St. Robert Catholic High School

10 Academic

Concrete Poetry

Station

Origin of Concrete Poetry• Experimental poetry which emerged during the 1950-

1960s and concentrated on the visual appearance of the words on the page.

• It featured new typographical arrangements, shape poems and the use of collage etc.

• It owed much to early figure poems such as The Altar and Easter-Wings by George Herbert.

• The effect of Concrete Poetry is lost when the poem is read aloud.

Information taken from: http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_poetic_terms_c.htm

Characteristics of Concrete Poetry

• poet's intent is conveyed by graphic patterns of letters, words, or symbols rather than by the meaning of words in conventional arrangement.

• concrete poetry is essentially poetry that does not privilege meaning above all

• it does privilege sound and the visual• it uses language not as a conduit but as the content

itself• that is not to deny that there is meaning in form, but

that meaning is not presented in a linear or narrative• fashion typical of structured sound and language.

Information taken from: http://cjms.fims.uwo.ca/issues/01-01/petrou.pdf & http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9025105/concrete-poetry

Kiteby

Anonymous

Iwish

I were a Kite on high

I could fly up to the skyUp to the blue sky

High as a cloudI wish I were

A kiteHighUpUp

Up Up

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Tieby

Anonymous

IT USED TO BETHE GUY WHO

WORE THETIE

BUT NOWGIRLS BUY

TIES, NOTJUST FOR GUYS

FOR THEMSELVESTHEY BUY TIES WITH

POLKA DOTS, TIES WITHSPOTS, TIES WITH POP ART

TIES WITH WORDS ON THEM, TIES WITH ABIRTHSTONE, TIESWITH PICTURES,

STRIPES AND CHECKS.

TIES

Now, Select any solid object and create your own concrete poem.