Introduction to poetry

INTRO TO POETRY 1

POETRY

Orpheus and Eurydice

The Ancient ArtBy Ronald Speener

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INTRO TO POETRY 2

OBJECTIVESUnderstand what poetry isDefine key terms and conceptsRead poetryExplicate poetryEnjoy poetry

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QUICK LINKS—CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO GO TO THAT SECTION

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Definition Theme Structure

Meter Sound ImageryHow to Read Poetry

How to write about poetry

Exercise

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DEFINITION

What is Poetry?

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DEFINITIONA type of writing which is characterized byStructure which includes stanzas and rhythmMetaphorsAllusions AlliterationMay also include rhymesUsually written to be heard rather than silently read.

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INTRO TO POETRY 6

THE ANCIENT ART

Roman Mosaic

Because of the repetitive structure of poetry, it is easier to remember.Because it is easier to remember, it was use from earliest times to pass on important knowledge.

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INTRO TO POETRY 7

WHAT POETRY IS ABOUTPoetry is about languagePoetry is about language and ideasPoetry is about language and emotionsPoetry is about language and joyPoetry is about language and sorrowPoetry is about language and lovePoetry is about language and death

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INTRO TO POETRY 8

SONG LYRICSEvery time you listen to a song you are listening to poetry.Some songs have moving lyrics while others are fluffThis is true of poetry

“Danny Boy” sung by Sinead O’Conner

1. Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling.

2. From glen to glen and down the mountain side.

3. The summer's gone, and all the flowers are falling.

4. 'Tis you, 'tis you must go, and I must bide.

5. But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,

6. Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow.

7. 'Tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow.

8. Oh Danny Boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so.

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INTRO TO POETRY 9

READING POETRYRead it out loudFollow the punctuationRespect the line endings – particularly in modern poetryAsk why the words are chosenAsk why the images are used

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INTRO TO POETRY 10

READING CHALLENGESAll poems have some meaning but it may not be easy to findVocabulary may be difficult

Archaic terms may be usedThee

Poetic contractionsN’er

Imagery replacing conceptREV 4/2016

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LAYERS OF MEANING

1. I am in love with him to whom a hyacinth is dearer

2. Than I shall ever be dear.3. On nights when the field-

mice are abroad he cannot sleep;

4. He hears their narrow teeth at the bulbs of his hyacinths.

5. But the gnawing at my heart he does not hear.

Hyacinth – Edna St. Vincent Millay

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Hyacinth--Roman

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LAYERS OF MEANING

1. I am in love with him to whom a hyacinth is dearer

2. Than I shall ever be dear.3. On nights when the field-

mice are abroad he cannot sleep;

4. He hears their narrow teeth at the bulbs of his hyacinths.

5. But the gnawing at my heart he does not hear.

Hyacinth – Edna St. Vincent Millay

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Hyacinth was a Greek lad who was loved by the god Apollo. When he tragically died, Apollo turned him into the flower.Reread the poem with this knowledge.

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CONSTRUCTING A POEM

Theme

Structure

Sound

Meter

Imagery

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THEME

What Poetry is About

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DEFINITION — THEMETheme is what the poem is about. It is the meaning of the poemTheme unifies the poemThe theme can be directly stated or implied

Sometimes the theme is to just tell a story, Other times to comment on society and lifeOr to make philosophical observations

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INTRO TO POETRY 16

RANGE OF THEMES Poems can be about

Love or hateBirth or deathSolitude or partiesIf humans experience it, it can be in poetry

1. Do not go gentle into that good night,

2. Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

3. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

4. Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

5. Because their words had forked no lightning they

6. Do not go gentle into that good night….

Dylan Thomas


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STRUCTURE

Line and StanzaREV 4/2016

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LINEA unit in a poem

From where a line starts to where the poem ends in a line

Traditional poetry pause occur at punctuationIn modern poetry pauses occur at the end of a line

1. Roses are red2. Violets are blue.3. Sugar is sweet4. And so are you.

In text use a virgule (/)5. Roses are

red/Violets are blue.

