Poetry

PoetryLifewith rhythmA Practical Definition of PoetryPoetry is a collection of words carefully arranged to affect the reader in a certain way.It does not have to rhyme.It does not have to follow the rules (of grammar).It does not have to be about love.It does not have to make logical sense.

Elements of PoetrySpeaker (or the persona) the voice that communicates with the reader of a poem; can be the voice of a person, and animal, or even a thing ( not necessarily the poet)Line a horizontal row of words, which may or may not form a complete sentenceStanza a group of lines forming a unit, usually separated by a spaceThe Hardest Part to GetRhythm The pattern of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a lineCan be regular or irregularMeter a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that sets the overall rhythm of certain poemsFoot The basic unit in measuring rhythmMost basic unit contains at least one stressed syllable marked with () and one or more unstressed syllables marked with ()

Types of MeterMonometer; verse written in one-foot linesAll thingsMust passAway.Dimeter: verse written in tw0-foot linesThomas / JeffersonWhat do/ you sayUnder the/ gravestoneHidden./ Away?MeterTrimeter- verse written in three-foot linesI know/ not whom/ I meetI know/ not where/ I goTetrameter- verse written in four-foot linesPentameter- verse written in five-foot linesHexameter- verse written in six-foot linesHeptameter- verse written in seven-foot linesBlank Verse- is poetry written in unrhymed iambic (two syllables; first unaccented, second accented) pentameter.Iambic PentameterIf mu- / -sic be / the food / of love, / play on / Is this / a dag- / -ger I / see be- / fore me? -ShakespeareUnstressed, then stressed

Each pair of syllables is called an iambus. Youll notice that each iambus is made up of one unstressed and one stressed beat

Juxtapositionsynonymous with contrast, placing two objects or texts that oppose one another (side by side) to make a point.

RhymeRhyme the repetition of the same stressed vowel sound and succeeding sounds in two or more wordsInternal Rhyme occurs within lines of poetryEnd Rhyme occurs at the ends of linesRhyme Scheme the pattern of rhyme formed by the end rhyme, may be designated by assigning a different letter of the alphabet to each new rhymeThe glory of the day was in her face,AThe beauty of the night was in her eyes. BAnd over all her loveliness, the graceAOf Morning blushing in the early skies.B

Other Sound DevicesAlliteration the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of wordsA drum in the desert, harder and harder to hearConsonance the repetition of consonant sounds within the words or at the ends of wordsharder and harder to hearAssonance the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words"Do you like blue? (*Note-same sound, not same letter)

DevicesOnomatopoeia the use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describessuch as swoosh or clank or bam!Imagery descriptive language used to represent objects, feelings, and thoughts. Often appeals to one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smellBlack horses drive a mowerthrough the weeds, And there, a field rat, startled,squealing bleeds- Jean Toomer

Figures of SpeechSimile uses the word like or as to compare two seemingly unlike thingsthe poet like an acrobatclimbs on rime- Lawrence FerlinghettiMetaphor compares two or more different things by stating or implying that one thing is anotherthe spring rain/ is a / thread of pearls Lady IsePersonification involves giving human characteristics to an animal, object, or ideaSometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,/ And often is his gold complexion dimmed - William ShakespeareTypes of PoetryImagery PoemsPoems that refer to language to paint pictures in the reader's mindUsually appear to the five senses - sight, smell, touch, sound, and tasteLyrical PoetryHighly musical in verse that expresses the feelings of a single speakerExample - "The Raven"Narrative PoetryPoetry that tells a storyExample - "Annabel Lee"Dramatic PoetryWhen one or more characters are speaking in the poetryDramatic Monologue- is one character speaking in a poem.

Free VersePoetry with no regular meter or rhythmVersagraph- free verse paragraph

Dream'd in a Dreamby Walt Whitman

I DREAM'D in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of thewhole of the rest of the earth,I dream'd that was the new city of Friends,Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love, it ledthe rest,It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,And in all their looks and words.

Japanese PoetryHaiku-three-line verse poem. The first and third lines each have five syllables. The second line has seven syllables. 5-7-5Tanka- five-line verse poem. The first and third lines each have five syllables. The second, fourth, and fifth lines each have seven syllables. (an extended Haiku)5-7-5-7-7

Haikus and Tankas are usually about nature. Minute PoemThe Minute Poem is rhyming verse form consisting of 12 lines of 60 syllables written in strict iambic meter. The poem is formatted into 3 stanzas of 8,4,4,4; 8,4,4,4; 8,4,4,4 syllables. The rhyme scheme is as follows: aabb, ccdd, eeffI Need Someone

I need someone to hold me tightThrough dark of night,Who wont go wayAt break of day.

Someone whose love will mend the seamsOf broken dreams,And give me backThe trust I lack.

