POETRY

POEMS:1. Personal Poem2. I Am Poem3. If Only4. Bio—About Yourself5. Bio Pyramid (2)—About Someone You Admire6. Limerick (3)7. Acrostic (3)8. Haiku (3)9. Tanka/Cinquain (3)10. Diamante11. Free Verse

UNIT PROJECTThroughout this unit you will learn the skills to write and analyze poetry. You will write many poems to demonstrate different skills you have acquired, and knowledge you have gained.

At the end of the unit, YOU will produce an anthology of poetry.

So, do your best, save all your work IN YOUR poetry journal, and have fun!

Example at Slide 46

YOUR ANTHOLOGYEach slide or page should have one

poem or a group of similar poems. Include a visual or something that

illustrates your poem. Include 3 sentences about your poem: What inspired you to write your poem?

What devices (i.e. simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration) did you use to enhance your poem? What words, allusions or phrases did you use to improve your poem? See the next slides for an example.

THE RED WHEELBARROWBY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

so much depends upon

a red wheelbarrow

glazed with rainwater

beside the whitechickens

THE BLUE IPODso much depends upon

a blue nano ipod

fixed with play-lists

designed as a means of escape for all

I wrote this poem as a response to William Carlos Williams’ The Red Wheelbarrow. His description of an everyday object as essential and beautiful to him inspired me to create the same poem but with the ipod. I chose the ipod because it is essential to so many people as a means of escape.

WHAT IS POETRY?

In your notebook, write your own definition of poetry, based upon your understanding of it.

Try to define what it is, exactly. Also, describe forms of writing that are NOT poetry.

You have five minutes or so.

SOME DEFINITIONS OF POETRY

Poetry is defined as the dramatization of experience in metrical language. It is a condensed, often-rhythmical composition with specially-arranged lines, figurative language, and sometimes rhyme.

Poetry is words combined in ways that can be very different from everyday language.

Poetry is the expression of the inner part of a human being; an attempt to translate the untranslatable through the medium of language.

WRITE A POEM!

Personal Poem

Tell me your name. What is your REAL name (not necessarily the name you

go by, but a name you wish was yours, or a name that you feel is true for you)?

Name the animal inside you. Explain your choice. There’s an object in your heart. What is it? Explain its

significance. There’s a word written on your forehead. What is it?

Explain. Tell me a sound you love. Tell me a sound you hate. What is your favorite time of day? Why? If your hands could speak, what would they say? Tell me something you remember from your childhood. Tell me a phrase or saying your

mother/father/grandparents said to you often. Write a phrase or image that represents your personality

or how you are feeling at this point in your life. Keep it short, succinct, and dramatic to end your poem powerfully.

WRITE A POEM!Personal Poem

My name is Tara Finnigan.People call me Finn.I am a cat. I like to keep quiet and relax in the sun, but I am also curious.In my heart you will find sea glass. Sea glass has been eroded by the years, and yet only becomes more beautiful.The word written upon my forehead is: Clumsy. I have to be extra cautious to stay on my feet, because I always seem to be tripping around. I love the sound of nature, and especially the ocean…although I can’t stand the caw of the crows. I used to be a night owl,but I have grown to appreciate the calm and hopefulness of the early morning hours. If my hands could speak—wait a minute they do. I always talk with my hands.My childhood was full of castles in the trees, dragons in the snow, and the laughter of imagination. But if you ask my parents they will say: That Tara, she was 30 when she turned 2.My name is Tara. I am: cat, sea glass, nature, books.

POINT OF VIEW IN POETRYPOET

The poet is the author of the poem.

SPEAKER

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

WRITE A POEM!I Am… Poem I am (two special characteristics you have) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (an imaginary sound) I see (an imaginary sight) I want (an actual desire) I am (the first line of the poem restated)

I am pretending (something you actually pretend) I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) I touch (an imaginary touch) I worry (something that really bothers you) I cry (something that makes you sad)

I understand (something you know is true) I say (something you believe in) I dream (something you actually dream about) I try (something you make an effort about) I hope (something you actually hope for) I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I AM...

• I am bookish and thoughtful.• I wonder when I will read all the books on my shelf.• I hear a cat’s meow.• I see smiles. • I want happiness and calm. • I am bookish and thoughtful.

• I am pretending to be a famous author. • I feel I will succeed in writing a famous book. • I touch an ancient tome. • I worry I will never write a book. • I cry when animals are mistreated.

• I understand that we all need acceptance. • I say you will be successful. • I dream I will be successful. • I try to be happy every day.• I hope to live by this happiness principle. • I am bookish and thoughtful.

BRAINSTORMINGChoose a noun – a person/animal, place, or

thing.

