1. Introduction to Poetry
“In a poem the words should be as pleasing to the ear as the meaning is to the mind.” -- Marianne Moore

2. Each half has its own function
Did you know???
The Human Brain is:
Divided into 2 parts
Each half has its own function
Right Brain:
Creativity
Emotions
Figurative
Left Brain:
Logic
Reality
Literal

3. While your left brain tells you . . .
To clarify . . .
When you look at big puffy clouds . . .
Your right brain tells you, “Hey! That one looks like a bunny.”
While your left brain tells you . . .
It’s a cloud, Stupid!

4. So, which half do you use when studying poetry?
Here are a few hints:
Poetry requires creativity
Poetry requires emotion
Poetry requires artistic quality
Poetry requires logic
Survey says . . .
BOTH

5. Usually not the same person
Poet VS. Speaker
Poet
Writer of the poem
Speaker
Narrator of the poem
Usually not the same person

6. Traditional VS Organic
No rules
No regular pattern of rhythm, meter, & may/may not have rhyme
Forms
free verse, concrete
poetry
Follows specific rules
Regular pattern of rhyme, rhythm, meter
Forms:
Epic, ode, ballad,
sonnet, haiku,
limerick

7. Elements of Poetry Rhythm Sound Imagery Form
Recognizing devices in a poem keeps the left brain busy.

8. The beat in poetry RHYTHM Read out loud to hear it
“Sing-song” quality (like in nursery rhymes)
creates mood
Can match subject of poem
7 types
Most Used
Iambic
Anapestic
Trochaic
Dactylic
Less Common
Monosyllabic
Spondaic
Accentual

9. Rhythm Iambic: te TUM Anapestic: te te TUM Trochaic: TUM te
stressed & unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
one syllable is pronounced stronger &one syllable is softer
unstressed
Iambic: te TUM
Anapestic: te te TUM
Trochaic: TUM te
Dactylic: TUM te te
stressed

10. Examples Trochee Iamb Dactyl Anapest happy, hammer, nugget, double,
injure, roses, beat it,
dental, dinner, chosen,
planet, slacker, doctor
Dactyl
/ U U
strawberry, carefully,
merrily, mannequin,
tenderly, prominent,
bitterly, notable, horrible
Iamb
U /
behold, amuse, arise,
awake, return, destroy,
inspire
Anapest
U U /
understand, interrupt,
comprehend, contradict,
"get a life"

11. METER measured in “FEET”
length of a line in poetry (measured by how many feet are in it)
depends on the rhythm used
1 foot = 1 set of rhythm (set of stressed & unstressed syllables)
Example:
Iambic/Trochaic: 1 foot of poetry has 2 syllables
Anapestic/Dactylic: 1 foot of poetry has 3 syllables

12. Types of Poetic Measurements…
1: Monometer
2: Dimeter
3: Trimeter
4: Tetrameter
5: Pentameter
6: Hexameter
7: Heptameter
8: Octameter
*there is rarely more than 8 feet*

13. Count the syllables in each line to determine the meter.
She Walks in Beauty I.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
Reading this poem out loud makes the rhythm evident. Which syllables are more pronounced? Which are naturally softer?
˘ ΄ ˘ ΄ ˘ ΄ ˘ ΄
II.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
Count the syllables in each line to determine the meter.
III.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Examination of this poem reveals that it would be considered iambic tetrameter.

14. Now try this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF1QzjmeYpY
Count the syllables.
Divide by two. (Remember these groups of two are called feet.)
Label the meter.
Listen carefully to the rhythm. Is it a rising rhythm or a falling rhythm?

