Ms. Barrow

Poetry Defined

Poetry is a composition that conveys experiences thoughts, or feelings in a vivid and imaginative way. It is characterized by the use of literary techniques such as metaphor, rhyme or meter.

Forms of PoetryPoems can be categorized by structure, or form. Poetic structures are defined by patterns of line and stanza length, rhythm, and rhyme. Some examples are:

1. Narrative poetry tells a story with a plot, characters, and a setting.

2. Lyrical poems express the feelings of a single speaker.

5. Haiku is a three-line Japanese verse form. The first and 3rd lines each have five syllables, and the second line has seven.

4. Free verse poems have neither a set pattern of rhythm or rhyme.

3. Limericks are humorous five live poems with an aabba rhyme scheme.

7. Epic is a long narrative poem about the feats of gods or heroes.

8. Ballad is a songlike narrative with stanzas and a refrain.

6. Concrete poems are shaped to look like

theirsubjects. The lines are arranged to create a picture.

9. Dramatic poetry tells a story using a character’s own thoughts or spoken statement.

Structure of Poetry

Meter is the rhythmical pattern of a poem. Rhythm is a synonym for meter.

Mood is the emotional quality of a poem that affects how the reader feels. Writers create mood with the details they give and the words they choose.

Rhyme Scheme is a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem.

Refrain is a regular repeated line or group of lines in a poem.Style is the authors choice and arrangement of words and sentences.

Theme is the central idea or message about life that the poem conveys.

.Tone is the authors feelings about the subject and/or characters.

Verse is the lines in a poem.

Stanza a group of lines (verses) in a poem.

Analyzing Poetry

Analysis means literally picking a poem apart - looking at elements such as imagery,symbolism, allusion, metaphor, poetic language, rhyme scheme, and so on - in order to see how they all work together to produce the poem's meaning. Annotating is a great way to begin analyzing a poem.

Annotating a PoemAnnotation is the act of adding notes. TPCASTT:

T: Title – What would a poem with this title be about?

P: Paraphrase – Read poem. What does it mean literally?

C: Connotation – Tone? Mood?

A: Attitude– Identify the attitude of the poem

S: Shifts– Changes in feelings, tone, mood, rhyme or rhythm.?

T: Title– Evaluate again

T: Theme – What would you consider to be the them, main idea or lesson of the poem?