Poetry

JONAROSA NONGMASH-UP OF POETRY ELEMENTS

2014

What is poetry

?

A form of art in which language is used for

its aesthetic and evocative qualities with or without its apparent meaning.

It is derived from the Greek word

poiesis, meaning "making" or "creating”

often uses particular forms and conventions to expand the literal

meaning of the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses

Purpose of Poetry

To express ideas, feelings and emotions.

What are the origins

of poetry?

Many ancient works, from the Vedas to the Odyssey,

appear to have been composed in poetic form to aid memorization and

oral transmission, in prehistoric and ancient

societies.

The oldest surviving poem is the Epic of Gilgamesh, from the 3rd millennium BC in

Sumer (Mesopotamia, now Iraq), which was written in cuneiform script on clay tablets

and, later, papyrus.

Other ancient epic poetry includes the Greek epics, Iliad and Odyssey, and the

Indian epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

What are the genres

of poetry?

POETIC GENRESNarrative

Poetry

Epic Poetry

Dramatic Poetry

Satirical Poetry

Lyric Poetry

Narrative PoetryTells a storyMay be the oldest genre of poetry

Includes epics, ballads, idylls and lays

Epic PoetryIt recounts, in a continuous narrative, the life and works of a heroic or mythological person or group of persons.

Dramatic Poetry

Is drama written in verse to be spoken or sung, and appears in varying and sometimes related forms in many cultures.

uses the discourse of the characters involved to tell a story or portray a situation.

Satirical PoetryA punch of an insult delivered in verse

often written for political purposes.

A notable example is that of the Roman poet Juvenal.

Lyric PoetryPortrays the poet's own feelings, state of mind, and perceptions.

Derived from the word "lyre“; implies that it is intended to be sung

Includes sonnets, elegy, ballads, odes, villanelles and pastourelles

POINT OF VIEW IN POETRY

POET

The poet is the author of the poem.

SPEAKER

The speaker of the poem is the “narrator” of the poem.

Types of Poetry

A poem that tells a story; ballads are

usually sung

Ballad:

Types of Poetry

Free Verse:Poetry that doesn’t follow any specific patterns in rhythm, rhyme scheme, or line length; free

verse may contain rhymes, but they are

not used in a prescribed manner

Types of Poetry

HaikuA three-line

Japanese poetic form in the lines

follow the pattern of five syllables in the

first line, seven syllables in the

second line, and five syllables in the third

line.

Types of Poetry

Limerick:a five-line poem that follows a specific rhyme scheme and rhythm. The first, second, and fifth lines contain eight syllables. Lines two

and three contain six syllables. Limericks are usually funny or silly.There was an Old Man with a

beard,Who said, ‘It is just as I feared!Two Owls and a Hen,Four Larks and a wrenHave all built their nests in my beard

Types of Poetry

Narrative Poem:

A poem that tells the sequence of events of a story;

Types of Poetry

Sonnet:

A very structured fourteen-line poem that follows a specific rhyme structure and rhythm. The two

most common sonnets are the Italian sonnet and the English sonnet. William Shakespeare wrote

many English sonnets, which are also referred to as Shakespearean sonnets.

Another important thing to know

STANZA

consists of two or more lines of poetry that

together form one of the divisions of

a poem.

KINDS OF STANZASCouplet = a two line stanzaTriplet (Tercet) = a three line stanzaQuatrain = a four line stanzaQuintet = a five line stanzaSestet (Sextet) = a six line stanzaSeptet = a seven line stanzaOctave = an eight line stanza

What are the basic elements of poetry?

Basic Elements of Poetry

RHYTHM

is the actual sound that

results from a line of poetry.

Basic Elements of Poetry

RHYTHM

the pattern of stressed and unstressed

syllables in a line.

Basic Elements of Poetry

METER

the number of feet in a

line

Basic Elements of Poetry

METER

Meter is the definitive pattern

established for a verse (such as

iambic pentameter)

Basic Elements of Poetry

METER

is often scanned based

on the arrangement

of "poetic feet" into lines.

