Capturing the ordinaryin

an extraordinary way

In Your Words

Writer Gary Soto

“Poetry is a concentrated form of writing; so much meaning is packed into such a little space. Therefore, each word in a poem is very important and is chosen very carefully to convey just the right meaning.”

Verse & Prose

Verse – a poem, a piece of poetry, a line of poetry

Prose – the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure

Speaker

The speaker is the voice talking to the reader in a poem.

The speaker is not always the poet.Think of the speaker as a character the poet has created.

The speaker may be an animal, an object, or an idea.

Speaker vs. Narrator

SPEAKER

The voice in a poem Does not have to be

the poet

NARRATOR

The person telling the story in a short story or novel

Does not have to be the writer

Example: Harry Potter and J.K. Rowlings

Favorite Outdoor Activity

It could be playing a sport, sunning on a beach, walking your dog, picnicking at the park, snowboarding on the mountain, etc.

Write a paragraph describing your favorite outdoor activity?

Describe using your five senses (sights, sounds, smells, taste, & touch).

Epic

It’s a long narrative poem written in formal, elegant language that tells about a series of quests undertaken by a great hero.

In the ancient epics this hero is a warrior who embodies the values cherished by the culture that recites the epic.

Casey at the Bat

“Casey at the Bat” is a short narrative poem that imitates the old epic tales, but in a comical way.

A narrative poem tells a story and, like fiction, contains characters, settings, and plots.

Look for TheseElements of Plot

Exposition – background information on the characters and the present situation

Conflict/complication – a struggle between opposing characters or opposing forces

Climax – the turning point in the story that creates the greatest suspense or interest (right before the story changes course)

Resolution – the final part of the story in which the conflict is resolved and the story is brought to a close

Stanza

Stanza is a group of consecutive lines in a poem that forms a single unit.

A stanza in a poem is something like a paragraph in prose.

It often expresses a unit of thought. A stanza may consist of any number of

lines; it may even consist of a single line.

Read

Read “Casey at the Bat”Note the exposition, conflict/complication, climax, and resolution of the poem.How many lines in a stanza in this poem?

Poem #1

Figurative LanguageThese are expressions that are not literally true.

The purpose is to create fresh and original descriptions.

Figurative Language

Metaphor Simile Personification Hyperbole

Metaphor

It directly compares two very different things.

The moon was a golden grapefruit high up in the sky.

Simile

It directly compares two very different things using like, such as, as, than, or resembles.

The moon looked like a gleaming new penny.

Personification

Giving human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

The moon smiled down on all the creatures of the forest.

The wind tapped at my window.Poetry dances across the white canvas with grace and beauty.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis or humor

He was so hungry he ate the entire Double-Double in five seconds.

The sun blinded my eyes.

Practice

Figurative Language Practice

Your Turn

Write a poem on your favorite outdoor activity

using figurative language

Poem #2

Symbolism - A symbol is a person, a place, a thing, or an event that stands for something beyond its dictionary meaning.

Symbolism Examples

A tree Dictionary definition

It’s a plant having a permanently woody main stem or trunk.

Meaning beyond the dictionaryIt could symbolize life or strength.

The rain might symbolize sadness.What does this symbolize?

Denotation & Connotation

Denotation – the dictionary definition of a word

Connotation – a meaning, association, or emotion suggested by a word, in addition to its dictionary definition

Connotation is important in symbolism.

What’s the Difference?

DENOTATION

You could use either “determined” or “pigheaded” to describe a person.

They both describe a person who is very decided or resolved on an idea.

CONNOTATION

Determined – positive association

Pigheaded – negative association

House vs. Home

DENOTATION

What is the denotation of house and home?

CONNOTATION

Is there a connotation for house?

Is there a connotation for home?

A Favorite Object

Is there an object in your life that symbolizes something important to you? It could be an old toy or a favorite book or maybe a food that brings back memories. Your object may represent happy times or sad times.

Writing Topic

Write a paragraph about your favorite object. What does this object symbolize?

Describe your object and choose your diction wisely. Think about denotation and connotation of certain words as you write.

Read

Read “My Mother Pieced Quilts”Pay attention to the symbolism, diction, denotation, and connotation.

Verse

“My Mother Pieced Quilts” is written in free verseFree verse is poetry without a regular meter or rhyme scheme.Free verse imitates natural speech.

Your Turn

Write a poem aboutyour favorite object.

Poem #3Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses

Use sensory details to help the reader imagine how things look, feel, smell, sound, and taste.