15. Sound Devices in Poetry
poems are meant to be heard
Major Sound Devices
Rhyme
Repetition
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia

16. RHYME repetition of sounds words end with the same sound
My Beard
by Shel Silverstein
My beard grows to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.
RHYME
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
repetition of sounds
words end with the same sound
Example: (Hat, cat, bat, splat, chat)
don’t have to be spelled same way Example: (Cloud & allowed)
most common sound device in poetry
Strengthens form-identify end of line
Draws attention to words & connects them in reader’s mind

17. How to Rhyme… Different rhyming patterns:
AABB – lines 1 & 2 rhyme and lines 3 & 4 rhyme
ABAB – lines 1 & 3 rhyme and lines 2 & 4 rhyme
ABBA – lines 1 & 4 rhyme and lines 2 & 3 rhyme
ABCB – lines 2 & 4 rhyme and lines 1 & 3 do not rhyme
Oodles of Noodles
I love noodles. Give me oodles.
Make a mound up to the sun.
Noodles are my favorite foodles.
I eat noodles by the ton.
By Lucia and James L. Hymes, Jr.
First Snow
Snow makes whiteness where it falls.
The bushes look like popcorn balls.
And places where I always play,
Look like somewhere else today.
By Marie Louise Allen

18. Rhyme Let me fetch sticks, Let me fetch stones, Throw me your bones,
The Alligator
The alligator chased his tail
Which hit him in the snout;
He nibbled, gobbled, swallowed it,
And turned right inside-out.
by Mary Macdonald
From “Bliss”
Let me fetch sticks,
Let me fetch stones,
Throw me your bones,
Teach me your tricks.
By Eleanor Farjeon

19. Strengthens feelings, ideas, and mood
Repetition
Words, phrases, or
lines
Creates a pattern
Increases rhythm
Strengthens feelings, ideas,
and mood

20. So, which is the repeated key word or phrase?
Time to spend;
time to mend.
Time to hate;
time to wait.
Time is the essence;
time is the key.
Time will tell us
what we will be.
Time is the enemy;
time is the proof.
Time will eventually
show us the truth.
Time is a mystery;
time is a measure.
Time for us is
valued treasure.
Time to cry . . .
Time to die.
Valued Treasue
by Chris R. Carey
So, which is the repeated key word or phrase?

21. Time to spend;
time to mend.
Time to hate;
time to wait.
Time is the essence;
time is the key.
Time will tell us
what we will be.
Time is the enemy;
time is the proof.
Time will eventually
show us the truth.
Time is a mystery;
time is a measure.
Time for us is
valued treasure.
Time to cry . . .
Time to die.
Valued Treasue
by Chris R. Carey

22. entire stanza is repeated throughout a poem like a chorus of a song
Refrain
The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at the end of a stanza.
entire stanza is repeated throughout a poem
like a chorus of a song

23. Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Remember this

24. I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
. . .
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Look familiar?
That is refrain.

25. also called “tongue-twisters”
ALLITERATION
The repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in a line.
also called “tongue-twisters”
repetition of 1st consonant sound in words
Ex. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
This Tooth
I jiggled it
jaggled it
jerked it.
I pushed
and pulled
and poked it.
But –
As soon as I stopped,
And left it alone
This tooth came out
On its very own!
by Lee Bennett Hopkins
The snake slithered silently along the sunny sidewalk.

26. Let’s see what this looks like in a poem we are familiar with.
She Walks in Beauty I.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
Alliteration
Alliteration
Notice, these examples use the beginning sounds of words only twice in a line, but by definition, that’s all you need.

27. Onomatopoeia
Words that spell out sounds; words that sound like what they mean.
Sizzle!!!
Words that sound like what they actually stand for
Creates auditory imagery
Dogs go “ruff,” cats go “purr,” thunder “booms,”
rain “drips,” and clocks go “tick-tock”
More examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack, ptthhhbbb.

