POETRY I. Q. TEST
1. Poetry is so personal that it does not have to
make sense to another reader or have a
meaning for anyone other than the person
who wrote it.
2. Poems cannot be revised because they are
inspired by intense feeling.
3. Poetry was meant to rhyme. That’s the very
definition of poetry!
4. Poetry is always easier to write than prose.
5. You cannot be taught how to write poetry; it is just
a natural-born talent that some people have and
others don’t.
6. Distinguished poetry is too “deep” to be
understood by “normal” readers.
7. Poetry is only meaningful if it is put to music.
8. Poetry is something you "get" or you don't; you
cannot "aquire a taste" for poetry.
THREE BASIC KINDS OF POETRY
VERSE—poetry that has a rhyme scheme and has a consistent meter
BLANK VERSE—poetry that has a consistent meter but no rhyme scheme
FREE VERSE—poetry that has no rhyme scheme and no meter
A sonnet is a lyric poem of
fourteen lines, typically
written in iambic
pentameter and usually
following strict patterns
of stanza division and
rhyme.
SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET
Consists of three quatrains (four line stanzas)
followed by a couplet (pair of rhyming lines)
The rhyme pattern is usually abab, cdcd, efef, gg
The rhyming couplet usually answers the
questions or brings a conclusion to the issues
presented in the first three stanzas.
PETRARCHAN SONNET
Consists of two stanzas, one eight-line octave and the six-line sestet
The rhyme pattern is usually abbaabba, cdecde
or abbaabba, cdcdcd
The sestet usually answers the questions or brings a conclusion to the issues presented in the octave.
Ballads are short narrative poems with stanzas of two or four lines and usually a refrain.
The story can originate from a wide range of subject matter, but usually deals with folk-lore or popular legends.
An ode is a lyric poem.
Most odes usually
celebrate a person,
a place, a thing, or
an event. Others
express more
personal reflections.
CLASSIC ODES Classic or traditional odes are usually written in a
dignified manner and are typically serious in tone and style. They are written in formal stanza patterns and include rhymes.
Examples:
Keats’ “Ode to a Grecian Urn”
Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”
MODERN ODES Modern odes take a fresh look at ordinary,
everyday objects and generally are not governed by the strict rhyme patterns of classic odes.
Examples: “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” by Gary Soto
“Ode to a Dressmaker’s Dummy” by Donald Justice
“Ode to My Socks” by Pablo Neruda
An epic is a long narrative
poem written in a
dignified style that
celebrates the
adventures and
achievements of a
heroic figure of legend,
history, or religion.
POETRY SLAM
A poetry slam is a competition of original poetry judged on content and performance by select members of the audience. "Patrons can expect to be delightfully engaged at an event filled with high energy and passion along with a variety of individual poetic expressions ranging from humor or love to personal intrigue or social challenges," says HBO Def Poet and Dallas Poetry Slam organizer and host, Roderick "Rock Baby" Goudy.