Introduction to Poetry

What is Poetry?

• According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, poetry is “writing that uses rhythm, vivid language, and often rhyme to provoke an emotional response

• In the words of Isaac Newton, “(Poetry is) a kind of ingenious nonsense”.

• As stated in Chambers Student Dictionary, poetry is “a composition of high beauty of thought or language and artistic form, in verse or prose : a creation, achievement, etc, marked by beauty or artistry”.

• “Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words,” said Edgar Allan Poe.

Section 1: Poetic Structure

{the organization of a poem}

Lines

• Lines– Most poems are written in lines.– A group of lines in a poem is called a

stanza.

Lines

Stanzas

• Stanzas– Stanzas are a

series of lines grouped together and separated by an empty line from other stanzas.

– They are the equivalent of a paragraph in an essay.

Structure of Poetry

How many stanza are in this poem? How many

lines?

Nothing Gold Can StayRobert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Rhyme

The repetition of sounds End rhyme- the last word on each line rhymes.Example: hat, cat, brat, fat, mat, sat

My Beard

by Shel Silverstein

My beard grows to my toes,

I never wears no clothes,

I wraps my hair

Around my bare,

And down the road I goes.

Internal rhyme- Words INSIDE the sentence rhyme.

Sound Patterns

POETRY DOES NOT HAVE TO

RHYME!!!!

Rhyme Scheme

the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem

Internal rhyme- Words INSIDE the sentence rhyme.

My cat is nice.My cat likes mice.My cat is fat.I like my cat.

AABB

  

My cat is nice.My cat is fat.My cat likes mice.I like my cat.

ABAB

My cat is gray.My cat is fat.My cat is cute.I like my cat.

ABCB

Section 2:Poetic Devices

{writing techniques used in poetry}

Figurative Language

• Figurative language is just one of many poetic devices

• Figurative language we will discuss:– Simile– Metaphor– Alliteration– Personification– Hyperbole– Onomatopoeia– Idiom

Definition: Language used for descriptive effect, often to imply ideas indirectly. Expressions of figurative language are not literally true but express meaning beyond the literal level.

A comparison between two usually unrelated things using the word “like” or “as”.

Examples: Joe is as hungry as a bear.In the morning, Rae is like an angry lion.

Ars Poetica By Archibald MacLeish

A poem should be palpable and mute as a globed fruit,

Silent as the sleeve-worn stone

Of casement ledges where the moss has grown—

A poem should be wordless

As the flight of birds.

Let’s see what this looks like in a poem. Can you identify the similes?

An implied comparison between two usually unrelated things.

Examples: Lenny is a snake.Ginny is a mouse when it comes to standing up for herself.

The difference between a simile and a metaphor is that a simile requires either “like” or “as” to be included in the comparison, and a metaphor requires that neither be used.

What two things are being compared?

• Her home was a prison

• How can she marry a snake like that?

• My father is a rock.

• John is a real pig when he eats.

When it comes to using a metaphor device in poetry, a poet can either make the entire poem a metaphor for something, or put little metaphors

throughout the poem.

• In the following poem, the whole thing is a metaphor. This is called and extended metaphor.

The Cafeteria

The cafeteria is a jungle.Wild animals scrambling for food.

Grunting like wild boarsStampeding

to the lineDevouring their preyCleaning their paws

and then returning to their dens.

What is the cafeteria being compared to?

The repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in a line.To the lay-person, these are called “tongue-twisters”.

Example: How much dew would a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop did drop dew?

She Walks in BeautyI.

She walks in beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and brightMeet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender lightWhich Heaven to gaudy day denies.

Let’s see what this looks like in a poem. Can you identify the alliteration?

These examples use the beginning sounds of words only twice in a line, but by definition, that’s all you need.

Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects, ideas, or animals.

Example: The sun stretched its lazy fingers over the valley.

What is being personified in the following sentences?

• The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

• The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow.

• The flowers waltzed in the gently breeze.

• The blizzard swallowed the town.

An exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.

Examples:I may sweat to death.The blood bank needs a river of blood.

The Christmas Tree

Momma bought a tree bigger than Jack’s giant.The branches were so longThey gave each other huge bear hugs.It took a million lightsTo even make the tree seem half awakeAnd a thousand gifts to sootheThe giant’s appetite.

Can you identify any instances of hyperbole?

Words that spell out sounds; words that sound like what they mean.

Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack, ptthhhbbb.

Let’s see what this looks like in a poem.

Noise Day

by Shel Silverstein

Let’s have one day for girls and boyses

When you can make the grandest noises.

Screech, scream, holler, and yell –

Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell,

Sneeze – hiccup – whistle – shout,

Laugh until your lungs wear out,

Toot a whistle, kick a can,

Bang a spoon against a pan,

Sing, yodel, bellow, hum,

Blow a horn, beat a drum,

Rattle a window, slam a door,

Scrape a rake across the floor . . ..

Onomatopoeia

Several other words not highlighted could also be considered as onomatopoeia. Can you find any?

• Splash• Purr• Squeak• Crash• Whirr

• Clang• Bang• Buzz• Plop• Pop

Other common onomatopoeia words:

Onomatopoeia in Comics

Oh Yeah! Movie Time, Yeah!

35

Definition:

An expression that cannot be understood simply by putting together the meanings of the individual words.