28. Noise Day
by Shel Silverstein
Let’s have one day for girls and boyses
When you can make the grandest noises.
Screech, scream, holler, and yell –
Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell,
Sneeze – hiccup – whistle – shout,
Laugh until your lungs wear out,
Toot a whistle, kick a can,
Bang a spoon against a pan,
Sing, yodel, bellow, hum,
Blow a horn, beat a drum,
Rattle a window, slam a door,
Scrape a rake across the floor
Let’s see what this looks like in a poem we are not so familiar with yet.
Onomatopoeia
Several other words not highlighted could also be considered as onomatopoeia. Can you find any?

29. More Sound Devices
Assonance – repetition of vowels in words that don’t end with same consonant
Ex. (deep, deer)
Consonance – repetition of consonants at the end of words
Ex. (sharp, trap)
Cacophony – harsh mixture of sounds
Ex. (alarm bells, traffic)

30. Imagery
Words/descriptions that create pictures/images in reader’s mind
appeals to 5 senses: smell, sight, hearing, taste & touch
details about smells, sounds, colors, taste, textures create strong (vivid) images
figures of speech also create vivid images
Example:
The warm, buttery biscuit melted on my tongue.
Five Senses

31. creates images, “paints pictures,” in your mind
Figurative Language
creates images, “paints pictures,” in your mind
Similes
Metaphors
Hyperbole
Personification

32. Simile compares 2 things using “like” or “as” creates vivid images
Examples:
Joe is as hungry as a bear.
In the morning, Rae is like an angry lion.
Ask:
What two things are being compared?
How are they similar?
The runner streaked like a cheetah.

33. Let’s see what this looks like in a poem.
Flint
An emerald is as green as grass,
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world’s desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds fire.
By Christina Rosetti
Simile
Simile
Simile

34. The winter wind is a wolf howling at the door.
Metaphor
compares 2 things without “like” or “as”
the thing being compared “is” the thing it is being compared to
gives qualities of one thing to something completely different
an entire poem can be a metaphor for something
little metaphors can be found throughout a poem
Examples:
Lenny is a snake.
Ginny is a mouse when it comes to standing up for herself.
Ask:
What two things are being compared?
How are they similar?
The winter wind is a wolf howling at the door.

35. The Night is a big black cat The moon is her topaz eye,
The stars are the mice she hunts at night,
In the field of the sultry sky.
By G. Orr Clark
Metaphor
Metaphor

36. An exaggeration for emphasis
Hyperbole
An exaggeration for emphasis
Examples:
I may sweat to death.
The blood bank needs a river of blood.

37. Personification
gives human qualities & feelings to inanimate objects (like animals, ideas, objects)
Example:
I could not find the book; it walked away.
The clock stared at me in the darkness.
From “Mister Sun”
Mister Sun
Wakes up at dawn,
Puts his golden
Slippers on,
Climbs the summer
Sky at noon,
Trading places
With the moon.
by J. Patrick Lewis
The moon smiled down at me.

38. Symbol
Word, image, or color representing something other than what is literally shown
Examples:
Dark/black images often symbolize death.
Light/white images often symbolize life.

39. Allusion
refers to another piece of literature, history, famous person, song, movie, character, etc.
3 most common types refer to:
mythology, Shakespeare’s writings, the Bible
Example: “She hath Dian’s wit” (from Romeo and Juliet).
This is an allusion to Roman mythology & the goddess Diana.

40. specific, detailed, descriptive words/phrases a poet chooses to use
Diction
specific, detailed, descriptive words/phrases a poet chooses to use
High/formal: technical words/SAT words
Low/informal: slang
Always consider connotation
(the feelings/associations) a word has
Positive , Negative , Neutral =
Example: 1. Rock formation: stone, boulder, outcropping, pile of rocks, cairn, mound, "anomalous geological feature“ 2. Skinny: fit, slender, boney

41. Forms of Poetry many forms of poetry including the: Couplet Tercet
Cinquain
Haiku
Lyric
Narrative
Free Verse

42. Tercet Couplet poem/stanza written in 2 lines Usually rhymes
Lines 1 & 2 rhyme; or lines 1 & 3 rhyme; or all 3 lines rhyme.
poem/stanza written in 2 lines
Usually rhymes
The Jellyfish
Who wants my jellyfish?
I’m not sellyfish!
By Ogden Nash
Winter Moon
How thin and sharp is the moon tonight!
How thin and sharp and ghostly white
Is the slim curved crook of the moon tonight!
By Langston Hughes

