1. prepared by Camille Quamina
Elements of Poetry
prepared by Camille Quamina

2. The Verse Line
Line break or line turn: determined by grammar or syntax e.g. breaking the line after clauses
End-stopped: line ends with a punctuation device
Run-on line/enjambment: no acknowledged pause at end of line because the logic or grammatical sense of the line carries over to the next
Pulls: the force or speed with which the eye and voice moves across a line- break to complete an idea or thought
Caesura: pronounced pause that occurs anywhere within a line, usually in the middle
Line break
-when reading a poem, you are expected to break the line after each clause, pause slightly
-syntactic ordering create dif. possible meanings
End-stopped
-the degree of the pause depends on the punctuation
-A full-stop, colon, semi colon, question mark, exclamation mark requires a more pronounced pause than a comma or hypen
Run-on
-it quickens th pace of the poem and suggests unbroken thoughts or agitated states of mind of the speaker
Pulls
-strong pull = preposition falls at the end creating anticipation to complete the idea by sweeping into the next line
-when am adjective falls at the end of the line and is separated from the noun
Pause
-it maybe created by punctuation devices or after an internal rhyme
-at the end of a clause found within a line
-large and unusual spacing between words in the line
-create and emphasize a contrast or close relationship bet. ideas expressed in the line
-contrast between emotive issues within the line or larger poem

3. Subject and Theme
Subject refers to the what or who of the work. It involves what is being done, said, referred to, argued, expressed, and worked out regarding a person, place, thing or idea
Theme refers to the overall idea behind the work. It includes the message the poet wants to communicate based on his/her treatment (depiction and presentation) of the subject matter
Subject
what is said about the subject and how it is said are good indications of what the poet's intention is within the work.
therefore there is a direct connection among the poet's intention (the purpose for writing the poem about the subject) the subject (person or thing being written or spoken about) and the theme (the central or overall idea behind the work).
Theme
when writing about a theme it is helpful to use the term dominant impression which refers to the general thematic message the poem conveys. It will be a statement rather than a single word.
most statements of theme have to be inferred from the poet's overall tone and attitude as well as statements made by the subject matter.
recurring thematic concerns are called literary motifs. E.G. Carpe Diem motif, Immortality through art motif etc.

4. Tone, Mood And Perspective
All create an emotional effect or meaning
Tone refers to the writer’s attitude towards the subject matter or reader
It is conveyed through the persona’s tone of voice
Mood is the emotional impression surrounding the work and has a definite impact. There is an expected outcome
Tools used are rhythm, rhyme, music, assonance, dissonance & figurative language (emotive words, graphic visual and aural imagery etc.)
Points of View refers to the speaking voice or persona: 1st person, 2nd person and 3rd person
voice tones: figurative - irony, structural device - argument
types of tones are casual, ironic, adulatory, critical, sarcastic. tones may shift (as there maybe combination of different tones) in one poem and you must be able to identify it & explain why
Persona is a mask the poet stands behind. there are 3 perspectives:
1st - personal pronouns (I, me, my, we, us) intimate, conversational, immediate and emotionally engaging
2nd - 2nd person pronoun "you and your" (stated or implied). it speaks to the listener as opposed to as or about. Used in Odes
3rd - most common, (he, she, him, her, they, them, it) It speaks about the subject. there maybe combos in one piece of writing

5. Poetic Language and Rhythm
Diction or choice of poetic language refers to the words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning in the poem.
Consider formal and informal use of language
Syntax or the way words are structured in a sentence
Violations of conventional language i.e. poetic liscense and inversions
Diction in poetry is a good index of a character or persona. The persona's use of Standard English, slang, slang, vernacular or colloquial speech can capture the attitude and temperament of the personality portrayed.
slang is informal intimate Standard English suggests formality, distance
consider too the denotative or literal use of language vs the connotative or figurative use of language. The latter suggests that there more than one possible meaning, a play on words and of meanings. For example the use of creole creates shared meanings
Rhythm or Meter

6. Rhythm or Meter
All speech utterances have a rhythm associated with them, whether song, chant, rap or ordinary speech
Rhythm is one of two features credited for making a poetic line memorable, the other is rhyme
Rhythm or Meter speaks to sound patterns created by stressed and unstressed syllables i.e. monosyllabic and polysyllabic words
Scaning/scansion

7. Let Me Stress You Out With Rhythmic Patterns
As we pronounce words in speaking or reading, we place a greater stress on some syllables more than others
Where the stress falls on the 1st syllable in a two syllable word the sound pattern is called trochee, adjective trochaic
Stress falls on the 2nd syllable in a two syllable word is called iamb, adjective iambic
Both syllables equally stressed forms a pattern called spondee, adjective spondaic
These are double meter patterns
These are double meter patterns or dissyllabic rythms
These sound patterns are called meter and the process of recognising meter is called scansion

8. Ms. is Stressing Me Out!
Where the stress falls in the first and third syllables while the third is unstressed is called dactyl, adjective dactylic
Stress on the third and little on the first and second, pattern is called anapest, adjective anapestic
These are referred to as trimeter or trisyllabic rhythm
3 main ways to identify meter in a poet line
-say it aloud to hear it
-number of syllables in a line
combination of syllables and accents is called poetic foot or feet
-next step is to name the meter

9. Work Cited
McDermott, Harold. CAPE Literatures in English Poetry Module. Port of Spain: Caribbean Educational Publishers Print.