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INTRO TO POETRY 19

STANZAS

A collection of linesIt is like a paragraphMany times determined by the rhyme scheme

1. And the night shall be filled with music,

2. And the cares that infest the day,

3. Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,

4. And as silently steal away.

William Wadsworth Longfellow

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TYPES OF STANZA

Fixed Length1.And the night shall be

filled with music,2.And the cares that infest

the day,3.Shall fold their tents, like

the Arabs,4.And as silently steal away.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Free Verse Variable1.So be it. I am2.a wholeness I’ll

never know.3.Maybe that’s the

best.

Hayden Carruth

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TYPES OF FIXED STANZAS

Couplet – two linesTerza Rima – three linesQuatrain – four linesOctava Rima – eight lines Spenserian – nine linesSonnet—14 linesRefrain – a line repeated at the end of each stanza

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INTRO TO POETRY 22

COUPLET

Two lines rhymeMay be part of a stanza

1. Blessing on thee little man,

2. Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!

3. With thy turned-up pantaloons,

4. And thy merry whistled tunes;

John Greenleaf Whittier

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TERZA RIMA

.Three lines to a stanzaFrom Italian for three lines

1. The swallows veering skimmed the golden grain

2. At midday with a wing aslant and limber;

3. And yellow cattle browsed upon the plain.

Trumbull Stickney

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QUATRAIN

Four lines to a stanzaThe most common stanza format




4. And as silently steal away.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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OCTAVO RIMA

Eight line stanzaFrom Italian for 8 rhymes

1. Woodman, spare that tree!2. Touch not a single bough!3. In youth it sheltered me,4. And I’ll protect it now.5. ‘Twas my forefather’s hand6. That placed it near the cot;7. There, woodman, let it

stand,8. Thy axe shall harm it not!

George Pope Morris

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SONNET – TWO FLAVORSItalian or Petrarchan

8 line Stanza6 lines Stanza

Elizabethan or Shakespearean3 quatrains1 Couplet

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ITALIAN SONNET1. What lips my lips have kissed,

and where, and why,2. I have forgotten, and what arms

have lain3. Under my head till morning; but

the rain 4. Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap

and sigh 5. Upon the glass and listen for

reply,6. And in my heart there stirs a

quiet pain 7. For unremembered lads that not

again 8. Will turn to me at midnight with a

cry.

1.Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,

2.Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,

3.Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:

4. I cannot say what loves have come and gone,

5. I only know that summer sang in me

6.A little while, that in me sings no more.

Sonnet XLIII –Edna Vincent Millay

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ELIZABETHAN SONNET1. Shall I compare

thee to a summer's day?

2. Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

3. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

4. And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

1. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

2. And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

3. And every fair from fair sometime declines,

4. By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;

1. But thy eternal summer shall not fade

2. Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

3. Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

4. When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;

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1. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

2. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

William Shakespeare Sonnet #18

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HEMISTICH

Marked by a sharp division in the lineUsually indicated by a shift in alliterationTraces back to Old English poetry

1.Glory be to God for dappled things –2.For skies of couple-colour as a brinded 3. For rose-moles all in stipple upon

trout that swim;4.Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’

wings;5. Landscape plotted and pieced – fold,

fallow, and plough;6. And áll trádes, their gear and tackle

and trim.7.All things counter, original, spare,

strange;8.Whatever is fickle, freckled (who

knows how?)9.With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle,

dim;10.He fathers-forth whose beauty is

past change:11. Praise him.Gerard Manley Hopkins Pied Beauty

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FREE VERSE

No set length to the line or the stanza

1. so much depends upon

2. a red wheel barrow

3. glazed with rain water

4. beside the white chickens

William Carlos Williams-no title


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SOUND

Hearing is Seeing

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Homer by August Leloir

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IMPORTANCE OF SOUND

Poetry is meant to be read aloudThe sound of words and word combinations is part of the experiencePoets expend great effort to get the sound right

