Elements of a Narrative Poem
Narrative poems tell a story or detail a series of events. You will
often see use of poetic devices such as personification, similes
and metaphors and alliteration, but the common thread
between all narrative poetry is that a complete story is told
within the poem. This means the poem will feature characters
and will have a clear beginning, middle and end, much like a
short story.
The parts of the story are broken into stanzas, usually in
groupings of four, six or eight lines. This helps break up the
story as the narrator (the poet) tells the story.
Tips for Writing Narrative Poetry
First, decide on a story you wish to tell.
Then break the story into three distinct parts: beginning, middle
and end.
Next, write down a bullet list of story pieces that will be told in
each segment of the poem. Make sure you write down
important details that will make the story come alive.
Structuring a Narrative Poem
Narrative poems can be written in a number of forms, but the
most common structure is to use a rhyming pattern. Narrative
poems can also be written in free verse or blank verse format.
Stop and read the poem out loud every once in a while.
Count the syllables.
Look for rhyming patterns.
Dress the story up by using poetic devices.
Jimmy Goes to the City
by Arthur Read
Jimmy was a happy ape
Until some hunters caught him
He liked the jungle better than
The city where they brought him
The city was louder
The city was meaner
Even the dirt in the jungle was cleaner
So Jimmy made a daring escape!
The hunters were suddenly minus one ape!
He climbed the tallest building
Because from there he'd see
How far away the jungle was
From the middle of the city.
Jimmy jumped into a passing plane
But the pilot didn't wait for him to explain
Jimmy flew back to the jungle
And told his ape friends in their lair
"The city's okay for a visit
But you couldn't make me live there."