Some examples of metric system

Iambic pentameter. It contains five feet per line, in which the predominant kind of foot is the "iamb”

Dactylic hexameter. It has six feet per line, of which the dominant kind of foot is the dactyl.

Basic Elements of Poetry

RHYME

consists of identical (hard-rhyme) or

similar (soft-rhyme) sounds placed at the

ends of lines or at predictable locations within lines (internal

rhyme).

Rhyme

When working with rhyme, you should always remember that the most important part of verse is

the last word. The last word of each verse is what establishes

they rhyme.

Twinkle, twinkle little star!How I wonder what you areUp above the world so high.Like a diamond in the sky.

A

A

B

B

Rhyme Schem

e

Basic Elements of Poetry

THEME

what the poet wants to express

through his words.

Basic Elements of Poetry

THEME

may either be a thought, a feeling, an

observation, a story or an

experience.

Basic Elements of Poetry

SYMBOLISM

virtual substances and

themes to express the deep hidden meaning

behind the words.

Basic Elements of Poetry

The use of symbolism gives a more reflective empathy to the

poem.

SYMBOLISM

Basic Elements of Poetry

IMAGERY

A poet must stimulate the imagination. He or she has to use a language that creates mental pictures or images.

Sensory Images:Visual- to the sense of sight.Olfactory- to the sense of smell.Gustatory- to the sense of tasteTactil- to the sense of touchAuditory- to the sense of hearing

Recognizing Figurative Language The opposite of literal language is figurative

language. Figurative language is language that means more than what it says on the surface.

It usually gives us a feeling about its subject.

Poets use figurative language almost as frequently as literal language. When you read poetry, you must be conscious of the difference. Otherwise, a poem may make no sense at all.

Recognizing Literal Language “I’ve eaten so much I feel as if I could literally burst!”

In this case, the person is not using the word literally in its true meaning. Literal means "exact" or "not exaggerated." By pretending that the statement is not exaggerated, the person stresses how much he has eaten.

Literal language is language that means exactly what is said.

Most of the time, we use literal language.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Simile A direct, explicit comparison of one

thing to another in which the words like or as are used.

Ex. She looks like an angel. Her lips are as sweet as honey.

Onomatopoeia The attempt to echo or imitate sounds

with words

Ex. Bow-wow, oink-oink, tick-tack, howling

Litotes Understatement - basically the opposite of

hyperbole. Often it is ironic.

Ex. Calling a slow moving person “Speedy”

Hyperbole An exaggeration

Ex. I have been waiting for a million years

Idiom An expression where the literal meaning of the

words is not the meaning of the expression. It means something other than what it actually says.

Ex. It’s raining cats and dogs.

Alliteration Repetition of constant sounds usually at

the beginning of words

Ex. In the summer season, when soft was the song…

PERSONIFICATION The

strategy of giving objects human-like qualities or an object given life-like qualities.

from “Ninki”by Shirley Jackson

“Ninki was by this time irritated beyond belief by the general air of incompetence exhibited in the kitchen, and she went into the living room and got Shax, who is extraordinarily lazy and never catches his own chipmunks, but who is, at least, a cat, and preferable, Ninki saw clearly, to a man with a gun.

Metaphor An indirect comparison of one thing to

another in which one thing is given characteristics of another.

Ex. My love is a flower He was al lion in battle

Idioms An idiom or idiomatic expression refers to a

construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language.

Example: "She has a bee in her bonnet," meaning "she is obsessed," cannot be literally translated into another language word for word.

Credits for Slideshare presentations used to create this mash-up:

lucciano7 Poetry terminology 2012http://www.slideshare.net/lucciano7/poetry-terminology-15626203  Katrina Naval Elements of poetry and scansion 2013http://www.slideshare.net/katrinanaval3/elements-of-poetry-and-scansion  Melanie cruz Poetry 2013 http://www.slideshare.net/MelaniCruz1/poetry-20818094?qid=3f7515c9-d996-4218-a58b-1240e32712fe&v=qf1&b=&from_search=9