like "dead" and "depressing" set a negative or unhappy tone: And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.

Symbolism, Tone, Theme What is theme? The theme of a story is the central idea of a work of literature. In other words, it’s the big idea in the story. Theme is not often presented directly. Instead, you have to figure it out through characters actions, setting, plot, etc. in the story. Many times, you have to make inferences based on what you find in the story. To find it, we often have to think about what insights into life or human nature the story shows us. Theme is always expressed as a statement (that means sentence), not as a single word like courage, freedom, or loyalty. No = The theme is love. Yes = The theme is love is the most beautiful thing in life.

Example of Theme Think about the story of Cinderella. Possible themes might include: Good things happen to good people. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Hard work pays off. What goes around comes around.

Now Let’s Practice Read the following poem by Robert Frost. As you listen and read, think about symbolism, tone, and theme. Be ready to support your answers with text from the poem.

Follow-up Questions What might the woods symbolize? Think about why the author chose to have his roads go through woods rather than a garden or wide-open field. Think about how woods are used in other stories, like fairy tales for example. Woods typically have lots of trees that keep someone from seeing ahead, creating a sense of mystery, doubt, danger, etc. In fairy tales, woods are places where people typically get lost or abandoned or come across scary things. Basically, it creates the feeling of having to face the unknown and not being to see ahead.

Follow-up Questions Which adjectives would you choose to describe the tone of this poem? What words, phrases, or lines in the poem make you feel this tone? Some adjectives that can describe tone include angry, awed, bitter, cynical, fearful, hopeful, ironic, playful, positive, puzzled, regretful, sad Lines 16-17 have a regretful tone (I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence) while line 20 has a positive tone (And that has made all the difference)

Follow-up Questions What might the theme of this poem be? Think about the message a person might take away from this poem. Possible theme might include seize the day

Welcome to SIFT What is SIFT? SIFT is a way to analyze literature that helps develop a deeper understanding of challenging literature (especially poetry). Use the following method to break down the underlying meaning of the text:

SIFT continued S = Symbol (underline) I = Imagery (circle) An object, person, or place that has meaning within itself but stands for something else in the context of the story I = Imagery (circle) An image is evoked through the use of really descriptive language.

SIFT continued F = Figurative Language (highlight) Includes (but is not limited to) simile, metaphor, hyperbole, repetition, alliteration, irony, allusion, etc. T = Tone and Theme (margin notes) Tone is the attitude the writer takes on the subject he/she is writing about. Theme is the overall lesson learned by the main character(s) and/or the reader. Remember, when looking for tone, think about the author’s word choice, any sensory imagery he/she creates, any details he/she includes, specific types of language used (formal, jargon, cliché, etc.), and sentence structure (short sentences might equal abrupt, angry tone while long, drawn-out sentences might equal rambling, contemplative tone)

Harlem by Langston Hughes SIFT Example Harlem by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry it up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore – And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over – like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Figurative Language Similes = Think about what words or phrases might be associated with each “Like a raisin in the sun” = dried up, shriveled, parched, juiceless “like a sore” = a nagging wound, an infected cut Symbol = Raisin A raisin is grape that has been drained of all its juices. It’s shriveled and dried up and in my opinion, not as good as the original grape. What might Hughes be saying about dreams? Image = Someone bent over from carrying something heavy like laundry or a full backpack; trunk of a car nearly dragging the ground because of something heavy in the back; a shelf bending in the middle from too much weight Figurative Language Implied metaphor (a less direct metaphor) Hughes is comparing a dream put on hold or how one feels after putting a dream on hold to a ticking bomb Theme and Tone – Possible tones – sadness, frustration, cautionary, anger Possible theme – Dreams put on hold can have disastrous effects on a person

What is Voice? According to Grammar Girl, voice is “the distinct personality, style, or point of view of a piece of writing or any other creative work.” Some people get tone and voice confused. Don’t worry! They actually go together. Think of tone as part of voice.

How to Find Your Voice Voice is important because you want your writing to reflect your personality as much as possible. Voice is the link between you and your audience. It helps your audience understand who you are. Here are some ways to help find it. Think about the following:

How to Find Your Voice continued What do you want to communicate about yourself through the words you use in your writing? If you asked your readers to describe your work with a few adjectives, what would you want them to say? What’s the purpose of what your writing? Are you looking to inform, entertain, or persuade? Should your voice be different for a obituary than for a movie review? Who is your target audience? Is your voice going to be different if you are writing for children versus your teacher? Courtesy of Grammar Girl

Voice Example Read “Maybe Dats Youwr Pwoblem Too” Who’s speaking? How do you know? What makes this speaker unique? How do you know? How is the speaker feeling as he’s talking? How do you know? Speaker = Peter Parker/Spiderman Unique = He has a speech impediment Feeling = Sick of boring routine of the superhero’s life