UNIT 4

Poetry

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Poetry is divided into lines, or groups of words

Lines are organized into stanzas• the first word of each line is capitalized, even if it is

not the beginning of a sentence.• a sentence may stretch over several lines• every sentence in poetry should be taken as whole

for meaning.• the lines in a stanza work together to express one

key idea.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY (CONT.)

Refrains- a line or group of lines repeated at

regular intervals in a poem. In a refrain, a poet

reminds readers and listeners of a key idea, image,

or event.• Repetition of the refrain is a technique that is used

by poets to reinforce their key idea- often times with variations of one more words with each repetition.

SOUND DEVICES

Rhythm and Meter- a beat created by the

stressed and unstressed syllables in the word.

Rhyme- repetition of the vowel and consonant

sounds in the end of words.

Alliteration

Repetition

Onomatopoeia

ANALYZING POETIC LANGUAGE

Shade of Meaning- this is the use of denotations

and connotations of words to create meaning.

Imagery- descriptions to appeal to the five senses.

Figurative Language- language that is not meant

to be taken literally.

ANALYZING POETIC FORM AND STRUCTURE

Narrative- poetry tells a story in verse. Includes elements like

plot and characters.

Haiku

Free Verse- poetry defined by its lack of structure. It does not

have rhyme, rhythm, fixes line length, or specific stanza pattern.

Lyric

Ballads- are songlike poems that tell stories. Often deal with

adventure or romance.

ANALYZING POETIC FORM AND STRUCTURE (CONT. )

Concrete

Limericks- a five-line humorous poem with a

characteristic rhythm, often dealing with a risqué

subject.• There was an Old Person whose habits,

Induced him to feed upon rabbits;When he'd eaten eighteen,He turned perfectly green,Upon which he relinquished those habits.