THE ELEMENTS OF POETRY

WHAT IS POETRY

• Poetry is the oldest form of literature and was transmitted orally through song.

• Poetry is a form of literature in which special attention is given to expressing emotions by the use of a different form than fiction or drama.

• Poetry is made up of individual lines that can start and end anywhere on the page according to the poet’s choice.

• Poetry depends upon the sound of the words by themselves or together with other words.

• Poetry also depends on the use of lots of imagery (words or phrases that appeal to the senses), and figurative language that contains figures of speech like similes and metaphors to help the reader understand the poet’s ideas and feelings.

A Red, Red Roseby Robert Burns

My love is like a red, red rose

   That’s newly sprung in June :

My love is like the melody

   That’s sweetly played in tune. 

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

   So deep in love am I :

And I will love thee still, my dear,

   Till a’ the seas gang dry. 

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,

   And the rocks melt wi’ the sun :

And I will love thee still, my dear,

   While the sands o’ life shall run.

 

TYPES OF POETRY

NARRATIVE POETRY: poems that tell a story and usually have a plot line. The two common types of narrative poetry is the ballad and the epic.

1) The epic is a narrative poem that tells the story of a heroic figure, with expansive setting and fairylike creature. Its language is formal and the tone is elevated and sometimes exaggerated.

2) The ballad is a narrative poem that is usually sung. It uses repeated words and phrases to advance its story.

TYPES OF POETRY

LYRIC POETRY: are the poems that reflect the speaker’s mood, feeling, or state of mind. The main forms are :

1) Elegy: a lyric poem that mourns the death of a person.

2) Ode: is a long lyric poem that has a formal and serious style, tone, and subject matter (topic).

3) Aubade: is a lyric poem about morning, usually celebrating sunrise.

4) Occasional poem: is a lyric poem written to celebrate a special event or occasion.

5) A Meditation: is a lyric poem that focuses on a physical object to think about larger issues.

6) A Pastoral: is a lyric poem that celebrate country life and its simple pleasures.

7) A Dramatic Monologue: is a lyric poem that addresses one or more silent listeners where the speaker reveals more information than he or she intends.

TYPES OF POETRY

Poetry

Narrative Poetry

Epic Ballad

Lyric Poetry

Elegy Ode Aubade Occasional Poem

Meditation Pastoral

Dramatic monologu

e

WORD CHOICE

Poetry uses condensed language by having words that carry a lot of meaning.

Poets use words for their sound and meaning or both.

Concrete words are words that refer to something you can see or feel like a rock or a hug.

Abstract words are words that that refer to something you cannot see such as an idea, a condition, or quality that cannot be sensed by the senses like love and loyalty.

Specific words refer to something in particular like the name of a city or a person.

General words refer to entire things or groups of item like a group of people

• A word can also be chosen for its denotation or connotation

• Denotation refers to the dictionary meaning of the word. The denotation for the word home is the place you live.

• Connotation refers to the meanings associated with the word. The connotation of home is family, warmth and security.