1. Listen my children and you shall hear

2. Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

3. On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

4. Hardly a man is now alive

5. Who remembers that famous day and year.

Longfellow Paul Revere’s Ride

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SOUND DEVICES

Rhyme

Alliteration

Assonance

Repetition

Onomatopoeia

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RHYME

Rhyme is used frequently to tie lines and stanzas togetherRhyme is often used to connect ideasRhyme was borrowed from other languages and is not natural to EnglishA rhyme scheme is indicated by small letters a, b, c, d, etc.

1. There once was a lady from Niger

2. Who smiled as she rode on a tiger

3. They returned from the ride

4. With the lady inside5.And the smile on the face

of the tiger

Limerick

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B

A

A

A

B

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RHYME DEVICES

End rhyme – at the end of the lineInternal rhyme – inside the lineNear rhyme – words are a close rhyme

Water Washer Eye rhyme – visual but not pronunciation rhyme

Lint Pint

1. Canary-birds feed on sugar and seed,

2. Parrots have crackers to crunch;

3. And, as for the poodles, they tell me noodles

4. Have chickens and cream for their lunch.

5. But there’s never a question

6. About my digestion---7. ANYTHING does for me!

Charles E. Carryl –Camels Complaint

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ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCEAlliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds

1. Friendless and faint, with martyred steps and slow,

2. Faint for the flesh, but for the spirit free,

3. Stung by the mob that came to see the show,

4. The Master toiled along to Calvary;

5. We gibed him, as he went, with houndish glee,

6. Till his dimmed eyes for us did overflow;

Edwin Arlington Robinson

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INTRO TO POETRY

REPETITION AND REFRAINRepetition is the repeating a word or phrase for effectRefrain is a phrase that is repeated in each stanza

1. HALF a league, half a league, 2. Half a league onward, 3. All in the valley of Death 4. Rode the six hundred. 5. 'Forward, the Light Brigade! 6. Charge for the guns! ' he

said: 7. Into the valley of Death 8. Rode the six hundred.

9. 'Forward, the Light Brigade! ‘10.Was there a man dismay'd?11.Not tho' the soldier knew12.Some one had blunder'd:13.Their's not to make reply,14.Their's not to reason why15.Their's but to do and die:16.Into the valley of Death17.Rode the six hundred.

Alfred Lord TennysonREV 4/2016Y37

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ONOMATOPOEIAOnomatopoeia is using words that sound like what is being described

1. When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock,

2. And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey-cock,

3. And the clackin’ of the guineys, and cluckin’ of the hens,

4. And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tip-toes on the fence;…

James Whitcomb Riley


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METER

It is all in the beat

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INTRO TO POETRY 40

DEFINITION—METER The arrangement of

accented and unaccented syllables to create a rhythm.

Rhythm that is recurring is called meter

Meter is frequently indicated by the symbols– stressed unstressed

Metric foot is one unit of stressed and unstressed syllables

Metric line is the number of stressed/unstressed syllables in a single line of poetry

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INTRO TO POETRY 41

METRIC

Varied the meter to avoid monotonyEnhances the poetry rather than overwhelms itModern poetry will use rhythm or meter but seldom will use a fixed metric line

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1. Whenas in silks my Julia goes,

2. Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows

3. That liquefaction of her clothes.

4. Next, when I cast mine eyes, and see

5. That brave vibration each way free,

6. O how that glittering taketh me!

Robert Herrick

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POETIC FOOTThe rhythm in a line of poetryThe beat of a poemIn English poetry it is the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllable.

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POETIC METER TYPESIambic – (common in English)

The brain is wider than the sky

Trochaic – Earth, receive an honored guest

Anapest –And the peak of the mountain was apples

Dactylic – After the pangs of a desperate lover

Spondaic – –Rocks, caves, lakes, fens and bogs.

