Elements of Poetry Identify the tools poets use to add to the poem’s sound, meaning, and emotional effect on the reader.

Poetry: Is the art of expressing one’s thoughts in verse Uses few words to convey its message Is meant to be read aloud Arouses our emotions Uses imagery and/or figures of speech to explain feelings or to create a mental picture or idea; these suggest action or mood May or may not have a rhyme scheme

Lines… “To a Snowflake” by C.J. Heck 1 Hello little snowflake! 2 Where are all your friends? 3 Should I expect a lot of them 4 Before the morning ends? 5 I love it when you come to me 6 And you all fall down together, 7 And I get dressed to visit you, 8 Toasty warm in cold, cold weather. *The poem above has 8 lines that are organized into 2 quatrains. Lines… Are on a single line of a poem Are often organized into stanzas: 2 lines is a couplet 3 lines is a triplet or tercet 4 lines is a quatrain 5 lines is a cinquain 6 lines is a sestet 8 lines is a octet

A stanza… “First and Last” By David McCord A tadpole hasn’t a pole at all, And he doesn’t live in a hole in the wall. You’ve got it wrong: a polecat’s not A cat on a pole. And I’ll tell you what: A bullfrog’s never a bull; and how Could a cowbird possibly be a cow? A kingbird, though, is a kind of king, And he chases a crow like anything. *There are 4 stanzas arranged into couplets, and each stanza talks about a new image. A stanza… Is a group of lines Often has 4, 5, or 6 lines Usually develops one idea, often introduced at the beginning of the stanza Gives a poem structure

“Ten Minutes till the Bus” Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme “Ten Minutes till the Bus” By David L. Harrison Ten whole minutes till the bus, Scads of time, what’s the fuss? Two to dress, one to flush, Two to eat, one to brush. That leaves four to catch the buss, *Notice the rhyming scheme of AABBAA. Words rhyme when they have the same-sound ending. Poems often rhyme at the ends of lines Rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhymes in a poem. Poets use rhyme to add a musical sound to their poems.

Rhythm from “Windy Nights” by Louis Stevenson Whenever the moon and stars are set, Whenever the wind is high, All night long in the dark and wet, A man goes riding by. Late in the night when the fires are out, Why does he gallop and gallop about? *The bold-typed syllables are stressed. Pattern of beats or a series of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem Poets create rhythm by using words in which parts are emphasized or not emphasized.

Imagery “There is a Thing” By Jack Prelutsky There is a thing Beneath the stair With slimy face And oily hair That does not move Or speak or sing Or do another Single thing But sit and wait And oily hair. Strong image Sensory words Imagery Language that appeals to the 5 senses. Consists of picture words Helps the reader to experience familiar things in a fresh way, by using the senses.

Tone-the attitude a writer takes toward the subject or audience (reader) of a poem “The Crocodile” by Lewis Carroll How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the water of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spread his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws! The subject in the poem is crocodiles, and the author reveals his attitude toward them— he thinks they are cunning and dangerous!

Mood… “Poor” By Myra Livingston I heard of poor.’ It means hungry, no food. No shoes, no place to live, nothing good. It means winter nights And being cold, It is lonely, alone, Feeling old. Poor is a tired face. Poor is thin. Poor is standing outside Looking in. Mood… Is a feeling that a poem creates in the reader. Can be positive or negative. Is created by the poet with the imagery used, the length of sentences, words chosen, punctuation, and sounds of the words. Short and to-the-point words and lines create a serious mood. Words that create sadness are used. 

Figurative Language…

*Repeated consonant sounds Alliteration “Surf” by Lillian Morrison Waves want to be wheels, They jump for it and fail; Fall flat like pole-vaulters, And sprawl, Arms outstretched, Foam fingers reaching. *Repeated consonant sounds Poets use it to make their poetry sound more musical and interesting.

REPITION Repitition is used in poetry to stress a point that the writer is trying to get across to their audience. “To the swinging and the ringing of the bells, bells, bells-- Of the bells, bells, bells, bells Bells, bells, bells-- To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!” -From: The Bells, Edgar Allen Poe

Metaphor “Life is a broken-winged bird” means that it is painful. “Dreams” by Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Metaphor “Life is a broken-winged bird” means that it is painful. “Life is a barren field” = life is empty.

Simile Comparisons using “like”.  “The World” by Noel Berry The trees are like the hair of the world. The city is like the heart of the world. The wind is a flute player Playing in the night. The cars’ beeping horns are like buttons Beeping inside the earth. Each bird is like a single piccolo Singing away And the grass, just like me, Is being buried under the snow. Comparisons using “like”.  Similes can also make comparisons with words like “as”, also.

“The Fourth” by Shel Silverstein Oh Crash! My Bash! It’s Bang! The Zang! Fourth Whoosh! Of Baroom! July Whew! Onomatopoeia  Mr. Silverstein cleverly refers to the noises that fireworks make on the fourth of July! (Much more fun than simply writing, “there are fireworks on the Fourth, right?)

* That’s quite an exaggeration, to say that beetles use polish! Hyperbole “Beetles” by Monica Shannon Beetles must use polish, They look so new and shiny! Just like a freshly painted car, Except for being tiny. * That’s quite an exaggeration, to say that beetles use polish!

Personification Parks don’t get lonely, but people do!  Benches don’t have “laps”, but people do! “Snowy Benches” by Aileen Fisher Do parks get lonely In winter, perhaps, When benches have only Snow on their laps?