POETRY UNIT

POETRY UNIT

KEY TERMINOLOGY

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF FORM?

A: The way a poem looks on a page.

WE WILL STUDY 6 FORMS OF POETRY

1. EPIC POEMS – A LONG POEM ABOUT A HERO2. FREE VERSE – POETRY THAT DOES NOT RHYME OR HAVE

REGULAR METER3. BALLADS – A POEM THAT TELLS A STORY IN SHORT

STANZAS; TYPICALLY MEANT TO BE SUNG4. LIMERICKS – A FUNNY POEM THAT HAS 3 LONG AND 2

SHORT LINES5. SONNETS – A POEM OF 14 LINES WITH 10 SYLLABLES PER

LINE6. ODES – A FORMAL POEM ABOUT A PARTICULAR SUBJECT;

TYPICALLY MEANT TO BE SUNG

EXAMPLE OF THE FORM: SONNET Sonnet 18

By William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest; So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF LINES?

A: A row of words in a

poem.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF STANZAS?

A: Groups of lines. Sometimes arranged in patterns,

sometimes not.

EXAMPLE

What does a stanza look like?

I Love To Write Poems

(First Stanza) I love to write Day and night What would my heart do But cry, sigh and be blue If I could not write

(Second Stanza) Writing feels good And I know it should Who could have knew That what I do Is write, write, write

-          Unknown Author 

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF FREE VERSE?

A: Poetry not written in a

strict pattern.

EXAMPLE

What does free verse look like?

Fog by Carl SandburgThe fog comeson little cat feet.It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then moves on.

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SOUND?

A:The musical qualities of a

poem.

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF RHYME?

A: The repetition of similar

sounds at the ends of words.

EXAMPLE

What does rhyme look like?

There Was An Old Woman

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,She had so many children she didn't know what to do!So she gave them some broth without any bread,And she whipped them all soundly and sent them to

bed!

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF RHYTHM?A: A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. Stressed syllables ( ′ ) are read with more emphasis. Unstressed syllables ( ˘ ) are read with less emphasis.

EXAMPLE

What does rhythm look like?

Rhythm in writing is like the beat in music. In poetry, rhythm implies that certain words are produced more forcefully than others, and may be held for longer duration.

/ / u u / u u / u / u / uDarth Vader decided to crush the rebel soldier.

DARTH VAder deCIDed to CRUSH the REBel SOLDier.

/ / / u / u / u / u / u / u

Luke Skywalker will rebel against his father's wishes.

LUKE SKYWALKer WILL reBEL aGAINST his FATHer's WISHes.

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF REPETITION?

A: The use of sounds, words, phrases, or

whole lines more than once. May be used to emphasize an idea or

feeling.

EXAMPLE

What does repetition look like?

Humpty DumptyHumpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;All the King's horses and all the King's menCouldn't put Humpty together again

- Mother Goose

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF IMAGERY?A: Words and phrases that appeal to the reader’s five senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

EXAMPLE

What is an example of imagery?

Imagery allows a writer to show what she means instead of just telling someone.  When you write your poem, remember:  Show!  Don‘t Tell!

From the family tree of old school hip hopKick off your shoes and relax your socksThe rhymes will spread just like a poxCause the music is live like an

electric shock --Beastie Boys "Intergalactic"

From Hello Nasty

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE?

A: Words and phrases that present ordinary things in new and unusual ways. Similes, metaphors, and personification are common types of figurative language.

EXAMPLE

What is an

example of

figurative language

?

Figurative language uses "figures of speech" - a way of saying something other than the literal meaning of the words.

For example: "All the world's a stage“ “No pain, no gain.” “He was a strong as a horse.”

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SIMILE?

A: A comparison of two things that

have something in common using the

word like or as.

EXAMPLE

What is an

example of

simile?

He was as blind as a bat

He was as strong as a horse

She swam like a mermaid

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF

METAPHOR?

A: A comparison that does NOT

contain the word like or as.

EXAMPLE

What is an example of metaphor?

Life is a journey.The goalkeeper was a

rock. My brother is a pig.

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF PERSONIFICATION?

A: Figurative language in which an animal,

object, or idea is given human qualities.

EXAMPLE

What is an example of

personification?

The popcorn leapt out of the bowl.

When the DVD went on sale, it flew off the shelves.

I tripped because the curb jumped out in front of me.

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF TONE?A: The poet’s attitude

toward his or her subject.

ex: serious, sad, humorous, angry

Q: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SPEAKER?A: The voice of the poem, the person who

seems to be saying the words. * Not necessarily the poet;

He/she could be a character in the poem.