FROM RHYME TO POETRY

BETH VANCIL

LIB 732

NOV. 2013

NURSERY RHYMES• Quickly introduced settings• Simple Plots• Actions – simple to complex • Sound Effects • Figurative Language • Verbal Irony • Humor

POETRY• A single word in poetry says far more than

a single word in prose. (Anderson, 264)

• Characteristics: rhythm, sound patterns, figurative

language, compactness and emotional intensity.

• A good poem makes every word count and is concrete,

not abstract.

• Types of poetry: narrative – storytelling poetry; lyric – song

poetry which uses rhythm, sounds and figurative

language to evoke emotions.

RHYTHM, SOUND PATTERNS AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

• RHYTHM

• A regular pattern is called a meter

• Adds meaning to the words chosen by

the author

• SOUND PATTERNS

• Silly words and Onomatopoeia

• FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

• Metaphors (implied comparisons)

• Similes (explicit comparisons)

POETIC FORMS • Concrete Poems – written in a shape reflective

of the poem’s content.

• Haiku and Tanka – Japanese poetry based on

syllabication of each line.

• Sijo – Korean poetry based on syllabication and

a concept structure for each line.

RESOURCES• Lukens, Rebecca. A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature. 9th, 2013. • Massachusetts St. Mary’s Catholic School. Haiku Hike. Scholastic. 2005• Prelutsky, Jack. (compiler) Random House Book of Poetry for Children. Random

House. 1983• Wright, Blanche Fisher. The Real Mother Goose. Scholastic. 1994• Yolen, Jane. The Three Bears Rhyme Book. Harcourt. 1987

• Book Cover Images from Amazon.com