Poet Li-Young Lee

“Succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all” (Taste)

“Her hair, heavy and black as calligrapher’s ink” (Sight)

“The long grain is softening in the water, gurgling over a low stove flame” (Sound)

The Best Gift

Write a paragraph about the best gift you could ever have. The gift does not have to be a material object. It can be a special day spent at a special place or it could be something nice someone did for you.

Write About It

What makes this gift so special? Describe the gift using descriptive and figurative language (i.e. simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole).

Read

Read “The Gift”Pay attention to the symbolism and imagery

Your Turn

Write a poem about the best gift you can ever

receive.

Poem #4

AlliterationIt is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake.

It does NOT have to start with the same letter! C

K

Write About It

How would you describe yourself? Write a paragraph about yourself using descriptive and figurative language (i.e. simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole).Try adding alliteration.

Read

Read “Identity”Pay attention to the symbolism, imagery, and alliteration.

Your Turn

Write a poem about your identity.

Write About It - Love

What is love?Write a paragraph describing what love is. It does not have to be romantic love. It can be love for family, friends, humanity, or a material object. Use similes and metaphors.

Poem #5

OnomatopoeiaThe use of words whose sounds imitate or suggest their meaning.

Buzz, rustle, boom, tick tock, tweet, and bark

“Outside, / A few cars hissing past”

Read

Read “Oranges”Pay attention to the symbolism, imagery, and onomatopoeia.

Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem, usually written in iambic pentameter.

There are two kinds of sonnets: English (a.k.a. Shakespearean or Elizabethan)

Italian (a.k.a. Petrarchan)

Iambic Pentameter

A line of poetry that contains 5 beats

Has the pattern of unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

Example:

English Sonnet

It has three quatrainsIt ends with a coupletExample:

4 lines 4 lines 4 lines 2 lines

Quatrain & Couplet

A quatrain is a four-line stanzaA couplet is a two-line stanza

Rhyme

Rhyme is the repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in a poem.

“Mean” and “screen” are rhymes, as are “crumble” and “tumble.”

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of end rhymesEnglish sonnets have this rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg

That means the end of these lines rhyme: 1 & 3, 2 & 4, and so on

English vs. Italian Sonnets

ENGLISH The 1st two quatrains

presents an idea. The 3rd quatrain takes a

turn, sometimes introducing something unexpected.

The couplet summarizes the point of the sonnet.

Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg

ITALIAN The speaker poses a

question or makes a point in the first eight lines.

The response to the question or point comes in the last six lines.

Rhyme scheme abbaabba cdecde

or abbaabba cdccdc

Read

Christina Rossetti’s “A Birthday”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 43”

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130”

Your Turn

Write a poem that centers around the concept of love.It doesn’t have to be about romance. It can be about your love for family, friends, humanity, nature, God, an ideal, or a material object.

Elegy

Elegy is a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died.

What would the tone of this poem be like?

What would the mood of this poem be like?

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, and audience is the tone.

In “Casey at the Bat,” the tone is humorous.

In “I Have a Dream” the tone is passionate and sincere.

Mood

The overall feeling of a work of literature.

It can be described in one or two adjectives, such as scary, happy, sad, or nostalgic.

Diction

The writer’s or speaker’s choice of words.

Diction can create mood and tone.Slang words that would be suitable for a humorous piece like “Casey at the Bat” would not be appropriate for a serious essay like “A Tragedy Revealed: A Heroine’s Last Days”.

Extended Metaphor

An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is extended, or developed, over several lines of writing or even throughout an entire work.

The metaphor is referenced more than once in the work.

Read

Read “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman (447).

Pay attention to the tone, mood, and extended metaphor in this poem.

Lyric Poem

Lyric poem is a poem that expresses the feelings or thoughts of a speaker rather than telling a story.

Lyric poems are usually short and imply, rather than directly state, a single strong emotion or idea.

A Word is Deadby Emily Dickenson

A word is deadWhen it is said,Some say.

 I say it just Begins to liveThat day.

Ode

Ode is a lyric poem, rhymed or unrhymed, on a serious subject.

Odes are usually addressed to one person or thing. In “Oda a las gracias/ Ode to Thanks” (437-438), Pablo Neruda praises the word thanks.

Read

Read “Oda a las gracias/ Ode to Thanks” (437-438).

What do you think would be the tone and mood of this poem?

Your Turn

Write an elegy, ode, or lyric poem about anything.Let’s brainstorm some ideas!

Ballad

A ballad is a song or songlike poem that tells a story.

A narrative poem sounds like a story.

A ballad has a sing-song quality to it.

Read

Read “The Cremation of Sam McGee”Pay attention to the plot, the sing-song quality of the poem, and the rhyming.

The Land of the Midnight Sun

Your Turn

Write a ballad about a tall tale.You can work alone, in pairs, or in trios.