For love, it holds the magic keyTo set me free,To heal my soulAnd make me whole. VillanelleA nineteen-line poem consisting of a very specific rhyming scheme: aba aba aba aba aba abaa. The first and the third lines in the first stanza are repeated in alternating order throughout the poem, and appear together in the last couplet (last two lines).VillanelleRunaway

Why do they runawayMy soul so beautiful, so brightBut for some reason I keep them at bay

Sometimes I wish they would stayThey give up on me without a fightWhy do they runaway?

Some think I am pretty, I say I'm okayThough this doesn't feel rightBut for some reason I keep them at bayWhat can I do, what can I say?What causes their flight?Why do they runaway?

Just when I think I've won their heart, they strayI feel like the farthest planet in the nightBut for some reason I keep them at bay.

What have I done to chase them away?My soul beckons to them like a beacon of lightWhy do they runaway?But for some reason I keep them at bay.

CinquainA short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of twenty-two syllables distributed as 2, 4, 6, 8, 2, in five lines. It was developed by the Imagist poet, Adelaide Crapsey. Line 1: NounLine 2: Description of NounLine 3: ActionLine 4: Feeling or Effect Line 5: Synonym of the initial noun.Cinquainangelskind beyond wordsthey protect and forgiveand make feelings of blissfulnesscherubimNonetA Nonet has nine lines.The first line has nine syllables, the second line eight syllables, the third line seven syllables, etc... until line nine that finishes with one syllable.It can be on any subject and rhyming is optional. line 1 - 9 syllablesline 2 - 8 syllablesline 3 - 7 syllablesline 4 - 6 syllablesline 5 - 5 syllablesline 6 - 4 syllablesline 7 - 3 syllablesline 8 - 2 syllablesline 9 - 1 syllable NonetA Pirates Playgroundthe ocean is a pirate's playgroundthey live their lives upon the seabattles are fought to the deaththe loot is dividedthey drink to those lostset sail againa pirate'slife formeLimerickA Limerick is a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland. The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of : a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-6-9. This is the most commonly heard first line of a limerick: "There once was a man from ____________."

LimerickThe Test PilotA Plane builder needed a pilot,So Bob told the guy, he would try it.When Bob took to the air,Plane parts fell everywhere.Bob radioed, where shall I pile it?Fancy Forms - SonnetsA Sonnet is a poem with fourteen lines that are almost always written in iambic pentameter-a meter in which the predominant foot, or unit of rhythm, is the iambthat is, and unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. There are five feet in each line of iambic pentameter. There are two types of sonnets Shakespearean (English) and Petrarchan (Italian)The Shakespearean sonnet contains three groups of four lines, called quatrains. Typically, the quatrains have a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg ending in a rhymed couplet. Modern American Sonnet- 14 lines (free verse)Shakespearean (English)3 Quatrains (4 line stanza); 1 Rhymed Couplet (2 lines)Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef ggLet me not to the marriage of true minds (a)Admit impediments, love is not love (b)* Which alters when it alteration finds, (a)Or bends with the remover to remove. (b)*O no, it is an ever fixed mark (c)**That looks on tempests and is never shaken; (d)***It is the star to every wand'ring bark, (c)Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken. (d)*** Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks (e)Within his bending sickle's compass come, (f)*Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, (e)But bears it out even to the edge of doom: (f)*If this be error and upon me proved, (g)*I never writ, nor no man ever loved. (g)*Petrarchan (Italian)1 Octave (8 lines); 1 Sestet (6 lines) Rhyme Scheme: abbaabba cdecde (may vary)When I consider how my light is spent (a)Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, (b)And that one talent which is death to hide, (b)Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent (a)To serve therewith my Maker, and present (a)My true account, lest he returning chide; (b)"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?" (b)I fondly ask; but Patience to prevent (a)That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need (c)Either man's work or his own gifts; who best (d)Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state (e)Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed (c)And post o'er land and ocean without rest; (d)They also serve who only stand and wait." (e)

Close ReadingFormRhymeDoes the poem rhyme? Is there a particular rhyme scheme? Is the scheme consistent throughout? Where does the rhyme change?Are there particular types of words, or words that are rhymed throughout?Is there alliteration? What are the alliterated sounds like: for example, fluid or harsh?Close ReadingForm cont.RhythmDoes the poem have an identifiable rhythm? Does the rhythm change in any particular part of the poem?Does the rhythm make you read faster, read slower, give a sense of chaos, or panic, or calm, or playfulness?

Close ReadingContentWhat kinds of words are used? Are they mostly nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or prepositions?How do the words relate to one another? What kinds of words are usually the subject of the sentences? What kinds of words are usually the object of the sentence? Do certain words occur only in the presence of other words?Are there any recurring themes? For example, are there clusters of words about death, light, color, youth, or strength?

Close ReadingContent cont.What is the tone of the poem? Is it happy, frightened, sad, penitent, or joyful?Are there any characters in the poem? Can you identify them and their relationships to one another?Is the speaker a character in the poem? Does the speaker seem to have a personality, or is he or she more like an objective reporter?If you can answer most of these questions, you will be able to crack most of the tricks in difficult or modernist poetry. You will then need to examine the form along with the content, and see what comes together for you.