Elements of Poetry

No Fear!

Will I understand everything on the first reading?

What is Poetry?

Poetry is a type of literature in which words are carefully chosen and arranged to create certain effects.

Where do we FIND Poetry?

Greeting Cards

TV Theme Song

Advertising Jingles

Song lyrics

When do we NEED Poetry?

Love

Death (elegy)

Memory

Experience

Expression

Humor

Joy

Poetic Devices

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Example –

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there

wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to

dream before

- Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”

Poetic Devices

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words.

Example -

Only their usual maneuvers, dear

- W.H. Auden, “O What Is That Sound”

Poetic Devices

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the end of words, as in “lonely afternoon.”

Sound Devices

Sound devices, or uses of words for their auditory effect, can convey meaning and mood or unify a work.

Onomatopoeia – words whose sound imitates their suggested meanings, such as buzz, whisper, gargle, and murmur.

Repetition is a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity.

Sound Devices

Meter – the measured arrangement of sounds/beats in a poem, including the poet’s placement of emphasis and the number of syllables per line.

*Think about the musical quality of a piece of writing.

Terms to Know

Diction – the author’s specific word choice.

Formal (elaborate words), neutral (standard language) or informal (slang, dialect, etc.)?

Terms to Know

Shift – refers to a change or movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker, a character, or the reader.

Look for:

Key words (but, yet, however)

Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons)

Stanza divisions

Changes in diction

Poetic Forms

Ballad

A ballad is a narrative poem that is meant to be sung or recited. Typically, a traditional ballad focuses on a single tragic event.

Poetic Forms

Haiku

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry in which 17 syllables are arranged in three lines of 5 – 7 – 5 syllables. Haiku poems are usually inspired by nature.

Harvest moon –

walking around the pond

all night long.

- Basho

Poetic Forms

Concrete Poetry

A concrete poem is one in which the poet uses visible shape to create a picture related to the poem’s subject.

Poetic Forms

Narrative Poetry

Like fiction, a narrative poem contains the elements of plot, conflict, character, and setting that combine to create a story.

Poetic Forms

Free Verse

Free verse is poetry that does not contain regular patterns of rhythm or rhyme.

Using TPFASTT to Analyze Poetry

T – TitleP – ParaphraseF – Figurative LanguageA – AttitudeS – ShiftsT – TitleT - Theme

Title

What do the words of the title suggest to you?

Paraphrase

Translate the poem in your own words. What is the poem about?

Figurative Language

What meaning does the poem have beyond the literal meaning?

Consider:

Imagery

Allusions

Symbolism

Figurative Language

Attitude

What is the speaker’s attitude? What is the author’s tone?

Shifts

Where do the shifts in tone, setting, voice, etc. occur? Look for time and place, keywords, punctuation, stanza divisions, changes in length or rhyme, and sentence structure.

Title

Reanalyze the title on an interpretive level. You have read the poem, now what are your thoughts on the title?

Theme

What is the underlying message the author is trying to convey to the reader? What is the poem saying?