ix. poetry a.basic definitions 1. poetic language a. the use of literary techniques such as...
TRANSCRIPT
IX. POETRYA. Basic Definitions
1. Poetic Languagea. The use of literary techniques such
as metaphor, simile, personification, etc.2. Poetry
a. Any writing which relies on poetic language3. Poem
a. A self-contained piece of writing which relies on poetic language
B. Types of poems
1. Narrative
a. Poem that tells a story
2. Lyric
a. Poem which captures an emotional response to an experience
3. Dramatic
a. Poem in which characters, not the author, speak to the reader
C. Form Poems1. Poems that have a specific shape, number of lines, syllables, etc.2. Three major types we’ll study
a. Limerick1. 5-line poem with AABBA rhyme. Typically
lighthearted/funb. Haiku
1. 3-line poem with 5-7-5 syllable count. Usually “thoughtful”
c. Sonnet1. 14-line poem with LOTS of
criteria!
IX. POETRY ctd.D. Two Levels of Language
1. Literal Language
a. Language/words that mean exactly what they say
b. ex. “I am really hungry”
2. Figurative Language
a. Language/words that mean something different than what they say
b. ex. “I could eat a whole planet!”
3. Denotation
a. The exact (or dictionary) meaning of words
b. ex. “witch” is a woman who rides a broom and casts spells
4. Connotation
a. The implied meaning of words
b. ex. “witch” is a mean woman
E. Poetic Techniques
1. Onomatopoeia
a. When a word sounds like what it describes
b. ex. “bang, boom, pow!”
2. Simile
a. A comparison between two things using “like” or “as”
b. ex. “He fights like a lion”
3. Metaphor
a. A comparison not using “like” or “as”
b. ex. “He was a lion on the court”
E. Poetic Techniques ctd.
4. Imagery
a. When an author creates a picture or sound in the reader’s mind
b. ex. “The fields were green, stretched beyond the horizon, and were
smothered with clouds”
5. Allusion
a. When an author refers to another work of art
b. ex. “The neighbor next door is a scrooge”
IX. POETRY ctd.E. Poetic Techniques, ctd.
6. Rhythm
a. Using line length and stresses to create a musical pattern
b. ex. “Whose woods these are I think I know”
7. Symbol
a. An object which represents an idea
b. ex. Heart=Love
E. Poetic Techniques, ctd.8. Alliteration
a. The repetition of initial consonant sounds
b. ex. “Sally sells seashells by the seashore”
9. Personificationa. Giving non-human objects
human characteristicsb. ex. “The raven grinned at me”
10. Hyperbolea. Extreme exaggerationb. ex. “It’s a million degrees out
there!”
Let’s try some identification exercises!
1. Mommy made me mash my M&Ms.
2. The sun walked across the sky.
3. The kid never seemed to be with us; he was like Walter Mitty.
4. Like sands through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
5. The flower danced in the breeze.
6. Smoke erupted, and there was a great boom as if from a cannon.
7. She opened the present: a heart-shaped pendant with a picture of them at the beach inside.