Make three lists – verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Brainstorm things about the noun you chose – things it does (verbs), how it does things (adverbs), and words to

describe the noun (adjectives).

Take 5 minutes to do this.

IF ONLY POEMWrite an If Only poem by following the structure below:

Line 1: Name of the special person, animal, place, or thing

Line 2: Two adjectives describing the subject in line 1, connected by “and” or “but”

Line 3: A typical action (verb) that the subject in line 1 does, and how the subject typically does that action (adverb)

Line 4: A comparison using the words “as a” or “like a”Line 5: An “if only” wish for the subjectLine 6: An “if only” wish for yourself and the subjectLine 7 (OPTIONAL): A “when” for line 6

IF ONLY POEMCatSleek and fatRuns gracefully As a deerIf only she’d stop prowling If only she and I could sleepUntil the morning comes

WHO AM I? BIO-POEMWrite a bio-poem about yourself by following the steps

below:

Line 1: Your first name onlyLine 2: Four traits that describe youLine 3: Sibling of/brother of/friend of/etc. and a nameLine 4: Lover of (3 people and/or ideas)Line 5: Who feels (3 things)Line 6: Who needs (3 things)Line 7: Who gives (3 things)Line 8: Who fears (3 things)Line 9: Who would like to see (3 things)Line 10: Resident of (place)Line 11: Your last name only.

BIO-POEMSamHonest, happy, content, funBrother of Larry, Jim, and ConnieLover of baseball, computer games and summerWho feels joy at Christmas, loneliness in the dark, and

happiness with friendsWho needs lots of sunshine, good books, and some

privacyWho gives good advice, funny jokes, and lasting

friendshipWho fears wars, hunger, and the end of a good bookWho would like to see wars ended, people smiling, and

more summer vacationResident of Hampton, New Brunswick, CanadaJones

MS. FINNIGAN’S BIO-POEMTaraHappy, thoughtful, witty, slightly-nerdy Sibling of KyleLover of family, summer, and booksWho feels love, serenity, and worryWho needs chocolate, exercise, and more timeWho gives money, time, and her allWho fears clowns, small spaces, and pigeonsWho would like to see students succeed, a happy

family, and a book with her name on itResident of Kingston, New BrunswickFinnigan

ASSIGNMENTDUE FRIDAY FOR HOMEWORK:

Pre-writing:NOTETAKING/BRAINSTORM

Name two historical, famous, and/or cultural figures you admire.

For each, brainstorm what they accomplished, what they had to overcome, and why you admire them.

BIO-PYRAMID POEMBio-Pyramid Poems give insight into a person (or character). They are shaped like a pyramid.

Use the following structure to write TWO bio-poems:

– The person’s name (one word)– Two words describing the person– Three words describing the person’s childhood– Four words indicating a problem the person had

to overcome– Five words stating one of his/her

accomplishments– Six words stating a second accomplishment– Seven words stating a third accomplishment– Eight words stating how humankind benefited

from his/her accomplishments

BIO-PYRAMID POEMBob

Music, dreadlocksDifficult, sad, lonelyDeath of his father

He learned good self defenseFormed a band called the teenagersWas awarded the Jamaican Order of

MeritHe brought joy to people with his music

-- Kayla Pugh (2007)

BIO-PYRAMID POEMLennon

National ThreatBorn During War

Isolation, Addiction, NixonSurvived the Chaos of BeatlemaniaOffered Hair Peace and Bed Peace

“War Is Over If You Want It”Encouraged the World to Give Peace a

Chance

-- Ryan Harley (2007)

NOTES FOR POETRY The Art of Poetry TYPES OF POETRY

POETRY FORM FORM - the appearance of the words on the page LINE - a group of words together on one line of

the poem STANZA - a group of lines arranged together

POETRY IS ARTA poem is a deliberate creation intended to

convey something from the writer to the reader.

There are three basic elements of poetry:

IMAGE

SOUND

MEANING

THE AIMS OF POETRYPoetry generally aims to accomplish one or more of the following:• Reveal deep personal feelings• Tell a story• Present drama• Reveal character• Make social commentary• Entertain

LYRIC POETRYLyric poetry covers most poems that express personal feelings/thoughts of a speaker (the persona) or the poet in a lyric.

Lyric poetry deals primarily with basic human needs, thoughts, feelings, common human experiences, and well-known things, and often helps us to think about these things in a new way.

DRAMATIC POETRY

Dramatic poetry is intended to be read aloud or performed in front of an audience (e.g. Shakespeare’s plays).

SOCIAL COMMENTARY POETRYThis type of poetry comments on some aspect(s) of society.

