Guide to Poetry

1. PROSE VS POETRY

2. PARTS OF A POEM

3. TYPES OF CLASSICAL POETRY

4. REPEATING SOUNDS

4.1. Alliteration, Consonance, and Assonance

4.2. Internal Rhyme

4.3. End-Rhyme

4.4. Rhyme Scheme

5. SCANSION

5.1. Repeating Meter

5.2. Repeating Rhythm

6. THEME VS TOPIC

6.1. Theme

6.2. Topic

7. SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS

1. PROSE VS POETRY

What is prose? What is poetry?

Demonstrate your understanding:

Can you define these two using your own words?

Can you show how they are different from each other?

Can you give examples of prose and poetry?

2. PARTS OF A POEM Title

What’s the title of this poem? Answer: Invictus

Byline Where is this poem’s byline located?

Answer: at the bottom

Line How many lines are in this poem?

Answer: 16

Stanza

Definition:

Number of lines that form a group of a poem.

How many stanzas in this poem?

Answer: Four

Significance: We use stanza to separate each part of the poem.

3. TYPES OF CLASSICAL POETRY

Note: Free verse is not the same is blank verse. Source: http://slideplayer.com/slide/4087408/

4. REPEATING SOUNDS (SOUND DEVICES) Poetry is different from prose because, in poetry, words are chosen so that the same sounds are

repeated. This gives the reader a feeling of pleasure when reading the poem. This is not intentionally

done in prose.

Source: http://slideplayer.com/slide/4087408/

There are many types of sound devices. Here are four: alliteration, consonance, assonance, rhymes

4.1. Alliteration, Consonance, and Assonance Alliteration

Sounds are repeated at the beginning of words or at the beginning of lines of poetry.

Definition: Repeating of consonant sound, vowel sound, or letter at the beginning of words. Source: http://victor8thepoet.blogspot.com/2011/04/alliteration.html

Examples - The sound of P - The sound of S - The sound of N

- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers - Safe and sound - Now or never

4.1. Internal Rhyme

Sounds are repeated anywhere in lines of poetry.

4.2. End-Rhyme

End-rhyme

Sounds are repeated at the end of words or at the end of lines of poetry.

4.3. Rhyme Scheme Rhyme scheme is a pattern of end-rhymes. The first sound is a. The second sound is b. The third sound is c, and so on.

What’s the rhyme scheme used in this nursery rhyme?

What is the rhyme scheme of this limerick?

Example:

What’s the rhyme scheme in this sonnet? Why is it called a quatrain?

SLIDESHOW See this slideshow presentation for a detailed explanation about rhyme scheme: http://www.slideshare.net/debgoodlett/rhyme-scheme-rhythm-and-meter-final?related=1 Or this simple explanation: http://slideplayer.com/slide/756511/

5. Scansion Scansion is drawing the rhythm and meter of a poem by using symbols for rhythm, meter, and pauses.

For a detailed explanation of scansion, visit this page: http://awinlanguage.blogspot.com.tr/2012/04/basic-

versification-of-poetry.html. For a quick reference, visit this page: http://server.riverdale.k12.or.us/~bblack/meter.html

5.1. Meter Definition A pattern of rhythm - stressed

and unstressed syllables.

Source: http://poetrypoem.blogspot.com/2011/04/meter.html See the source for more explanations.

Significance 1

We use meter to help the reader enjoy the poem better. When they read it out loud, it sounds like a song.

How to name poetic meters

Source: http://www.writingrhymeandmeter.com/?page_id=1908 See the source for more explanations.

Significance 2

Meter creates rhythm in a poem. It makes the poem more interesting and meaningful when the words and syllables have stressed and unstressed tone.

Significance 3

Meter is very important when being delivered orally to the audience. When syllables are stressed while reciting, important ideas are emphasizes which helps poet convey their message to readers.

Significance 4

It's boring when there's no meter while reciting poem because there would be no feelings and thoughts deliver to the audience. If a people speak without meter, they're like robots. Source: http://victor8thepoet.blogspot.com/2011/04/meter.html

5.2. Rhythm Definition The up and down sound of your voice when you

read a poem.

How to write the rhythm

The unaccented syllable can be a short, straight line instead of a curved line.

Symbols used Instead of the symbol for a short syllable here,

use the symbol for the accented syllable above.