Examples:

1. Idiom: He was down in the dumps after his friend moved. Translation: He was depressed after his friend moved.

2. Idiom: My baseball coach regularly tells me to keep an eye on the ball. Translation: My baseball coach regularly tells me to watch the ball.

3. Idiom: On this cold November day, it’s raining cats and dogs! Translation: On this cold November day, it’s raining very hard!

Can you translate the idioms in the following sentences?

1. My mom always tells my dad not to be a back seat driver.

2. Tara hit the nail on the head when she solved the tricky problem.

3. Be sure to get plenty of rest and drink lots of orange juice to avoid catching a cold.

4. The two of us don’t always see eye to eye.5. After eating Thanksgiving dinner, I was stuffed to the

gills.6. I can’t come to work today because I’m feeling a little

under the weather.7. We know you’re a good dancer; you don’t have to

toot your own horn.

1. My mom always tells my dad not give her unwanted advice about her driving.

2. Tara was absolutely correct when she solved the tricky problem.

3. Be sure to get plenty of rest and drink lots of orange juice to avoid getting sick.

4. The two of us don’t always understand each other.

5. After Thanksgiving dinner, I was extremely full.

6. I can’t come to work today because I’m not feeling very well.

7. We know you’re a good dancer; you don’t have to brag about it.

Oh Yeah! Movie Time, Yeah!

Figurative Language Quick Quiz

Directions: Using your notes, identify the type of figurative language used in each sentence.

Word Bank: simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, idiom, onomatopoeia

1.The curious cat crept toward the mouse hole.

2.I was so embarrassed that I wanted to die.

3.Before the movie began, the teacher told the student to hit the lights.

4.The basketball net swished when the ball went through it.

5.The football players dove on the ball like angry dogs snarling for a bone.

6.The wilting flower eagerly drank the water.

7.Jim’s dog was a boomerang, always coming back to where he started.

More Poetic Devices

Symbolism

What is Symbolism?

• A symbol is something that stands for itself, but also something larger than itself. – It may be a person, an animal, an inanimate object,

or an action.– A writer often uses a concrete object to express an

abstract idea, a quality, or a belief. – A symbol may appeal to a reader's emotions and

can provide a way to express an idea, communicate a message, or clarify meaning

Can you identify the symbolism in the following poem?

Well, son, I'll tell you:Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

It's had tacks in it,And splinters,

And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor --

Bare.But all the time

I'se been a-climbin' on,And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,

And sometimes goin' in the darkWhere there ain't been no light.

So boy, don't you turn back.Don't you set down on the steps'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.

Don't you fall now --For I'se still goin', honey,

I'se still climbin',And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Imagery

Using words to create a picture in the reader’s mind. Refer to the lesson on

descriptive language.

Theme

• The statement the poem/poet makes about its subject– subject is what the poem is about

• a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work

• The message the author is trying to convey

What is the theme of the poem?True Friends

Best friends stick together till the end,They are like a straight line that will not bend.

They trust each other forever,No matter if you're apart you are together.

They can be your hero and save the day,They will never leave your side they are here to stay.

They help you up when you fall,Your true friends are best of all.

Tone

•Tone is the attitude writers take towards their subject.•Words that describe tone:

•Admiring •Arrogant •Depressed •Morbid •Friendly •Sweet •Happy

Tone

What is the tone of this poem?

Smile It Is Free

A smile is cheer from you to me,the cost is nothing its given for free.They console the weary and gladden the sad.And can make someone happy when they are mad.Unlike blessings in which we pray it's the only thing you keep when you give it away.

Mood

Mood

• Mood is the atmosphere, or emotion, in the poem created by the poet.

• Can be happy, angry, silly, sad, excited, fearful or thoughtful.

• Poet uses words and images to create mood.

Mood - Barefoot Days Barefoot Days by Rachel Field

In the morning, very early, That’s the time I love to goBarefoot where the fern grows curly And grass is cool between each toe, On a summer morning-O! On a summer morning!

That is when the birds go by Up the sunny slopes of air,And each rose has a butterfly Or a golden bee to wear;And I am glad in every toe – Such a summer morning-O! Such a summer morning!

What is the mood of this poem? What clues in the poem can you use to determine the mood?

Don’t Confuse Tone & Mood!

•Tone and mood are two different aspects of a poem!

•Tone is the author's or the poet's attitude towards his or her subject.

•Mood is how the poem makes the reader or the listener feel.

Section 3:Poetic Analysis

{breaking down poetry}

Analyzing a Poem

• A poem should be read several times in order to hear it and feel its emotions.

• The more times you read the poem, the more you can analyze and understand the meaning in a poem.

• These meanings are often conveyed through specific poetic devices, or "parts" of the poem.

SIFT

Analyzing Poetry• SIFT is a strategy used for analyzing

poetry.

• It can be used to analyze any poem.

• Analyze a poem for the following:– Symbols– Imagery– Figurative Language– Tone/Theme

Analyze the following poem using SIFT

Junkyardsby Julian Lee Rayford

You take any junkyardand you will see it filled withsymbols of progressremarkable things discarded

What civilization when ahead on all its onward-impelling implements are given over to the junkyards to rust

The supreme implement, the wheelis conspicuous in the junkyards

The axles and the leversthe cogs and the flywheelsall the parts of dynamosall the parts of motorsfall the parts of rusting. 

Ssymbols

IImagery

FFig. Lang.

TTone/

Theme