It creatively criticizes social habits, customs, attitudes, and problems in order to promote change in individuals, groups, or society as a whole.

NARRATIVE POETRYNarrative poetry tells a story in simple, direct, rhythmical language with a strong emphasis on plot or physical action.

Narrative poems often deal with history or myth/legend. The most common types of narrative poems are epics and ballads.

LIGHT VERSELight verse includes such well-known forms as limericks, parodies, epigrams, and satire.

The main purpose of light verse is to entertain or amuse. Often, though, there is an underlying serious purpose behind the humour.

LIMERICKSThe limerick is a closed form. It is light verse, and is often humorous, frequently

highlighting people’s actions, mannerisms, and eccentricities.

Limericks are composed of five lines, with the rhyme scheme a a b b a. They also usually (but not always) follow a set rhythm.

Framework for the poem:

Line 1 – Tell about the subject (usually where he/she is from); 8 syllables.Line 2 – Tell something about the person, or describe him/her; 9 syllables.Lines 3 and 4 – Build up the peculiarity mentioned in line 2; 5 syllables each.Line 5 – Round off the limerick with an unexpected and funny conclusion,

based upon whatever was written in the first 4 lines; 9 syllables.

e.g. There once was a man from PerthWho was born on the day of his birthHe was wed so they sayOn his wife’s wedding dayAnd he died on his last day on Earth

Complete at least THREE limericks. Put them all on the same page.

LIGHT VERSE - LIMERICKSA mathematician named Bath Let x equal half that he hath.

He gave away y Then sat down to pi

And choked. What a sad aftermath.

A minor league pitcher, McDowell Pitched an egg at a batter named Owl.

They cried, “Get a hit!”But it hatched in the mitt

And the umpire declared it a fowl.

ACROSTIC POEMS – WRITE 3 OF YOUR OWNPoem English Math

Pretty Easy MeaningfulOriginal Natural ArithmeticEmotional Great TerrificMetrical Laughter Hard

InterestingStudyingHappiness

ACROSTIC POEMSPoem English Math

Puke Evil MaddeningOh it sucks NO! AwfulEw Gross TediousMournful Lines Horrible

IckyStupidHuh?

POETIC FORMS

Open FormsandClosed Forms

CLOSED FORMSPoetry is referred to as “closed” if it has firmlyestablished elements (stanza divisions, rhymescheme, rhythm, etc.) that make it

recognizable.

They are recognizable by their layout, sound devices (rhyme, rhythm, etc.), and/or general content (some generally have serious tones, others “light” tone, others are usually about nature, etc.)

The following list is not exhaustive, but covers the most common forms: Ballad, Elegy, Ode, Sonnet.

HAIKU: A CLOSED FORMA traditional Asian poetry form, often seen as a tribute to some aspect of nature and the natural world.

The subject matter has something to do with nature through one or more of the five senses (usually sight) to capture a moment in time.

The season or time of year is often a part of the poem as well.

Framework:

Line One: 5 syllablesLine Two: 7 syllablesLine Three: 5 syllables

Complete at least THREE haikus. Put them all on the same page.

CLOSED FORMSTanka – a sort of “extended Haiku”

consisting of five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables (although the syllables in a tanka are likely to vary from this somewhat); the aim is for striking imagery and depth of meaning

CLOSED FORMS: FORMAL CINQUAINThis poetry has 5 lines of 2-4-6-8-2 syllables. They usually begin with the subject. Each line adds depth to the subject. The last line creates a “snapping” effect for the reader.

At duskThe day and nightEmbrace for one light kissA purple mist enfolds the twoThen dark.

Write at least THREE formal Cinquains or Tankas.

CLOSED FORMS: DIAMANTES—WRITE 3 OF YOUR OWN

Diamantes take the shape of a diamond. Diamante – highly-stylized poem of 7 lines in a diamond-shaped pattern

Either the subject of the poem goes through a notable change, or there is a notable change in perspectives on the subject. The shift takes place in the middle lines.

DIAMANTESJeans

crisp, newclinging, hugging, appealingschool dance, beach, sportsfraying, tearing, shrinking

old, worncut-offs

Follow this pattern:Line 1 – One nounLine 2 – Two adjectives describing the nounLine 3 – Three participles (words ending in –ing or –ed) pertaining

to the nounLine 4 – Four nouns relating to the subject. The second two nouns

can have qualities opposite those of the first two nouns.Line 5 – Three participles (words ending in –ing or –ed describing

the change in the noun.Line 6 – Two adjectives describing the new subject (in line 7)Line 7 – A noun showing the completed change in the original

noun, or that is the opposite of the original noun in some way.

