UNIT THREE: POETRY

Form and Structure

  Form  Refers to external patterns of a poem   Including the way lines and stanzas are

organized  Structure

 Organization of images, ideas and words to present a unified impression or an idea to the reader

Lines and stanzas

  Line   A horizontal row of words  May or may not form a complete sentence

 Stanza  Groups of lines forming a unit   Separate from the next stanza by a line or

space

Example

The mother smiled to know her child was in a sacred place, but that smile was the last smile to come upon her face.

--Dudley Randall, from “Ballad of Birmingham”

Language of Poetry

  Imagery

  Figurative

Imagery

 Descriptive language used to represent objects, feelings and thoughts.

  It often appeals to one or more of the five senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell.

  Imagery is the painting of pictures in the reader’s mind through the use of language.

Analyzing Imagery   When you analyze imagery, it is very

important to avoid simply ‘listing’ the images that the poet uses.

  For each image you discuss, you should consider:   What type of image is being used?   Why this particular image is being used?   What the effect of this image is on the reader?   How the image contributes to the poem as a

whole?   You should suggest a possible interpretation of

an image rather than stating your ideas as definite.

Figurative Language

  Figure of Speech   A word or an expression that is not literally

true but expresses some truth beyond the literal level.

o Simile o Metaphor o Personification o Hyperbole

Simile

  type of imagery that makes a comparison between one thing and another, to strengthen the ‘word picture’ in the reader’s mind

 Uses words like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things

Types of Simile

 Simile 1.  Where one thing is said to be like another

 Simile 2.  Where one thing is said to be as … as a

Simile 1

 Simile 1.  Where one thing is said to be like another,

for instance:

“The sun looked like a golden coin in the sky.”

In this example, the sun is being compared to something that looks similar, i.e. the golden coin.

Simile 2

 Where one thing is said to be as … as a …, for instance:

“The moon shone as brightly as the stars.”

  This type of simile gives a slightly more definite feeling.

 Here, the light of the moon is being compared to that of the stars.

Practice with these examples   These similes are taken out of context,

you will need to create your own inferences about the effects they might create within a poem:   “The moon shone as brightly as the stars.”   “The cat was as black as the night.”   “The man cried like a baby.”   “The house was as silent as the grave.”   “The tree was gnarled and bent, like an old

man.”

Metaphor

 Compares two or more things by implying that one thing is another

  They do not use like or as   rather than saying that something is like

another, a metaphor says it actually is that thing.

  can create a far more powerful effect than similes, because they are so definite in their comparison.

Metaphor Example

  “Her face was a book, he could read her every thought and emotion.”

In this example, the writer tells us that the girl’s face is a book, when clearly it is not. He develops the metaphor slightly, by using the word “read”.

As you would read a book, so the man reads the girl’s face.

Analyzing Metaphors   When discussing metaphors, and the effects

they create in poetry   Describe the ‘word picture’ you see in your

mind, and how the links you associate with that picture add to the poem.

  For example: In the last metaphor, the girl’s face is described as a book, suggesting that her emotions are visible, just as print is in a book. By saying that he can ‘read’ the girl’s face, the poet strengthens the image. “Her face was a book, he could read her every thought and emotion.”

Practice Analyzing Metaphors   These metaphors are taken out of

context, you will need to decide on the effects that they might create within a poem:   “The cat slunk his way through the dustbins,

a black panther deadly in his intentions.”   “Life is a blank page, waiting for us to write

on it.”   “My love is the sunshine in my life,

brightening up my day.”

Personification

 Giving human characteristics to an animal, object or idea

  It strengthens a description, making it more vivid and memorable

 As with simile and metaphor, personification works by making a connection between two things

Example   “The house sat proudly on the land, its

windows were eyes watching over its kingdom.” - In this example, the house is personified. - Clearly, a house does not ‘sit’, nor does it feel ‘proud’, whilst a person does. - The image is developed further as the windows are described as ‘eyes watching’.

Analyze Personification

  “The pen ran quickly over her page, jumping from word to word as though rushing to finish a race.”

  “The sun climbed wearily into the sky, pushing its way through the black clouds and attempting to smile.”

Examples   She laughs like wind water, shaking her braids loose, she laughs --Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, from “Woman with Kite”

  Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; --William Shakespeare, from “Shall I Compare Thee to

a Summer’s Day?”

  the spring rain is a

thread of pearls --Lady Ise, Form a tanka

The Sound of Poetry

 Rhyme   Is the repetition of a final stressed vowel and

succeeding sounds in two or more words

Example Hat and cat, willowier and billowier Fire and desire

The Sound of Poetry   Internal Rhyme

 Occurs within lines of poetry Example The mother smiled to know her child

 End Rhyme Occurs at the ends of lines Example

From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire.

Rhyme Scheme   The pattern formed by end rhymes   is shown by a row of letters (aabb) in which

a different letters of the alphabet signals a new rhyme

Black reapers with the sound of steel on stones a Are sharpening scythes I see them place the hones a In their hip-pockets as a thing that’s done, b And start their silent swinging, one by one. b --Jean Toomer, from “Reapers”

Rhythm and Meter   Rhythm:

  Pattern of stresses and unstressed syllables in a line

  can be regular or irregular   Meter

  Is a regular rhythm

  Foot   A basic unit in measuring rhythm   Contains one stressed syllable marked with ( / )

and one or more unstressed syllables marked with ( ˘ ).

Symbol Syllable Type Description

/ Stressed: Syllable carries the stress

˘ Unstressed: Syllable is not stressed

Example

If I Had loved you less or played you slyly I might have held you for a summer more

--Edna St. Vincent Millay, from “Well, I have Lost You; and I Lost You Fairly”

If I / had loved / you less / or played / you slyly I might / have held / you for / a sum / mer more

 Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

past the puffed-cheeked clouds, she follows it, her eyes slit-smiling at the sun.

 Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds within words or at the ends of words

And kisses are a better fate

 Assonance: repetition of vowels sounds within non-rhyming words

“I sipped the rim with palatable lip.” (The “i” sound is repeated in sipped, rim and

lip)

 Onomatopoeia: use of word or phrase, such as swoosh or clank, that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes

Hyperbole

 Exaggerated expression  Might be used to express strong

emotion, make a point or evoke humor

Example I nearly died laughing

Free Verse

 A poetry without a fixed pattern of meter and rhyme