Source: http://poetrypoem.blogspot.com/2011/04/meter.html

List of common rhythms

When accented and unaccented (or long and short) syllables are combined, they create rhythms. These are the most common rhythms in poetry.

Source: http://poetrypoem.blogspot.com/2011/04/meter.html

Significance We use rhythm when we read poems to show the feelings and expressions of the poem and to attract the listeners. When we read with rhythm, it gives more emotion to the listeners and readers.

Example See this source for explanations: http://classroom.synonym.com/meter-poetry-2468.html

A list of 12 types

Source: https://yuanfields.wordpress.com/category/learning-poetry/

SLIDESHOW See this slideshow for a more detailed explanation about rhythm in poetry: http://www.slideshare.net/jweber0205/ropppt-1

Another list of 12 types Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/29/c8/b2/29c8b25e4b648de3488aaf786be578f8.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.pinterest.com/chiekochick/poetry-unit/&h=219&w=236&tbnid=zYtBJgFTeXL1jM:&zoom=1&docid=NeI0oFMa9MqnkM&ei=tbGOVf7OEsTcmgXZ8ICgDA&tbm=isch&ved=0CHkQMyhSMFI

6. Theme VS Topic In short: A topic is a noun only. There can be one or many topics in a literary piece. On the other hand,

theme is an idea that repeats throughout one poem or one story, even when the topics change at each

part of the poem or story.

For example: In this plot diagram of a story, there are different topics. In the main conflict, the topic is

unhappiness. In the climax, the topic is missed opportunity. In the falling action, the topic is self-

recrimination. However, the theme remains the same at every part of the plot: boy meets girl.

6.1. Topic The topic of a poem or story is usually a noun or noun phrase. A noun phrase is a group of words that

serves as one noun. There is no verb:

love

death

separation

complete victory (noun phrase)

unknown fears (noun phrase)

A poem or story may have many topics.

6.2. Theme The theme of a poem or story is usually in any of these three forms:

1. a noun + an action (verb): love hurts

2. a noun + an action + a receiver of the action (direct object):

love conquers all

faith can move mountains

boy meets girl

3. a noun + a description (adjective) after a verb form of “to be” (is, are, will be, was, were, can be,

may be, or the negative forms of these verbs):

blood is thicker than water

choice is freedom

to be educated is to be free

less is more

life before was better than life today

A story or a poem will have one major theme repeating throughout the different parts of the poem or

story.

A literary piece can have one or many topics. A theme, on the other hand, is an idea that repeats

throughout the literary piece. For example, even if the topics change, the theme is still present.

7. Sample Test Questions The prelims will have several sections. One section is Poetry Analysis. Sample questions:

The heartbroken boy working in a girl’s dorm says: “Water, water everywhere / Not any drop to

drink” referring to his single status. This is an allusion to the poem _____ by _____.

How many lines per stanza can be found in The Song of the Galley?

What is the theme of Sonnet of Petrarch?

What topics can be found in the first stanza of Giacomo Leopardi’s Infinite?

What type of poem is The Iliad?

What type of poem is The Aenid?

What is the rhyme scheme used in Martial’s Procrastination?

What is the scansion used in To Licinius?

How many stanzas are in Lucretius’ De Rerum Natural?

What is the rhyme scheme used in Horace’s Odes?

What is the rhyme scheme used in De Ronsard’s Fragment of a Sonnet?

What is scansion is used in the first five lines of Lermontov’s The Princess of the Tide?

What sound devices can be found in the second stanza of Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient

Mariner?

What rhyme scheme does Emily Dickinson use in her poem Bring Me the Sunset in a Cup?

Another section in the prelims is titled Story Analysis. Here are sample test questions. (Please refer to

your Literature Guide)

Who or what is the protagonist in Aeschylus’ The Seven Against Thebes?

In Moliere’s The Misantrophe, what type of character is Philinte?

Who or what is the antagonist in Apuleius’ The Story of Cupid and Psyche?

What is the main conflict in Book XII of The Aenid?

What are the topics of Buzatti’s The Tartar Steppe?

What is the physical setting of Calvino’s The Baron in the Trees?

Who is the romantic angle in Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso?

In de Maupassant’s The False Gems, what is the climax?

Who or what is the antagonist in Goethe’s Faust?

Other sections of the prelims are:

Write the stress marks of each word *‘ for stressed syllables] [- for unstressed syllables]

Vocabulary: Allusions

The Importance of Literature