Forms of Poetry

Thirteen forms of poetry will be shared in this power point. Be sure to record all information that builds understanding of each poem’sdistinct characteristics.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Traditionally, poems have a particular format and/ or rhyming pattern.

The EXCEPTION:

The Free Verse poem has no particular form or rhyme scheme.

The Sonnet:

A fourteen-line poem

Expresses author’s feelings

Has a particular end rhyme pattern (ABABCDCD…)

Usually ends in a rhymed couplet (two lines with end rhyme)

Shakespeare wrote over 100 sonnets.

Lyric Poem

Lyric Poem- a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings.

The Ode:

It’s a lyric poem usually addressed to a particular person or thing.

It generally deals with one main idea and can be written as a song of praise or to celebrate an experience, thing or a person.

Ode to a Fountain Pen:

“Oh beloved pen of midnight black ink,

How I love to roll you down my nose.”

A ballad is a songlike poem that tells a story, often a sad story of betrayal, death, or loss.

•Ballads usually have a regular, steady rhythm, a simple rhyme pattern, and a refrain, or a repeated part of a poem, all of which make them easy to memorize.•Usually follows a-b-c-b rhyme scheme.•Historically ballads were passed down orally from person to person rather than in writing.

Narrative Poem: Tells a story

Elegy: A poem written for someone who has died, often a tribute. Most are written in formal writing and a serious tone.

Couplets: two rhyming lines of poetry that are consecutive.

Haiku: consists of 17 unrhymed syllables, organized into three lines, and doesn’t rhyme:

Line 1: 5 syllables

Line 2: 7 syllables

Line 3: 5 syllables

Most describe nature, a moment of beauty which keeps you thinking or feeling.

Limerick: an amusing verse of five lines:

Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme and lines 3 and 4 rhyme.Line 5 refers to line 1Lines 3 and 4 are usually shorter than the other lines. The rhyming pattern is AABBA

EX: There once was a musical kingWho suddenly started to sing.The birds of the skyAll started to flyRight over that talented king

Concrete Poem: a poem that creates a picture

Acrostic poem: a poem that is vertical and spells out a word and usually describes that word.

An epic is a long narrative poem about the many deeds of a great hero.

•Closely connected to a particular culture. The hero of an epic embodies the important values of the society he comes from.

•Essentially, an epic is a long story about the quests of a hero.