Because I know you love poetry! Poetry Notes Because I know you love poetry!

Narrative Poetry -tells a story -uses some of the same elements as short stories plot characters dialogue setting -may have language that repeats, which helps readers focus on important details of story -example: “The Highway Man” by Alfred Noyes

Rhythm -sound pattern created by combining stressed and unstressed syllables stressed syllables (marked ‘) unstressed syllables (marked ) -some change from line to line -example: “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert Service

Rhyme -repetition of sound in two or more words or phrases -types: End Rhyme-occurs at end of a line Internal Rhyme-occurs within a line such as “peas and cheese” Approximate Rhyme-words whose sounds are similar, but not identical such as “pans and hams” Rhyme Scheme-variety of rhyme pattern -example: “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out” by Shel Silverstein

Repetition -use of a word or group of words more than once -may cause the poem to sound like a piece of music -example: “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe

Figurative Language -language not to be meant to be taken literally -may use comparisons to change usual views of seeing the world -four types: simile-comparison that uses the words “like,” “than,” or “as” to point out a similarity between two unlike things - example: “The Magnificent Bull” by Dinka Traditional

Figurative Language metaphor-comparison that does not use the words “like” or “as,” but points out similarity between two unlike things - example: “Fog” by Carl Sandburg extended metaphor-continues beyond a single phrase or sentence -example: “Loo-Wit” by Wendy Rose personification-animal, object, or abstract idea is given human qualities - example: “Loo-Wit” by Wendy Rose

Imagery -pictures created with words -can see images in your mind while reading -example: “The Bat” by Theodore Roethke & “The Pasture” by Robert Frost

Concrete Poetry -meant to be seen on the page so the words are arranged into a shape that often looks like the subject -example: “Seal” by William Jay Smith

Haiku three lines -usually describes scene in nature -1st and 3rd lines have five syllables each -2nd line has seven syllables -usually describes scene in nature -usually conveys strong feeling -example: “Three Haiku” translated from the Japanese by Harry Behn

Lyric Poetry -expresses poet’s personal thoughts and feelings in vivid and musical language -different patterns of rhyme and rhythm -example: “Washed in Silver” by James Stephens

Connotation -refers to feelings and associations words stir up in us -example: “Feelings about Words” by Mary O’Neill

Literal Language -refers to language that does not go beyond the dictionary definitions of words (opposite of figurative language -example: “The Courage that My Mother Had” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (uses both literal and figurative language)

Sensory Language -language that appeals to your senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell) -example: “in Just-“by E.E. Cummings and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

Sound Devices Alliteration- repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words -example: “Season at the Shore” by Phyllis McGinley Onomatopoeia- use of a word that imitates or suggests the sound of what the word refers to -example: “When the Frost is on the Punkin” by James Whitcomb Riley

Tone -poet’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, toward the reader, or toward himself or herself -example: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and “I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickinson

Humor -most have two things in common, rhythm and rhyme -example: “Father William” by Lewis Carroll

Limerick -five lines -1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme -1st, 2nd, and 5th lines have three beats -3rd and 4th lines rhyme -3rd and 4th lines have two beats -example: “Two Limericks” by Oliver Herford

Free Verse -has no regular rhythm pattern -has no regular rhyme pattern -usually uses sounds of natural speech -example: “Miracles” by Walt Whitman