A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness… It finds the thought and the thought finds the words.”

What is Poetry??

Poetry is the language of the imagination, of feelings, of emotional self-expression, of high art. The basic unit of the poem is the line, which may be long, short (even a single word), it may rhyme with other lines, it may repeat other lines, and several lines may be organized into a stanza. The simplest description of poetry by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge is “the best words in the best order.” Paul Roche says that poetry is like a stained-glass window- it lets the light shine through, but exists for its own beauty.

Kinds Of Poetry…

NARRATIVE POETRY These are old very old poems. These are lengthy stories in verse that were originally intended to be recited to audiences. EX. The piped piper of Hamelin, The song of Hiawatha, The Odyssey etc.

HAIKU- Originates from Japan, consists of 17 syllables divided into 3 lines. Expresses nature and our relationship with nature. CINQUIN- This is a 5 line stanza of medieval origin. The 5 lines should contain 2,4,6,8, and 2 syllables, respectively. SONNET- Very old form of poetry, having gained prominence during the Renaissance. Contains 14 lines, each line with 5 iambic feet ( or 10 syllables). CONCRETE POETRY- The words of the poem are arranged so that they form a pictorial representation of the poem’s subject. LIMERICK- This is a 5 line humorous poem, the 1 st, 2 nd and 5 th lines rhyming and the 3 rd and 4 th rhyming. FREE VERSE- popularized in the 20 th century. Adheres to no predetermined rules. Good free verse usually establishes its own intricate patterns of rhyme and rhythm.

LANGUAGE OF POETRY…

IMAGERY LITERAL IMAGES Describing something by appealing to one or more of our sensory faculties LITERAL IMAGES Describing something by appealing to one or more of our sensory faculties FIGURATIVE IMAGES Describing one thing by comparing it to something else that we are more familiar with FIGURATIVE IMAGES Describing one thing by comparing it to something else that we are more familiar with Visual images consists of things we can see Visual images consists of things we can see Tactile images Appeals to our sense of touch Tactile images Appeals to our sense of touch Auditory images Suggests the sound of things Auditory images Suggests the sound of things Kinesthetic images Refers to action or motion Kinesthetic images Refers to action or motion Gustatory images Suggests the taste of things Gustatory images Suggests the taste of things Olfactory images Suggest he smell of things Olfactory images Suggest he smell of things Personification Occurs when a poet gives human qualities to an inanimate object, an abstract idea or a forced nature Personification Occurs when a poet gives human qualities to an inanimate object, an abstract idea or a forced nature Metaphor implied comparison-one not directly stated with words such as ‘like’ and ‘as’ Metaphor implied comparison-one not directly stated with words such as ‘like’ and ‘as’ Simile comparison, employing a connective such as, ‘like’ or ‘as’ Simile comparison, employing a connective such as, ‘like’ or ‘as’

SOUND PATTERNS RHYTHM RHYME Patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in languages. Its present in nature, the tides, the orbiting planets and the rhythmical pattern of birth, growth, decline, death and rebirth revealed to us through the changing seasons. Rhythm is inseparable from poetry. Rhythmical patterns in a poem is called a meter and the smallest unit of rhythmical pattern is a foot. Repetition of similar sounds in two or more words. End rhyme is the most widely recognized in poetry, it occurs when the last words of two or more lines repeat the same sounds.