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
Lyric Example
Point of View, By Shel Silverstein
Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.
Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.
NARRATIVE POETRY
a poem that tells a story
Ex) “Casey at the Bat”
by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Narrative Example
Casey At The Bat—Ernest Thayer
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two with but one inning left to play;
And then, when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go, in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which "springs eternal in the human breast;"
They thought, If only Casey could but get a whack at that,
We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn procede Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a no-good and the latter was a fake;
So, upon that stricken multitude grim meloncholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
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]
EPIC POETRY SPECIFICS
The main character is a hero who is often possessed with
supernatural abilities or qualities.
The hero is charged with a quest (mission).
The hero is tested to prove his worthiness of himself and
his quest.
The hero’s travels take him to the supernatural world that
normal human beings cannot enter.
The story reaches a low-point in which the hero nearly
gives up or seems defeated.
There is a resurrection/rebirth and the hero continues his
quest.
The hero accomplishes his mission and regains his rightful
place.
BALLAD
a song or poem that tells a story of tragedy
or adventure
regular rhythm and rhyme
Repetition
EXAMPLE: The Cremation of Sam
McGee
BALLAD SPECIFCS
Most ballads TELL A STORY (NARRATIVE
FORM).
Ballads tend to have a distinctive verse formQuatrains (FOUR LINE STANZAS).
Ballads have refrains so it has a musical quality.
Most ballads contain dialogue (PEOPLE
TALKING).
The common rhyme scheme of many ballads has
stanza lines 2 and 4 rhyming.
Ballads tend to be very specific and talk about one
particular event.
FREE VERSE
poetry without a regular meter or rhyme
scheme
tries to capture natural rhythms of ordinary
conversations
FREE VERSE EXAMPLE
Winter Poem
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
Written by Nikki Giovanni
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
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
EXAMPLE SONNET
by Denise Rodgers
After Turkey Day, the garbage bags sat;
My dog was tempted by the tasty sight.
He tore them open, gorged big, and grew fat,
But first he made a mess and caused some blight.
He ate some hot sauce and blueberry pies,
Then laid around and moaned out loud in pain.
I worried in my heart of his demise,
And tried to scrub the purple carpet stain.
He slowly came around and waddled slow,
His belly wide and nearly to the floor.
So sad to see my hungry doggy grow
So portly wide, he barely fit his door.
He survived, but still he is more than stout.
I’ve learned. Next time I’ll take the garbage out!