The number of feet determines the line length or meter

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IAMBIC METERED LINESMonometer - rare

I haveOne wish

DimeterWhen I / descendTowards / their brinkI stand, / and look

TrimeterAlone / he rides, / alone

Tetrameter The gar/den gate /was left /ajar

Pentameter (common in English)

The leaf/less trees /and ev/ery ic/y craig

Hexameter – six stressHeptameter – seven stressHemistich – old English style based on alliteration

The sweet songs // of the sparrow on a branch

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METRIC LINEThe number of metric feet in a line of poetry




4. And as silently steal away.REV 4/2016

— — — — — — — — —

— — —

Anapest

Anapest

Anapest

Iambic

Trimeter

Return to Links

INTRO TO POETRY 46

IMAGERY

What I See

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INTRO TO POETRY 47

DEFINITION—IMAGERYThe use of a strong sensual language to convey a concept or emotion.

1. Slim dragonfly2. Too rapid for the eye3. to cage—4. Contagious gem of

virtuosity—5. Make visible, mentality.

6. reveal7. and veil8. a peacock tail.

Marianne Moore –Arthur Miller

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POETIC TECHNIQUES

Metaphor and simile– an image which stands for something elsePersonification – making something not human act human

The skies weep

The Chambered Nautilus(Comparing the sea shell to his body)1. Build thee more stately

mansions, O my soul,2. As the swift seasons roll!3. Leave thy low-vaulted past!4. Let each new temple, nobler than

the last,5. Shut thee from heaven with a

dome more vast,6. Till thou at length art free,7. Leaving thine outgrown shell by

life’s unresting sea!

Oliver Wendell Holmes

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POETIC TECHNIQUES

Allegory – things stand for abstractionsAllusion – a reference to something elseArchaism – using old fashion words and contractionsIrony – meaning which is contradictory and against what is said

1. A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.

2. All tenderly his messenger he chose;3. Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew

still wet—4. One perfect rose.I knew the language

of the floweret;5. "My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart

enclose.“6. Love long has taken for his amulet

One perfect rose.7. Why is it no one e’er sent me yet8. One perfect limousine, do you suppose?9. Ah no, it's always just my luck to get 10. One perfect rose.

Dorothy Parker


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HOW TO

READ POETRY

How do you attack a poem?

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INTRO TO POETRY 51

READING POETRY REQUIRES EFFORTRead it more than onceRead the poem aloudRead the lines as a unit of thoughtTalk back to the poemPay close attention to how the poem starts and ends

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TALKING BACK TO THE AUTHOR

When was the poem written What was going on in the poet’s lifeWhat was going on in the world?Is the poem independent of context?

1. If I should cast off this tattered coat,

2. And go free into the might sky:

3. If I should find nothing there

4. But a vast blue,5. Echoless, ignorant—6. What then?

Stephen Crane (1895)

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TALKING BACK TO THE CREATION

Does the poem spring from an identifiable historical moment? Does the poem speak from a specific culture? Does the poem have its own vernacular? Does the poem use imagery to achieve a particular effect?





Stephen Crane (1895))

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INTRO TO POETRY 54

TALKING BACK TO THE TEXT

Who is the speaker? What circumstances gave rise to the poem? What situation is presented? Who or what is the audience?What is the tone?






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TALKING BACK TO THE LANGUAGE

What kind of figurative language, if any, does the poem use?Does the poem use unusual words or use words in an unusual way? If the poem is a question, what is the answer?If the poem is an answer, what is the question? What does the title suggest?





Stephen Crane-No title (1895)

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TALKING BACK TO THE LANGUAGEWhy are certain words used?Why do lines end where they do?Why the punctuation?






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TALKING BACK ABOUT THE STRUCTUREWhat form, if any, does the poem take? How is form related to content? Is sound an important element in the poem?






