Ms. Duggan7th Grade Reading

Characteristics of Poetry

Figurative Language Metaphors Personification Similes Symbolism

Sensory Language

Sound Devices Alliteration Repetition Onomatopoeia Rhyme Meter

Graphical Elements

Forms of Poetry

Narrative Haiku Free Verse Lyric

• Ballads• Concrete• Limericks• Rhyming Couplets

Narrative Poetry

Tells a story in verse Often have elements similar to those

in short stories, such as plot and characters

NarrativeThe Defense of the AlamoJoaquin Miller (1841-1913)Santa Anna came storming, as a storm might come;

There was rumble of cannon; there was rattle of blade;

There was cavalry, infantry, bugle and drum—

Full seven proud thousand in pomp and parade,

The chivalry, flower of all Mexico;

And a gaunt two hundred in the Alamo!

 

And thirty lay sick, and some were shot through;

For the siege had been bitter, and bloody and long.

"Surrender or die!"--"Men, what will you do?“

And Travis, great Travis, drew sword, quick and strong;

Drew a line at his feet ... Will you come? Will you go?

I die with my wounded, in the Alamo."

 

Then Bowie gasped, "Guide me over that line!“

Then Crockett, one hand to the stick, one hand to his gun,

Crossed with him; then never a word or a sign,

Till all, sick or well, all, all save but one,

One man. Then a woman stopped praying and slow

Across, to die with the heroes of the Alamo.

Then that one coward fled, in the night, in that night

When all men silently prayed and thought

Of home; of tomorrow; of God and the right,

Till dawn; then Travis sent his single last cannon-shot,

In answer to insolent Mexico,

From the old bell-tower of the Alamo.

 

 Then came Santa Anna; a crescent of flame!

Then the red escalade; then the fight hand to hand;

Such an unequal fight as never had name

Since the Persian hordes butchered that doomed Spartan band.

All day--all day and all night, and the morning, so slow,

Through the battle smoke mantling the Alamo.

 

Then silence! Such silence! Two thousand lay dead

In a crescent outside! And within? Not a breath

Save the gasp of a woman, with gory, gashed head,

All alone, with her dead there, waiting for death;

And she but a nurse. Yet when shall we know

Another like this of the Alamo?

 

Shout "Victory, victory, victory ho!“

I say, 'tis not always with the hosts that win:

I say that the victory, high or low,

Is given the hero who grapples with sin,

Or legion or single; just asking to know

When duty fronts death in his Alamo.

Haiku

Three-line Japanese verse form First and third lines each have five

syllables Second line has seven syllables

HaikuTarget Coupon Book

Free Verse

Defined by its lack of strict structure No regular meter, rhyme, fixed line

length or specific stanza pattern

Free VerseFog

Carl Sandburg

THE fog comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.

Lyric

Expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker

Often highly musical verse

LyricEmpire State of MindJay-Z

Yea I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in TriBeCaright next to Deniro, but I'll be hood foreverI'm the new Sinatra, and... since I made it hereI can make it anywhere, yea, they love me everywhereI used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicano'sright there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald'sTook it to my stashbox, 560 State St.catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them Pastry'sCruisin' down 8th St., off white Lexusdrivin' so slow, but BK is from TexasMe, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggienow I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with meSay what's up to Ty-Ty, still sippin' mai tai'ssittin' courtside, Knicks & Nets give me high fiveI be Spike'd out, I could trip a refereeTell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from....

New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made ofThere's nothin' you can't doNow you're in New YorkThese streets will make you feel brand newBig lights will inspire youLet's hear it for New York, New York,New York

Ballads

Songlike poems that tell stories Often deal with adventure and

romance

Ballad of Birmingham (bombing of a church in Alabama, 1963)

BalladsBallad of BirminghamDUDLEY RANDALL(On the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963)

“Mother dear, may I go downtown Instead of out to play, And march the streets of

Birmingham In a Freedom March today?”

“No, baby, no, you may not go, For the dogs are fierce and wild, And clubs and hoses, guns and jails Aren’t good for a little child.”

“But, mother, I won’t be alone. Other children will go with me, And march the streets of

Birmingham To make our country free.”

“No, baby, no, you may not go, For I fear those guns will fire. But you may go to church instead And sing in the children’s choir.”

She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair,

And bathed rose petal sweet, And drawn white gloves on her small

brown hands, And white shoes on her feet.

The mother smiled to know her child Was in the sacred place, But that smile was the last smile To come upon her face.

For when she heard the explosion, Her eyes grew wet and wild. She raced through the streets of

Birmingham Calling for her child.

