Elements of Poetry

There are several elements of Poetry:

• Form• Sound • Imagery• Figurative Language• Tone and Speaker

Form

• Is the way a poem looks on a page– Line length…can be long or short, full sentences or

phrases– Punctuation…they can follow punctuation rules or break them entirely (Poet e.e. cummings never used capital letters.)– Sentence structure

Sound

• Sound helps to express meaning and emotion. It can sound like rapid fire, like music or like an eerie wind.

• Rhythm is the pattern of stressed (ʹ) vs. unstressed (˘) syllables

• Repetition is the use of sounds, syllables, or phrases more than once for effect.

A Soldier’s Wife *Song Lyrics Each morning starts again with hope anew; Each day I pray is when I’ll hear from you. Arise! Arise! The words resound within my head, and still I’ve found that all my hopes and dreams are but a song: arise I must, to help the dream along.

My routine motions take me through the day; a head of notions carries thoughts away. Be safe! Be safe! I hope you hear my message coming loud and clear! For deep in battle, whether land or sea, be safe my darling... come back home to me.

‘Tis freedom that demands you be away; your captain has commands you must obey. Take heart! Take heart! Your flag still flies and here at home your nation cries: “Take heart, for close at hand is victory!” And soon, my love, you’ll be back home with me.

Imagery

• Imagery refers to words or phrases that appeal to the readers’ senses (sight, sound, taste, smell or touch)Examples:

Figurative Language

• The use of ordinary things presented in new, unusual ways.

• Examples of Figurative Language:– Simile-a comparison of two things using like or as

(As slow as molasses or funny like a clown). In a simile you are stating that one thing is similar to another, but not the same actual thing.

• Metaphor-a comparison of two things that doesn’t contain like or as because it actually states that one thing IS another. • Her words were balm to my soul.• Her voice was liquid gold.

• Personification –when an non-human thing is given human qualities . The animal, object or idea can do things normally only a human can do.

• The tree bent low to shelter me from the wind.• The leaves whispered to each other in the cool night air.

Tone and Speaker

• The tone is the “attitude” of the poem. It could be serious, funny, sad, happy or angry. To find the tone, pay attention to the word choice and image choice.

• The speaker is the voice of the poem. Who is saying the words; not necessarily the poet.

I Cannot Go To School TodayBy Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today"Said little Peggy Ann McKay."I have the measles and the mumps,A gash, a rash and purple bumps.My mouth is wet, my throat is dry.I'm going blind in my right eye.My tonsils are as big as rocks,I've counted sixteen chicken pox.And there's one more - that's seventeen,And don't you think my face looks green?My leg is cut, my eyes are blue,It might be the instamatic flu.I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,I'm sure that my left leg is broke.My hip hurts when I move my chin,My belly button's caving in.My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,My 'pendix pains each time it rains.My toes are cold, my toes are numb,

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,I hardly whisper when I speak.My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,My temperature is one-o-eight.My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There's a hole inside my ear.I have a hangnail, and my heart is ...What? What's that? What's that you say?You say today is .............. Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"