Elements of poetry

Elements of poetry notes

1. ELEMENTS OF POETRY Invitation By Jack Prelusky If you are a dreamer, come in If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope- er , a pray- er . a magic bean buyer… If you are a pretender, come sit by my fire For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!

2. What is Poetry? a type of literature that expresses ideas , feelings , or tells a story in a specific form the art of expressing one’s thoughts in verse Uses few words to convey it’s message Arouses our emotions Poems use imagery or figures of speech to explain feelings or to create a mental picture or idea Suggest action or mood Many poems have a specific rhyme scheme using lines and stanzas Poems can rhyme or not rhyme 2

3. Poetry Form 3 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 Usually develops one idea Gives a poem structure Emphasizes different ideas Beginning of a new stanza often signals beginning of a new image , thought , or idea .

4. Kinds of Stanzas COUPLET = two line stanza TRIPLET = three line stanza QUATRAIN = four line stanza QUINTET = five line stanza SESTET = six line stanza SEPTET = seven line stanza OCTAVE = eight line stanza 4

5. More on Stanzas “First & Last” by David McCord 1 A tadpole hasn’t a pole at all. And he doesn’t live in a hole in the wall 2 You’ve got it wrong: a polecat’s not A cat on a pole. And I’ll tell you what: 3 A bullfrog’s never a bull; and how Could a cowbird possibly be a cow? 4 A kingbird though, is a kind of king And he chases a crow like anything. 5 Example of stanzas in poetry 4 stanzas in couplets Each stanza signals a new image

6. Use of Lines in Poetry “To a Snowflake” 1 Hello little snowflake! Where are all your friends? Should I expect a lot of them b efore the morning ends? I love it when you come to me and you all fall down together And I get dressed to visit you Toasty warm in cold, cold weather. 6 8 lines organizes into 2 quatrains

7. Point of View in Poetry POET : author of the poem “It’s Dark in Here” By Shel Silverstein I am writing these poems From inside a lion, And it's rather dark in here. So please excuse the handwriting Which may not be too clear. But this afternoon by the lion's cage I'm afraid I got too near. And I'm writing these lines From inside a lion, And it's rather dark in here. SPEAKER : “narrator” of the poem “As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed” By Jack Prelusky As soon as Fred gets out of bed, his underwear goes on his head. His mother laughs, "Don't put it there, a head's no place for underwear!" But near his ears, above his brains, is where Fred's underwear remains. At night when Fred goes back to bed, he deftly plucks it off his head. His mother switches off the light and softly croons, "Good night! Good night!" And then, for reasons no one knows, Fred's underwear goes on his toe s. 7

8. Figures of Speech used in Poetry Hyperbole (exaggeration) Simile Metaphor Onomatopoeia (bang, pow ) Personification Idiom 8

9. Sound Effects in Poetry Rhythm The beat created by the sounds of the words in a poem Can be created by meter , rhyme , alliteration, and refrain Meter Pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables Occurs when the stressed and unstressed syllables of the words in a poem are arranged in a repeating pattern. Rhyme Words sound alike because they share the same ending vowel and consonant sound Ex. LAMP & STAMP Share the short “a” vowel sound Share the combined “ mp ” consonant sound 9

10. Sound Effects in Poetry End Rhyme Word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line EX. Hector the Collector Collected bit of string Collected dolls with broken heads And rusty bells that would not ring Internal Rhyme A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line Ex. Upon a midnight dreary , while I pondered weak and weary . 10

11. Sound Effects in Poetry Rhyme Scheme A pattern of rhyme (usually end rhyme, but not always) Use the letters of the alphabet to represent sounds to be able to visually “ see ” the pattern “The Germ” by Ogden Nash A mighty creature is the germ A Though smaller than the pachyderm. A His customary dwelling place B Is deep within the human race. B His childish pride he often pleases C By giving people strange diseases. C Do you, my poppet, feel infirm? A You probably contain a germ. A 11

12. Sound Effects in Poetry Refrain A sound , word , phrase , or line repeated regularly in a poem Alliteration Consonant sounds repeated at the beginning of words Ex. If P eter P iper p icked a p eck of p ickled p eppers, how many p ickled p eppers did P eter P iper p ick? 12

13. Types of Poetry 13 Free verse Poetry written without a regular rhyme , rhythm , and form . Sounds natural like everyday conversation . TACKLE A grizzly bear in shoulder pads, he growls at the line of scrimmage, snarls into the face of the offense and glares into the eyes of the opposing quarterback. Hike ! and he explodes over the line, bursts through the whirling blitz of cracking helmets, his legs churning forward in a fury of motion, his arms flailing through the backfield for anything that moves.

14. Types of Poetry 14 LIMERICK A short, funny poem; AABBA rhyme scheme There once was a lady in France. A Who went to an old-fashioned dance. A She dances really quick. B And did a neat trick. B But she left with a hole in her pants. A

15. Types of Poetry Noun Adjectives Verbs in the same form Not a complete sentence Noun 15 CINQUAIN a. 5 line poem Mice Little, quiet Running, crawling, jumping Eat holes in furniture Demons

16. Types of Poetry 16 Dimante (Diamond) a. 7 line poem ; describes two nouns opposite each other Fire Red, hot Burning, scalding, blistering Heat, flames – frost, freezer Cooling, soothing, refreshing Cold, chilly Ice

17. Types of Poetry 17 Ballad (Narrative Poem ) Simple narrative poem Story told though action and dialogue Deals with subjects such as adventure , love , jealousy , heroism , disaster , or revenge . 4 line stanza ABAB rhyme scheme Usually has a refrain Narratives we tell to show who we believe we are deceive the listeners who are forced to go with that one version they receive, Because we’ve may others we can tell to different people to impress them with our pedigree and perspicacious points of view . Do we from truth take long excursions by changing tales about ourselves, to find as many different versions as books in volumes on our shelves ? No, there’s some truth in each refrain, for every life is like a ballad with different verses that explain its variations, each as valid As the next one, contradictions all harmonized with disappearance of prejudice about the fictions that help to give the facts coherence .

18. Types of Poetry 18 HAIKU Traditional form of Japanese poetry composed of three lines Used to capture a moment , express a feeling , and/or celebrate some phase or element of nature Whoppers sitting on a plate Aroma so sweet The thrill of eating

19. Types of Poetry 19 LYRIC Genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings of the speaker Type of short, emotional songlike poetry In ancient times lyric poetry was meant to be sung Lyrics are written words in a song Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! When the blazing sun is gone, When there's nothing he shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, through the night. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! In the dark blue sky so deep Through my curtains often peep For you never close your eyes Til the morning sun does rise Twinkle, twinkle, little star How I wonder what you are Twinkle, twinkle, little star How I wonder what you are

20. Let’s put some TWISTS on Poetry! 20 T W I S T S TONE & MOOD WORD CHOICE (words or phrases the author uses to convey a message) IMAGERY & DETAIL STYLE (figures of speech, symbols & other devices) THEME (determine what the poet is saying) STRUCTURE (punctuation, line length, stanzas, etc.)