Poetry

POETRY

Poetry is all about 5 things… Expression Observation Ideas Emotions Words and Opinions

The way a poem sounds is a big part of what a poem is about.

Some poems have a musical sound. That is largely due to rhythm, rhyme, and meter.

Rhythm The beat of the poem that helps to keep

the poems pace. It is the actual sound the poem makes when reading. Rhythm is established by stressed and

unstressed syllables.

Rhyme Words that share sounds together

End Rhyme: Rhyming at the ends of lines Internal Rhyme: Rhyming within a line.

Rhyme Scheme The alternating or repeating sounds at

the ends of lines. It is the pattern of rhyme at the end of a line.

Meter The repeated pattern of stressed and

unstressed syllables.

Stanza A group of lines put together by often a

single thought. A stanza is like a paragraph in prose.

What 2 things work together to create a special structure in a poem?

Rhyme Meter

Couplet Two lines together that rhyme. A pair of rhyming lines usually with the

same meter.

Quatrain Four lines that have a specific rhyme

scheme

Figurative Language A literary device used throughout

literature. Figurative language includes words,

phrases, and symbols or ideas, comparisons, elaborate expressions, and sound devices.

Simile A comparison between 2 unlike things

with the words “like” or “as”. EX: He is as strong as a ox.

Metaphor A comparison between two unlike things

EX: That man is an ox

* Extended Metaphor: a metaphor that is extended over several lines or throughout the poem.

Sensory Details Using the senses to create images.

Symbolism A visible object that stands for

something not clearly visible. Symbolism adds a layer of meaning.

Repetition Repeating of sounds.

Alliteration: repeating of consonant sounds at the beginning of words Blue Black Cold

Assonance: Repeating of vowel sounds in the middle of words. Moses Supposes his toeses is roses.

Poetry may use language and symbols in surprising and unconventional ways.

They can manipulate the look through sound and punctuation.

Kinds of Poems Limerick: a five line humorous poem.

Limericks have a regular meter and rhyme scheme.

Sonnets: a 14 line rhyming poem written in Iambic Pentameter. Iambic Pentameter: an alternating 5

stressed and 5 unstressed syllables.* Lyric Poetry: a poem that draws on

emotions and feelings.

Kinds of Poems Blank Verse: an unrhymed iambic

pentameter poem. Free verse: unrhymed/unmetered poem. Narrative Poem: tells a complete story

and sometimes is very long. Epic: a poem about an adventure

typically of a superhuman hero. EX: Iliad and Odyssey & Beowulf

Poetry expresses the ebb and flow of life in an uniquely personal voice that reachers across form and time.

Major Themes in Poetry Death/Loss Love Family/ Friendship Hardship/Humor Growing Old Growing Up

7 things you should notice while reading poetry.

Read Out Loud Rhythm Rhyme Schemes Theme Words/Phrases Punctuation Mood/Feeling Format