Poetry

Form- the structure of the writing (what it looks like on the page)

Innocent

If love were a crime,And you were jailed because you claimed that you

loved me,And evidence was sought of your guilt or innocence,

You’d get away scott free.

All poems are broken up into lines. The length of each line and where it breaks, or ends, contributes to the poem’s meaning and sounds.

Lunchroom

I was so hungryI could have eaten my algebra book.

I smelled what we were havingbefore I even saw it.

Mystery Meat, green mushy peas,instant potatoes with lumpy gravy,

bread pudding, and milk.It’s a good thing I like milk.

A stanza is a group of lines. Stanzas work together to convey the overall message of the poem.

Fog

The fog comes on little cat feet.

It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then moves on.

A couplet is a rhymed pair of lines that may be written in any rhythmic pattern.

When the bright lamp is carried in,The sunless hours again begin;

O’er all without, in field and lane,The haunted night begins again.

Just as a story has a narrator, a poem has a voice that “talks” to readers. This voice, or speaker, is sometimes a fictional character rather than the poet.

Mother to Son

Well, son, I’ll tell you:Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.It’s had tacks in it.And splinters,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor-Bare. -Langston Hughes

Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line.

A regular pattern of rhythm is called meter.

The sun did not shine;It was too wet to play,So we sat in the house

All that cold, cold, wet day.-Dr. Seuss

Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words, as in sun and one.

Rhyme scheme is the pattern that the end-rhyming words follow. To identify rhyme scheme, assign a letter to each sound.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, AWhen all through the house BNot a creature was stirring, C

Not even a mouse; B

Repetition is a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. Repetition often helps to reinforce meaning or create an appealing rhythm.

Mi Madre

I say feed me.She serves red prickly pear on a spike cactus.

I say tease me.She sprinkles raindrops in my face on a sunny day.

I say frighten me.She shouts thunder, flashes lightning.

I say comfort me,She invites me to lay on her firm body.

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

“Over a Bunsen burner bubbled a big earthenware dish of stew” -A Wrinkle in Time

The repetition of the “b” sound reproduces the motion of the stew simmering in its pot.

Say to them,Say to the down-keepers.The sun-slappers,The self-spoilers, -Gwendolyn Brooks

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words: e.g., the words “cry” and “side” have the same vowel sound so they are said to be in assonance.

“It’s had tacks in it,” -Langston Hughes

“True, I do like Sue.”

“Afternoon on a Hill”

I will be the gladdest thing-aUnder the sun!-b

I will touch a hundred flowers-cAnd not pick one.-b

I will look at cliffs and clouds-dWith quiet eyes,-e

Watch the wind bow down the grass,-fAnd the grass rise.-e

And when lights begin to show-gUp from the town,-h

I will mark which must be mine, -iAnd then start down!-h

Imagery is defined as language that appeals to one or more of your senses-sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Vivid images help readers more clearly understand what a poet does.

“They were standing in a sunlit field, and the air about them was moving with the delicious air that comes only on the rarest of spring days when the sun’s touch is gentle and the apple blossoms are just beginning to unfold.” (sight and smell)

“’Oh, my dears,’ came the new voice, a rich voice with the warmth of a woodwind, the clarity of a trumpet, the mystery of an English horn.” (sound)

A simile is a comparison of two things using the word like or as.

The sun spun likeA tossed coin.It whirled on the azure blue sky,It clattered into the horizon,It clicked in the slot,And neon-lights poppedAnd blinked “Time expired,”As on a parking meter.

-Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali

Metaphors are comparisons of two things that does not use the word like or as.

In the pond in the parkall things are doubled:Long buildings hang andwriggle gentle. Chimneysare bent legs bouncing on clouds below.”

-May Swensen

Extended metaphor refers to a metaphor that extends over several lines, stanzas, or an entire poem.

But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.

-Billy Collins

The poem is compared to a person being tortured.

Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds echo their meanings Skilled writers choose words whose sounds intensify

images and suggest meanings. Example:

Stilled his fretful wail by saying,“Hush! the Naked Bear will hear thee!”

Lulled him into slumber, singing,“Ewa-yea! my little owlet!”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Song of Hiawatha

Personification is a description of an object, animal, or idea as if it has human qualities and emotions.

Directly ahead of her was the circular building, its walls glowing with violet flame, its silvery roof pulsing with a light that seemed to Meg to be insane.”

“The little waves with their soft, white hands.”

Ballad—a type of narrative poem that tells a story and was originally meant to be sung or recited. tells a story has a setting, plot, & characters usually written in 4-line stanzas with regular

rhythm & rhyme focuses on ordinary people who have unusual

adventures or perform daring deeds Example: “Boots of Spanish Leather”

Blank verse - unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

Each line contains 5 pairs of syllables in which a stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed syllable.

Imitates the natural rhythms of English speech Many of Shakespeare’s poems were written in blank

verse.

Elegy--an extended meditative poem in which the speaker reflects on death

Often a tribute to someone who has recently died Written in formal, dignified language Serious in tone Example: “O Captain! My Captain” by Walt Whitman

Epic--a long narrative poem on a serious subject Presented in an elevated or formal style Traces the adventures of a great hero whose actions

reflect the ideals & values of a nation or race Addresses universal concerns

good & evil life & death sin & redemption

Example: The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Free verse--poetry that does not contain regular patterns of rhythm or rhyme

lines flow more naturally & have a rhythm similar to everyday speech

may contain rhythmic & sound effects such as repetitions of syllables or words

Example: “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins

Haiku--a 3-line poem with 17 syllables

Lines 1 & 3 contain 5 syllables each Line 2 contains 7 syllables originated in Japan Example:

On sweet plum blossomsThe sun rises suddenly.Look, a mountain path!

Limerick--a short, humorous poem composed of 5 lines usually has a rhyme scheme of aabba consists of 2 rhyming couplets followed by a 5th line

that rhymes with the first couplet typically has a sing-song rhythm Example:

There was an old man with a light,Who was dressed in garment of white;

He held a small candle,With never a handle,

And danced all the merry long night.

Lyric--a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts & feelings

characterized by strong melodic rhythms has a variety of forms covers many subjects, from love & death to everyday

experiences Example: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes

Narrative--poetry that tells a story

contains elements of fiction such as characters, setting, & plot

contains poetic elements such as rhyme, rhythm, imagery, & figurative language

Example: “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ode--a lyric poem that deals with a serious subject

Themes include justice, truth, beauty, etc. appeal to the imagination & intellect Many odes commemorate events or praise people or

elements of nature. Example: “Ode on Solitude” by Alexander Pope

Sonnet--a poem with formal structure

contains 14 lines & a specific rhyme scheme & meter often consists of 3 quatrains (4-line stanzas), & a final

couplet Example: “On the Grasshopper and Cricket” by

John Keats