Poetry Notes

POETRY

Poetry Vocabulary1. line - a group of words together on one line of the poem2. stanza - a group of lines arranged together; “poem

paragraphs”3. free verse (n): poetry without regular patterns of rhyme or

rhythm4. Rhyme - Words sound alike because they share the same

ending vowel and consonant sounds.5. rhyme scheme (n): the pattern of end rhyme in a poem 6. onomatopoeia (n): the use of words whose sounds suggests

their meaningEx: Buzz, Bam, Zip, Bang

7. alliteration (n): repetition of consonant sounds at the

beginning of wordsEx: Peter Piper picked a pair of pickled peppers

8. lyric poem - A short poem that is usually written in first person point of view and expresses an emotion; often

musical9. haiku (n): a traditional form of Japanese poetry that has three

lines:line one: five syllables each

line two: seven syllables eachline three: five syllables each

10. narrative poems - A poem that tells a story.11. Concrete poems - a poem in which the words are arranged to

create a picture that relates to the content of the poem.

12. Simile – a comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as”

Ex: The boy eats like a pig

13. Metaphor – a comparison of two things Ex: The boy is a pig.

14. hyperbole - Exaggeration often used for emphasis.Ex: The roller coast was going so fast that it blew my face off!

15. Idiom - An expression where the literal meaning of the words is not the meaning of the expression.

Ex: It’s raining cats and dogs

16. Personification - An animal given human-like qualities or an object given life-like qualities

Ex: The tree danced in the wind.

POETRY

A type of literature

that expresses

ideas, feelings, or

tells a story in a

specific form

(usually using lines

and stanzas)

POINT OF VIEW IN POETRY

POET

4 The poet is the author

of the poem.

SPEAKER

4 The speaker of the

poem is the “narrator”

of the poem.

POETRY FORM

4 FORM - the appearance

of the words on the page

4 1. LINE - a group of

words together on one

line of the poem

4 2. STANZA - a group of

lines arranged together

“poem paragraphs”

A word is dead

When it is said,

Some say.

I say it just

Begins to live

That day.

SOUND EFFECTS

RHYTHM

4 The beat created by

the sounds of the

words in a poem

4 Rhythm can be created

by meter, rhyme,

alliteration and refrain.

3. FREE VERSE POETRY

4 Unlike metered

poetry, free verse

poetry does NOT have

any repeating patterns

of stressed and

unstressed syllables.

4 Does NOT have

rhyme.

4 Free verse poetry is

very conversational -

sounds like someone

talking with you.

4 A more modern type

of poetry.

4. RHYME

4 Words sound alike

because they share the

same ending vowel

and consonant sounds.

4 (A word always

rhymes with itself.)

LAMP

STAMP

á Share the short “a”

vowel sound

á Share the combined

“mp” consonant sound

END RHYME

4 A word at the end of one line rhymes with a

word at the end of another line

Hector the Collector

Collected bits of string.

Collected dolls with broken heads

And rusty bells that would not ring.

5. RHYME SCHEME

4 A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhyme (usually

end rhyme, but not always).

4 Use the letters of the alphabet to represent sounds

to be able to visually “see” the pattern. (See next

slide for an example.)

SAMPLE RHYME SCHEME

The Germ by Ogden Nash

A mighty creature is the germ,

Though smaller than the pachyderm.

His customary dwelling place

Is deep within the human race.

His childish pride he often pleases

By giving people strange diseases.

Do you, my poppet, feel infirm?

You probably contain a germ.

a

a

b

b

c

c

a

a

6. ONOMATOPOEIA

4 Words that imitate the sound they are

naming

BUZZ

4 OR sounds that imitate another sound

“The silken, sad, uncertain, rustling of

each purple curtain . . .”

7. ALLITERATION

4 Consonant sounds repeated at the

beginnings of words

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers, how many pickled peppers did

Peter Piper pick?

CONSONANCE

4 Similar to alliteration EXCEPT . . .

4 The repeated consonant sounds can be

anywhere in the words

“silken, sad, uncertain, rustling . . “

SOME TYPES OF POETRY

WE WILL BE STUDYING

8. LYRIC

4 A short poem

4 Usually written in first person point of view

4 Expresses an emotion or an idea or

describes a scene

4 Do not tell a story and are often musical

4 (Many of the poems we read will be lyrics.)

9. HAIKU

A Japanese poem

written in three lines

Five Syllables

Seven Syllables

Five Syllables

An old silent pond . . .

A frog jumps into the pond.

Splash! Silence again.

10. NARRATIVE POEMS

4 A poem that tells a

story.

4 Generally longer than

the lyric styles of

poetry b/c the poet

needs to establish

characters and a plot.

Examples of Narrative

Poems

“The Raven”

“The Highwayman”

“Casey at the Bat”

“The Walrus and the

Carpenter”

11. CONCRETE POEMS

4 In concrete poems, the

words are arranged to

create a picture that

relates to the content

of the poem.

Poetry

Is like

Flames,

Which are

Swift and elusive

Dodging realization

Sparks, like words on the

Paper, leap and dance in the

Flickering firelight. The fiery

Tongues, formless and shifting

Shapes, tease the imiagination.

Yet for those who see,

Through their mind’s

Eye, they burn

Up the page.

FIGURATIVE

LANGUAGE

12. SIMILE

4 A comparison of two things using “like, as

than,” or “resembles.”

4 The boy eats like a pig.

13. METAPHOR

4 A direct comparison of two unlike things

– The boy is a pig.

14. Hyperbole

4 Exaggeration often used for emphasis.

– Ex: The roller coast was going so fast that it

blew my face off!

15. Idiom

4 An expression where the literal meaning of

the words is not the meaning of the

expression. It means something other than

what it actually says.

4 Ex. It’s raining cats and dogs.

16. PERSONIFICATION

4 An animal

given human-

like qualities

or an object

given life-like

qualities.

The cat smiled and whispered a secret in his meow.

OTHER

POETIC DEVICES

SYMBOLISM

4 When a person, place,

thing, or event that has

meaning in itself also

represents, or stands

for, something else.

= Innocence

= America

= Peace

IMAGERY

4 Language that appeals to the senses.

4 Most images are visual, but they can also

appeal to the senses of sound, touch, taste,

or smell.

then with cracked hands that ached

from labor in the weekday weather . . .

from “Those Winter Sundays”