She clawed through bits of glass and brick,

Then lifted out a shoe. “O, here’s the shoe my baby wore, But, baby, where are you?”

Concrete

Shaped to look like their subjects Poet arranges the lines to create a

picture on the page

Concrete Poem I Speak Alone by ~Gordorca

Limericks

Humorous, rhyming, five-line poems Specific rhythm pattern and rhyme

scheme

LimerickAuthor and Title Unknown

There once was a man from Peruwho dreamed he was eating his shoe.He woke with a frightin the middle of the nightto find that his dream had come true.

Rhyming Couplets

Pairs of rhyming lines Usually same meter and length

Rhyming CoupletTwinkle, twinkle, little batLewis Carroll

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!How I wonder what you're at!Up above the world you fly,Like a tea-tray in the sky.

Your turn!

Take a look at a few poems and answer these questions for each one. What is the title of the poem? What are some of the characteristics of

this poem? What kind of poem is it? What are your thoughts about this poem? Is this poem difficult to interpret?

TP-CASTT: Analyzing Poetry Poems can be very difficult to interpret

because a lot of what they have to say is not written but is implied. A major problem that students have with interpreting poetry is that they read the poem once, pick out a detail or two and then jump to a conclusion, often the wrong conclusion. To avoid this pitfall, it is important to gather significant data and try out different hypotheses before drawing a conclusive interpretation. These steps, sort of like the scientific method, comprise a safe way to avoid serious misinterpretations.

T: Title

Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to analyze it, speculate on what you think the poem might be about based upon the title. Often time authors conceal meaning in the title and give clues in the title. Jot down what you think this poem will be about.

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

Tree

I think it is about a tree the author saw

P: Paraphrase

Before you begin thinking about meaning or tying to analyze the poem, don't overlook the literal meaning of the poem. One of the biggest problems that students often make in poetry analysis is jumping to conclusions before understanding what is taking place in the poem. When you paraphrase a poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number of sentences in the poem—your paraphrase should have exactly the same number. This technique is especially helpful for poems written in the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometimes your teacher may allow you to summarize what happens in the poem. Make sure that you understand the difference between a paraphrase and a summary.

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

He saw a tree growing

It was by itself, no moss

By itself, with green leaves

The tree reminded him of himself

How could the tree be happy all by itself, he couldn’t be happy alone

He broke off a part of the tree and put some moss on it

He took it home

Not to remind him of his friends

He thinks of his friends a lot

It reminds him of a love of people

The tree is there alone, beautiful, happy and he knows that

He could not be happy alone

C: Connotation

Although this term usually refers solely to the emotional overtones of word choice, for this approach the term refers to any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem. You may consider imagery, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, etc), diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do identify should be seen as a way of supporting the conclusions you are going to draw about the poem.

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

Personification-The tree has no one to keep him company, but is still joyous.

Repetition-uttering joyous leaves

Diction-alone, without companion, without friends, solitary

A: Attitude

Having examined the poem's devices and clues closely, you are now ready to explore the multiple attitudes that may be present in the poem. Examination of diction, images, and details suggests the speaker's attitude and contributes to understanding. You may refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you. Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a single word Think complexity.

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

Reverent-treating a subject with honor and respect

Reflective-illustrating innermost thoughts and emotions

S: Shifts

Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that understanding or insight. Watch for the following keys to shifts: key words, (but, yet, however, although) punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis) stanza divisions changes in line or stanza length or both irony changes in sound that may indicate changes in

meaning changes in diction

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

After admiring the live-oak, Whitman reveals that he could not be happy without companionship.

T: Title

Now look at the title again, but this time on an interpretive level. What new insight does the title provide in understanding the poem?

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

Whitman reflects on the tree he saw growing alone.

T: Theme

What is the poem saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition? What subject or subjects does the poem address? What do you learn about those subjects? What idea does the poet want you take away with you concerning these subjects? Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a complete sentence.

I saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.I SAW in Louisiana a live-oak growing,

All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the          branches;

Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous          leaves of dark green,

And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think          of myself;

But I wonder'd how it could utter joyous leaves,          standing alone there, without its friend, its          lover near—for I knew I could not;

And I broke off a twig with a certain number of          leaves upon it, and twined around it a little          moss,

And brought it away—and I have placed it in sight in          my room;

It is not needed to remind me as of my own dear          friends,

(For I believe lately I think of little else than of          them;)

Yet it remains to me a curious token—it makes me          think of manly love;

—For all that, and though the live-oak glistens there          in Louisiana, solitary, in a wide flat space,

Uttering joyous leaves all its life, without a friend, a          lover, near,

I know very well I could not.

Although humans share some qualities with nature, we need companionship to truly be happy.