INTRODUCTION TO POETRY
I. Assumptions on Poetry
• That a poem is to be read for its “message”
• That this message is “hidden” in the poem
• The message is to be found by treating the words as
symbols which naturally do not mean what they say
but stand for something else.
• You have to decipher every single word to appreciate
and enjoy the poem.
The art of poetry resides in the technical detail more than one
might like to believe. The writer artfully uses technique with
the express purpose of getting you to feel what he or she
wants you to feel.
II. Poetic Elements and Features
(a brief description of some common poetic techniques and
devices and other features of poetry)
A. VOICE
- By convention we refer to the speaking persona as "the
speaker" in poetry where specific characters are not indicated
(comparable to "the narrator" in fiction).
- In the great majority of poems, we cannot assume that
speaker and poet are the same individual, and quite often the
speaker is clearly not the poet himself or herself.
B. STRUCTURE
The overall organization of lines and/or the
conventional patterns of sound
1. Stanza (or verse)
- lines grouped together
-poetic equivalent of a paragraph
-concentrates attention on a particular area of thought or image
-with line breaks and punctuations, use to establish a pace and
develop the theme
-named as to the number of lines (couplet -2; tercet-3;quatrain4;cinquain-5, etc.)
2. Form
- A poem may or may not have a specific number of lines,
rhyme scheme and/or metrical pattern, but it can still be
labeled according to its form or style.
-3 Most Common Types of Poems Accdg. to Form:
a. Lyric Poetry-expresses strong thoughts and feelings of
speaker; personal/introspective
b. Narrative Poem – tells a story
c. Descriptive Poem-describes the world that surrounds the
speaker;outward-focused
-significant use of imagery and adjectives
(In a sense, almost all poems, whether they have consistent
patterns of sound and/or structure, or are free verse, are in
one of the three categories above. They may be a combination
of 2 or 3 of the above styles.)
C. SOUND PATTERNS
1. Rhyme -repetition of similar sounds
Kinds:
a) end rhyme-lines end in similar sounds
-usually identified with lower case letters, and a new letter is
used to identify each new end sound (for rhyme scheme)
I saw a fairy in the wood,
a
He was dressed all in green.
b
He drew his sword while I just stood, a
And realized I'd been seen.
b
Rhyme scheme: abab
b) internal rhyme – a rhyme between two or more words
within a single line of verse
In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud
Whiles all the night through fog-smoke white
c) masculine rhyme - a rhyme consisting of a single stressed
syllable, as in the rhyme between “car” and “far”
d) feminine rhyme - a rhyme consisting of a stressed syllable
followed by an unstressed syllable, as in the rhyme between
“mother” and “brother”
e) slant ryhme - an imperfect rhyme, also called oblique rhyme
or off rhyme, in which the sounds are similar but not exactly
the same, as between “port” and “heart”
2. Rhythm – pattern of sound created by the varying length
and emphasis given to different syllables
3. Meter - rhythmic pattern created in a line of verse
4. Foot - the basic rhythmic unit into which a line of verse can
be divided (“caesura” – pause between feet)
-“scansion” – the process of analyzing the number and type of
feet
D. WORD SOUNDS
Emphasis on individual sounds and words
1. Alliteration: the repetition of initial sounds on the same line
or stanza - Big bad Bob bounced bravely.
2. Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds (anywhere in the
middle or end of a line or stanza) - Tilting at windmills
3. Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds (anywhere
in the middle or end of a line or stanza) - And all the air a
solemn stillness holds. (T. Gray)
4. Onomatopoeia: words that sound like that which they
describe - Boom! Crash! Pow! Quack! Moo! Caress...
5. Repetition: the repetition of entire lines or phrases to
emphasize key thematic ideas.
6. Parallel Stucture: a form of repetition where the order of
verbs and nouns is repeated; it may involve exact words, but it
more importantly repeats sentence structure - "I came, I saw, I
conquered."
E. IMAGERY
-the use of words to convey vivid, concrete sensory
experiences
-not just visual, also includes vivid sensory experiences of
smell, sound, touch, and taste as well.
F. MEANING
1. Concreteness and Particularity
-A poem is most often concrete and particular; the "message,"
if there is any, is general and abstract; it's implied by the
images (as in symbols). Eg.: ticking of clock = mortality;
hardness of steel = determination;white = peace or purity
2. Denotation and Connotation
-The full meaning of a word includes both the dictionary
definition and the special meanings and associations a word
takes in a given phrase or expression. Some examples of
figurative/connotative devices are simile, metaphor,
hyperbole, personification, synecdoche, irony.
Sources:
http://www.open.edu/
http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/
http://www.misshannigan.com/Genre/frpoetry/gpoetrynotes.html
http://learn.lexiconic.net/elementsofpoetry.htm
http://www.chipspage.com/2613/poetry.html