Poetry

Poetry

Before we begin…Define “Poetry”Bing Dictionary: literature in verse-- literary

works written in verse, in particular verse writing of high quality, great beauty, emotional sincerity or intensity, or profound insight

About.com an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response.

Dictionary.com: the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.

Types of Poetry Lyric poetry - expresses a speaker’s personal thoughts and

feelings- Is rich in musical / sound devices- Includes many types such as ballads, hymns

and sonnetsNarrative poetry- Tells a story- May range from the unfolding of an isolated

incident to the narrative of someone’s lifetime- Epics or situational poems

Types of poetry continuedDramatic poetry- Poetry in which one or more characters

exist- The speaker addresses a specific

listener within the poem, or someone outside of the poem other than the reader

Classification by stanza lengthCouplet = two linesTriplet = three linesQuatrain = four linesQuintet = five linesSestet = six linesSeptet = seven linesOctave = eight lines

Poetry termsTheme – the central message or idea of the

workSOUND DEVICES:Onomatopoeia – a word that sounds like its

meaningExternal rhyme – a similar sound between

two words at the end of a lineInternal rhyme – a similar sound between

words within a lineRepetition – repeating a word or phrase for

emphasis or rhythm

TermsRhythm – ordered or free occurrences of

sound (metered verse or free verse)Refrain – repetition of a line or phrase at

regular intervals, usually at the end of stanzas

Stanza – a division of poetry named for the number of lines it contains (like a paragraph in stories or essays, it breaks up the poem into different, yet related ideas)

TermsAlliteration- repetition of consonant

soundsAssonance – repetition of vowel soundsCaesura – a pause or sudden break in

line created for effectParallelism – the repetition of phrases

and sentences similar in meaning or structure

Devices of Language (or senses)Speaker – the voice in a poemTone – the attitude a writer takes toward

subject that is shown through language/word choice

Personification – giving human qualities to inanimate objects

Symbol- any object, person, place, or action that has meaning in itself and stands for something larger than itself

Denotation- the dictionary definition of a word (ex: black=a color resulting from the reflection of all colors of the spectrum

Devices of languageConnotation – the suggested or implied

meaning of a word (black = dark, scary, morbid)

Hyperbole – over-exaggeration (“That took forever!”)

Irony (verbal) – saying one thing but meaning something else

Allusion – a reference to a famous person, historical event, or literary work

Simile- a comparison between two seemingly unlike things using “like” or “as”

Devices of languageMetaphor – a direct comparison

between two seemingly unlike thingsExtended metaphor – a direct

comparison between two things through the whole poem

Imagery – language that appeals to the senses (sight, taste, touch, smell, sound); occurs in the reader’s mind