43. Quatrain Cinquain Poem/stanza with 4 lines
poem with 5 lines
Don’t rhyme
five lines with 22 syllables:
Line 1 – 2 syllables
Line 2 – 4 syllables
Line 3 – 6 syllables
Line 4 – 8 syllables
Line 5 – 2 syllables
Poem/stanza with 4 lines
most common form of stanza in poetry
Usually rhymes
Uses variety of rhyming patterns
The Lizard
The lizard is a timid thing
That cannot dance or fly or sing;
He hunts for bugs beneath the floor
And longs to be a dinosaur.
By John Gardner
Oh, cat
are you grinning
curled in the window seat
as sun warms you this December
morning?
By Paul B. Janezco

44. Haiku Japanese poem 3 lines of 5, 7, 5 syllables (17 syllables)
Don’t rhyme
About something in nature/the seasons
Captures moment in time
Little frog among
rain-shaken leaves, are you, too,
splashed with fresh, green paint?
by Gaki

45. Villanelle
19 line poem
2 repeating rhymes
2 repeating refrains
5 tercets
ends with quartet
1st & 3rd lines of opening tercet repeat alternately in last lines of other stanzas
refrain is the two concluding lines of last stanza

46. “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” Dylan Thomas
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

47. Lyric Narrative Tell story uses poetic elements
Short, songlike poems
express thoughts & feelings
don’t tell a story
addresses reader directly
Sonnets,
Odes (celebrate/honor),
Elegies (funeral, loss, death)
Dramatic monologue
Tell story
uses poetic elements
Includes character, setting, conflict, plot
Epics, ballads, idylls

48. Sonnet Different types Shakespearean Easiest rhyme scheme
3 quatrains alternating rhyme & a couplet:
a b a b
c d c d
e f e f
g g

49. Sonnet 18 - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Where is the turn in rhyme?

50. "The Broken-Legg'd Man" by John Mackey Shaw
I saw the other day when I went shopping in the store
A man I hadn't ever, ever seen in there before,
A man whose leg was broken and who leaned upon a crutch-
I asked him very kindly if it hurt him very much.
"Not at all!" said the broken-legg'd man.
I ran around behind him for I thought that I would see
The broken leg all bandaged up and bent back at the knee;
But I didn't see the leg at all, there wasn't any there,
So I asked him very kindly if he had it hid somewhere.
"Then where," I asked him, "is it? Did a tiger bite it off?
Or did you get your foot wet when you had a nasty cough?
Did someone jump down on your leg when it was very new?
Or did you simply cut it off because you wanted to?"
"What was it then?" I asked him, and this is what he said:
"I crossed a busy crossing when the traffic light was red;
A big black car came whizzing by and knocked me off my feet."
"Of course you looked both ways," I said, "before you crossed the street."
"They rushed me to the hospital right quickly, "he went on,
"And when I woke in nice white sheets I saw my leg was gone;
That's why you see me walking now on nothing but a crutch."
"I'm glad," said I, "you told me, and I thank you very much!"

51. Free Verse No rules Almost anything goes. Uses devices
Doesn’t follow traditional conventions:
punctuation, capitalization, rhyme scheme, rhythm and meter
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then, moves on.
No Rhyme
No Rhythm
No Meter
This is
free verse.

52. Poetry should be read aloud!
Poetry Outloud National Champion
An Evening of Poetry, Music and the Written Word at the White House, President and First Lady Obama
James Earl Jones reciting from Othello by Shakespeare g&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=1ECEA36D759093A 1
Billy Collins, “The Dead” with animation
Poetry should be read aloud!