UNIT THREE: POETRY
Form and Structure
  Form
  Refers to external patterns of a poem
  Including the way lines and stanzas are
organized
  Structure
  Organization of images, ideas and words to
present a unified impression or an idea to
the reader
Lines and stanzas
  Line
  A horizontal row of words
  May or may not form a complete sentence
  Stanza
  Groups of lines forming a unit
  Separate from the next stanza by a line or
space
Example
The mother smiled to know her child
was in a sacred place,
but that smile was the last smile
to come upon her face.
--Dudley Randall, from “Ballad of
Birmingham”
Language of Poetry
  Imagery
  Figurative
Imagery
  Descriptive
language used to represent
objects, feelings and thoughts.
  It often appeals to one or more of the
five senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste
and smell.
  Imagery is the painting of pictures in the
reader’s mind through the use of
language.
Analyzing Imagery
 
When you analyze imagery, it is very
important to avoid simply ‘listing’ the
images that the poet uses.
 
For each image you discuss, you should
consider:
What type of image is being used?
Why this particular image is being used?
What the effect of this image is on the reader?
How the image contributes to the poem as a
whole?
  You should suggest a possible interpretation of
an image rather than stating your ideas as
definite.
 
 
 
 
Figurative Language
  Figure
of Speech
  A word or an expression that is not literally
true but expresses some truth beyond the
literal level.
o  Simile
o  Metaphor
o  Personification
o  Hyperbole
Simile
  type
of imagery that makes a
comparison between one thing and
another, to strengthen the ‘word picture’
in the reader’s mind
  Uses
words like or as to compare two
seemingly unlike things
Types of Simile
  Simile
1.
  Where one thing is said to be like another
  Simile
2.
  Where one thing is said to be as … as a
Simile 1
  Simile
1.
  Where one thing is said to be like another,
for instance:
“The sun looked like a golden coin in the sky.”
In this example, the sun is being compared to
something that looks similar, i.e. the golden
coin.
Simile 2
  Where
one thing is said to be as … as a
…, for instance:
“The moon shone as brightly as the stars.”
  This type of simile gives a slightly more
definite feeling.
  Here, the light of the moon is being
compared to that of the stars.
Practice with these examples
  These
similes are taken out of context,
you will need to create your own
inferences about the effects they might
create within a poem:
  “The moon shone as brightly as the stars.”
  “The cat was as black as the night.”
  “The man cried like a baby.”
  “The house was as silent as the grave.”
  “The tree was gnarled and bent, like an old
man.”
Metaphor
  Compares
two or more things by
implying that one thing is another
  They do not use like or as
  rather than saying that something is like
another, a metaphor says it actually is
that thing.
  can create a far more powerful effect
than similes, because they are so
definite in their comparison.
Metaphor Example
  “Her
face was a book, he could read her
every thought and emotion.”
In this example, the writer tells us that
the girl’s face is a book, when clearly it
is not. He develops the metaphor
slightly, by using the word “read”.
As you would read a book, so the man
reads the girl’s face.
Analyzing Metaphors
 
 
 
When discussing metaphors, and the effects
they create in poetry
Describe the ‘word picture’ you see in your
mind, and how the links you associate with
that picture add to the poem.
For example: In the last metaphor, the girl’s
face is described as a book, suggesting that
her emotions are visible, just as print is in a
book. By saying that he can ‘read’ the girl’s
face, the poet strengthens the image. “Her
face was a book, he could read her every
thought and emotion.”
Practice Analyzing Metaphors
  These
metaphors are taken out of
context, you will need to decide on the
effects that they might create within a
poem:
  “The cat slunk his way through the dustbins,
a black panther deadly in his intentions.”
  “Life is a blank page, waiting for us to write
on it.”
  “My love is the sunshine in my life,
brightening up my day.”
Personification
  Giving
human characteristics to an
animal, object or idea
  It strengthens a description, making it
more vivid and memorable
  As with simile and metaphor,
personification works by making a
connection between two things
Example
 
“The house sat proudly on the land, its
windows were eyes watching over its
kingdom.”
- In this example, the house is personified.
- Clearly, a house does not ‘sit’, nor does it
feel ‘proud’, whilst a person does.
- The image is developed further as the
windows are described as ‘eyes watching’.
Analyze Personification
  “The
pen ran quickly over her page,
jumping from word to word as though
rushing to finish a race.”
  “The sun climbed wearily into the sky,
pushing its way through the black clouds
and attempting to smile.”
Examples
She laughs like wind water, shaking
her braids loose, she laughs
--Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, from “Woman with Kite”
 
Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
--William Shakespeare, from “Shall I Compare Thee to
a Summer’s Day?”
 
the spring rain
is a
thread of pearls
--Lady Ise, Form a tanka
 
The Sound of Poetry
  Rhyme
  Is the repetition of a final stressed vowel and
succeeding sounds in two or more words
Example
Hat and cat,
willowier and billowier
Fire and desire
The Sound of Poetry
  Internal
Rhyme
  Occurs within lines of poetry
Example
The mother smiled to know her child
  End
Rhyme
Occurs at the ends of lines
Example
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
Rhyme Scheme
  The pattern formed by end rhymes
  is shown by a row of letters (aabb) in which
a different letters of the alphabet signals a
new rhyme
Black reapers with the sound of steel on stones
Are sharpening scythes I see them place the hones
In their hip-pockets as a thing that’s done,
And start their silent swinging, one by one.
--Jean Toomer, from “Reapers”
a
a
b
b
Rhythm and Meter
 
Rhythm:
  Pattern of stresses and unstressed syllables in a
line
  can be regular or irregular
 
Meter
 
 
Is a regular rhythm
Foot
  A basic unit in measuring rhythm
  Contains one stressed syllable marked with ( / )
and one or more unstressed syllables marked
with ( ˘ ).
Symbol
Syllable Type
Description
/
Stressed: Syllable carries the stress
˘
Unstressed: Syllable is not stressed
Example
If I Had loved you less or played you slyly
I might have held you for a summer more
--Edna St. Vincent Millay, from “Well, I
have Lost You; and I Lost You Fairly”
If I / had loved / you less / or played / you slyly
I might / have held / you for / a sum / mer more
  Alliteration:
repetition of consonant
sounds at the beginning of words
past the puffed-cheeked clouds, she
follows it, her eyes slit-smiling at the sun.
  Consonance:
repetition of consonant
sounds within words or at the ends of
words
And kisses are a better fate
  Assonance:
repetition of vowels sounds
within non-rhyming words
“I sipped the rim with palatable lip.”
(The “i” sound is repeated in sipped, rim and
lip)
  Onomatopoeia:
use of word or phrase,
such as swoosh or clank, that imitates or
suggests the sound of what it describes
Hyperbole
  Exaggerated
expression
  Might be used to express strong
emotion, make a point or evoke humor
Example
I nearly died laughing
Free Verse
  A poetry
without a fixed pattern of meter
and rhyme