Exploring Poetry Dream Deferred

by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry upLike 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 sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

What is Poetry?Type of rhythmic, compressed language that

uses figures of speech and imagery to appeal to the readers’s emotions and imagination

Elements of PoetryPoetry is literature in verse form, a controlled

arrangement of lines and stanzasPoems use concise, musical, and emotionally

charged language to express multiple layers of meaning

Poets use figurative language to help readers recognize relationships and similarities among different things

Figurative LanguageLanguage that is used imaginatively , rather than literally to

express ideas or feelings in new waysFigures of speech similes- comparisons between unlike things using the words,

like, as or than Ex. She runs like the wind metaphors- comparisons that speaks of one thing in terms of

another Ex. It is the east, and Juliet is the sun Personification- human traits given to nonhuman things Ex. The ocean snarled and pounded against the shore Imagery- descriptive language that makes vivid impressions Images developed through sensory language that relate to

sight, sound, taste, touch, smell and movement

Poetic Sound Devices Poets use sound devices to achieve a musical quality Rhythm- the pattern created by stressed and unstressed syllables of words

in sequence Meter- a pattern of rhythm Rhyme- the repetition of identical sounds in the last syllables of words Rhyme scheme- a pattern of rhyme at the ends of the lines Most common type is end rhyme Internal rhyme occurs within lines- ex. The warm sun is failing, the

bleak wind is wailing Alliteration- the repetition of the initial consonant sounds of nearby words Ex. light and lemon Assonance- the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words Ex. date and fade Consonance- the repetition of consonants within nearby words in which

the preceding vowels differ Ex. milk and walk Onomatopeia- use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its

meaning; it reinforces meaning and create musical sound Ex. Buzz, Splash, Bark

Graphic ElementsPoets use graphic elements to help readers understand the poem and

strengthen the sound or visual appeal of the poemStanza- group of consecutive lines that form a single unit in a poem;

Similar to a paragraph and often expresses a unit of thought Punctuation- marks such as commas to show the reader where to

slow down or pause Line length- help determine whether a poem has a flowing sound or a

short, choppy sound Word position- show relationships between words and ideas Foot- a single rhythmical unit of verse Blank poetry- poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter- each line consists of five iambs Iamb- type of metrical foot that consists of an unstressed syllable

followed by a stressed syllable

Types of Poetry Blank verse- poem written in unrhymed iambic pentameter line; verse form

widely used by William Shakespeare Free verse- poetry not written in a regular pattern of meter or rhyme ex. Cornelius Eady’s “The Poetic Intepretation of the Twist” Narrative- tells a story with a plot, characters, and setting Ex. The Bridegroom Epic- long narrative poem about the feats of gods or heroes such as Beowulf Ballad- a songlike narrative with stanzas and a refrain Dramatic- tells a story using a character’s own thoughts or spoken

statements Ex. The Bridegroom Lyric- poems written in highly musical language that expresses the thoughts,

observation and feelings of a single speaker Lyrics are the most common type of poem in modern literature Sonnet- a fourteen-line lyric poem with formal patterns of rhyme, rhythm,

and line structure; Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains (four- line stanzas) and a couplet (two lines at the end); usually rhyming abab cdcd efef gg

Poetry Vocabulary Allusion- reference to a well-known person, place, event literary work or work of

art Apostrophe-breaking off from normal speech and speaking to an imaginary person

or even to an abstract quality or idea; typically a question, an explanation or an expression of frustration

Denotation- word in its dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have

ex. Lake- an inland body of water Connotation- word is the set of ideas associated with it in addition to its explicit

meaning ex. Vacation spot or place where the fishing is good• Diction- author’s choice of words, especially with regard to vocabulary (formal or

slang)• Metonymy- figure of speech where a name of one thing is replaced with the name

of something that is closely associated with it ex. He write with a fine hand Mood- the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage; suggested

by descriptive details and can be described in a single word ex. Frightening feeling

Poetry VocabularyOxymoron- combination of words that contradict each other;

device used to reveal the deeper truth ex. Bittersweet; wise foolParadox- statement that seems contradictory but that

actually may express a deeper truth; it catches the readers attention

Speaker- an imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem; speaker is not identified by name and the speaker can be a person, animal, thing or an abstraction

Tone- the writer’s attitude toward his/her audience and subject; described by a single adjective

ex. Bitter toneTheme- central message or insight into life revealed through

a literary work

Famous World PoetsWilliam ShakespeareLangston HughesEmily Dickinson William BlakeE.E. CummingsLord ByronMaya AngelouEdmund SpenserShel Silverstein Gwendolyn BrooksWalt Whitman