OPEN FORMSOpen-form poetry is the sort that does not have fixed features in terms of image, sound, or meaning.

These are more “modern” styles of poetry, allowing the author more freedom to be creative. However, they lack the classical intellectual vigor that well-written closed forms demonstrate.

Open-form poetry can be the most creative, but also requires the most work on the part of the reader, because each poem must be treated as a unique art piece, with fewer “clues” for the reader about how to enjoy the poem.

OPEN FORMS

Free Verse – verse that employs condensed phrasing (“packing”), symbolic or connotative language, and does not necessarily follow a scheme for rhyme or metre

Johnnie’s Poem

Look! I’ve written a poem!Johnnie saysand hands it to me

and it’s about his grandfather dying last summer, and me in the hospital

and I want to cry,don’t you see, because it doesn’t matterif it’s not very good:

what matters is he knowsand it was me, his father, who told him

you write poems about what you feel deepest and hardest.

Alden Nowlan

POETRY ANTHOLOGY EXAMPLE

Poetry Collection Project

Kadie M.

I am Poem. • This poem was inspired by the

activity we did in class. I found it to be more on the emotional side of poems.

• The devices I used are descriptive, imagery.

• I used the words reflect, constant, incredibly and hectic to give a better visual of how I'm feeling and describe it in a more defined way.

I am empty yet complete I wonder if my past will reflect my future I hear constant silence I see pain when I look in a mirror I want to be happy I am empty yet compete

I am pretending to care I feel incredibly stressedI touch memories that I try to forget I worry about my hectic life I cry for the people that I love

I understand that I'm not perfect I say that I want to succeed I dream of flying away I try to forget my mistakes I hope that one day things will changeI am empty yet complete

If Only Poem• I was inspired by Ms.

Finnigan’s love for owls and we did it as a class poetry activity. I really enjoyed writing this style of poem.

• I used simile to compare the owl to the butterfly and descriptive devices to describe the owl.

• I used swift, beautiful and flawlessly to add description to the poem

Owl Beautiful and swift Fly flawlessly Like a butterfly If only he would sleep If only we could co-exist

Cinquain-Tiger • This poem was inspired by the

example in the booklet. Also I really like tigers I think they are beautiful animals so I chose to write about them.

• I used imagery devices and descriptive devices for this poem.

• I used the word “Tigris” as a synonym. I got the word from the dictionary to further improve my poem.

• Example: Angel Kind beyond words They protect and forgiveAnd makes feelings of blissfulnessCherubim

• My Poem: tigerBeautiful creatureProwl and attackMake feelings tense yet calm Tigris

Acrostic• These poems were inspired by

the thought of summer. I'm very excited so I thought I would write poems on the topic. There was an example of the acrostic poem in the booklet as well that gave me some ideas.

• The devices I used for these poems are imagery, theme and also the descriptive device because you are basically describing the words with the sentences listed.

• The words I used to enhance these poems are everlasting, tsunami I thought it was a great was to make the poems a little bit more interesting .

Poem #1:Sunny days Umbrellas in the sandMidnight swimsMemories being madeEverlasting funRidiculous times

Poem #2:Waves along the beach Aquatic entertainmentTsunami crisis Every ocean and lake Rain falling from the sky

Bio Poem • This poem was inspired by

basically my life. It was an activity in class that is where I got the idea to do the poem. I enjoyed writing this poem.

• I used descriptive devices because I was describing what or who I am.

• I used words such as determined or motivated too describe who I am. I got these words from the thesaurus to improve my poem.

Kadie Intelligent, determined, respectful, motivated Sibling of Kyleigh and Kellen Lover of friends and family, art and summer Who feels homework should be illegal, cancer should be cured, and the world should be peaceful. Who fears June bugs, jellyfish and raccoons Who likes to go skydiving, travel the world and become a doctor Resident of Hampton, New Brunswick MacDonald

Dimante • This poem was inspired by

one I got off the internet. I found it to be a peculiar way of writing a poem.

• The device I used is descriptive because this poem is basically all made up of verbs, nouns and adjectives.

• The words I used to enhance or improve my poem would be a mature, petite, conversing etc. it describes the child and the adult perfectly.

Example: Pencil

Sharp, skinnyWriting, answering, erasing

Wood, lead, ink, plasticDrawing, smudging, leaking

Durable, comfortablePen

My poem: Child

young, petiteRunning, playing, screaming

School, playground, work, officeparenting, conversing, lounging

tall, matureAdult

Bibliography • http://

examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-allusion.html

• http://www.uwc.utexas.edu/handouts/poetic-device

• http://finniganenglish10.weebly.com/9.html• http://thesaurus.com/browse/tall?s=t• http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html