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INTRO TO POETRY 58

TALKING BACK ABOUT THE STRUCTURETypographyPunctuationSoundRhythmBreathMeter






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INTRO TO POETRY 59

TALKING BACK TO THE YOURSELF

How did I feel when I read the poem?Did I look up words I did not know?Did I ask good questions?Did I seek other opinions?






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INTRO TO POETRY 60

FINAL EVALUATION

Did you understand the poem?Did you like the poem?Did you like parts?If you could ask the poet one question, what would it be?





Stephen Crane

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Return to Links

INTRO TO POETRY 61

HOW TO

WRITE ABOUT

POETRY

Developing your response

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INTRO TO POETRY 62

DEVELOP A RESPONSEUse the information gathered from active reading of the poemWhat was your evaluation?Why are you writing about this poem?Formulate questions you would like answers too

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DEVELOPING AN APPROACHLiterature can be approached in four waysAuthor approach

How the life of the author influenced the writing

Text approachHow the text was created: the structure, word choice, etc.

Cultural approachSociety and the workThemesSocial and philosophical issues

Personal approachPersonal response to the work

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SELECTING A FOCUSNarrowing the topicDevelop a research question• Who, what, when, where, why, or how

Answer the question

Develop a thesis• This is the most important part of the paper

Create an outlineREV 4/2016

INTRO TO POETRY 65

RESEARCH

Reinforce the thesisFind credible sourcesUse sources that relate only to the thesis

Copy or paraphrase sources accuratelyUse a standard documenting format: MLA, APA, CMS

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WRITINGUse the writing process: organize, write, editFollow the outline--adjust as neededParaphrase more often than quoteIdentify sources: quotes, paraphrases and summariesSources are support for the thesisEdit, edit, and editUse good time management


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SUMMARYPoetry is an ancient art formThe structure is lines and stanzasMeter is how the syllables are accentedSound is emphasized though

RhymeAlliteration and assonance

Imagery is used to replace concepts

Read poetry carefully for several meaningsWrite from your perspectiveEnjoy poetry

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INTRO TO POETRY 68

EXERCISESONG – ALLEN GINSBERGWhat is the poem about?What do you know about the author?What poetic techniques are used?

1. The weight of the world

2. is love.3. Under the burden 4. of solitude,5. under the burden6. of dissatisfaction7. the weight,8. the weight we carry9. is love.

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INTRO TO POETRY 69

EXERCISESONG – ALLEN GINSBERGWhat is the structure of the poem?How does the poem sound?What is the tone of the poem

1. Who can deny?2. In dreams3. it touches 4. the body,5. in thought6. constructs7. a miracle,8. in imagination9. anguishes 10. till born11. in human —

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INTRO TO POETRY 70

EXERCISESONG – ALLEN GINSBERGWhat is the burden of life?Is the poem effective?Do you like the poem—why or why not?

1. Looks out the heart2. burning with purity—3. for the burden of life4. is love,

5. But we carry the weight6. wearily,7. and so must rest8. in the arms of love9. at last,10. must rest in the arms11. of love. …

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Links

INTRO TO POETRY 71

RESOURCESPoetry Handbook by Babette DeutschHow Does a Poem Mean? By John CiardiRhyme Pattern Variations

www.loske.org/html/school/english/rhyme.pdf

Elements of Poetry [Interactive] http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/rhyme_def.html

Rhyme and Stanza http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/tsteele/TSpage5/rands.html

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http://www.loske.org/html/school/english/rhyme.pdf

http://www.loske.org/html/school/english/rhyme.pdf

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/rhyme_def.html

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/rhyme_def.html

http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/tsteele/TSpage5/rands.html

http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/tsteele/TSpage5/rands.html

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RESOURCES (CONT.)

Poets. Org http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/58

Image in Poetry http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/617/01/

P.A.L. Elements of Poetry http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/AXF.HTML

Modern American Poetry http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/REV 4/2016

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/58

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/617/01/

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/617/01/

http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/AXF.HTML

http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/AXF.HTML

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/

Self Improvement

Introduction to poetry