TYPES OF POETRY
Are about…
different methods of expressing personal
feelings and opinions in writing.
LYRIC POETRY
a poem that expresses the feelings or
thoughts of a speaker rather than telling a
story
Ex) “The Courage That My Mother Had”
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ex) “Point of View” by Shel Silverstein
NARRATIVE POETRY
a poem that tells a story
Ex) “Paul Revere’s Ride”
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Ex) “Casey at the Bat”
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
EPIC POETRY
a long narrative poem that tells the deeds of
a heroic character
Ex) Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Ex) Beowulf [English]
Ex) John Milton’s Paradise Lost [English]
Ex) The Song of Roland [French]
Ex) The Song of Hiawatha [American]
BALLAD
a song or poem that tells a story of tragedy
or adventure
regular rhythm and rhyme
repetition
Ex) “The Cremation of Sam McGee”
by Robert W. Service
FREE VERSE
poetry without a regular meter or rhyme
scheme
tries to capture natural rhythms of ordinary
conversations
Ex) “Legacy II” by Leroy V. Quintana
Ex) “Grandpa” by Shandin Pete
HAIKU
focus on nature
17 syllables in 3 lines
5, 7, and 5
Ex) The young artist takes
pains to paint a masterpiece:
a smiling pumpkin
CINQUAIN
from Latin for “five”
creates a powerful image or feeling
22 syllables in 5 lines
2, 4, 6, 8, and 2
Ex) Snowflakes
dance in the square
of light from a window
as a man sits, quiet and still,
and waits.
LIMERICKS
short humorous poem
5 lines
rhyme scheme: aabba
Ex) There once was a poodle named Rose
Who liked to dance on her toes.
She twirled and she spun,
Had barrels of fun,
Until she fell on her nose.
~Emma Janeczko
CONCRETE POETRY
a poem shaped in a way that visually represents its
subject
Example)
~Maureen W. Armour
SONNET
Shakespearean
14 lines
Iambic pentameter
(-/-/-/-/-/)
Rhyme Scheme:
ABAB, CDCD, EFEF,
GG
Petrarch
14 lines
Iambic pentameter
(-/-/-/-/-/)
Rhyme Scheme:
ABBA, ABBA,
CDCDCD
ABBA, ABBA,
CDECDE
So what? What is important to
understand about this?
Alabama Course of Study ELA Standard #27
Express personal feelings, opinions, and information in
formal and informal situations.
Alabama Course of Study ELA Reading
Addendum Standard #3
Distinguish among the sub-categories of poetry based on
their characteristics.