Poetry.

Poetry

Contents 4 What is poetry? 5-24 Rhyme 26-47 Imagery
49-64 Sound effects 65-67 Analysis of Wind by Ted Hughes

What is Poetry? Poetry creates pictures in words;
It may use sound effects in the words to build up the picture; It may use description to create a picture in the reader’s mind; It has a rhythm and a flow which is not like ordinary prose; It may rhyme, but it does not have to. Poetry gives you the opportunity to create vivid mind pictures for your reader by using the most precise words possible. In prose, you can build up detailed descriptions to set a scene clearly: in poetry, the challenge is to do this better, while using fewer words!

Contents 7 What Is Rhyme? 8-14 Activity: finding rhyming words
15 Rhyming couplets 16 Metre 17 End-stopped lines 19-24 Rhyme schemes 21-24 Activity: finding rhyme schemes

What is Rhyme? Rhyme is when words have a similar sound,
That you hear in your head, like ground, or found, Wound - as in clocks, but not as in pain- Which brings me to rain and also to reign, For rhyme is one time when spelling means naught, So taught and caught can rhyme with brought. Rough rhymes with fluff, but never with cough Which won’t rhyme with through, but will rhyme with off. So remember when poems you’re trying to rhyme, It’s the sound in your head you should hear every time.

Finding Rhymes for Words
Activity Remember to hear the sounds of words in your head and try to find rhymes for the following words. Some are much easier than others, so for some you should be able to find more than one rhyming word. The number in brackets tells you how many words to try to find. a) hat(4) e) sing(3) j) table(2) n) hour(3) b) feel(3) f) hide(1) k) scene(2) o) tin(4) c) bread(2) g) mug(4) l) drop(4) d) peat(2) h) mouse(2) m) book(4) Some sounds can be spelt several different ways. e.g. door rhymes with four,even though they are spelt differently. Now find five more rhyming words. pane(10 at least!)

Answers These are not the only answers, just some suggestions of common words to start you off a) hat(4) b) feel(3) c) bread(2) d) peat(2) e) sing(3) f) hide(1) g) mug(4) h) mouse(2)

Answers These are not the only answers, just some suggestions of common words to start you off a) hat(4) cat flat mat pat b) feel(3) real reel heal peel c) bread(2) red dread d) peat(2) heat feet e) sing(3) ring fling ping f) hide(1) ride g) mug(4) bug dug rug hug h) mouse(2) house louse

Answers j) table(2) k) scene(2) l) drop(4) m) book(4) n) hour(3)
o) tin(4) Some sounds can be spelt several different ways. e.g. door rhymes with four, even though they are spelt differently. Now find five more rhyming words. pane(10 at least!)

Answers j) table(2) able cable k) scene(2) seen mean
l) drop(4) crop flop m) book(4) look rook took crook n) hour(3) flour power our o) tin(4) pin thin din bin Some sounds can be spelt several different ways. e.g. door rhymes with four, even though they are spelt differently. Now find five more rhyming words pane(10 at least!)

l) drop(4) crop flop m) book(4) look rook took crook n) hour(3) flour power our o) tin(4) pin thin din bin Some sounds can be spelt several different ways. e.g. door rhymes with four, even though they are spelt differently. Now find five more rhyming words. floor more pour poor pore pane(10 at least!)

l) drop(4) crop flop m) book(4) look rook took crook n) hour(3) flour power our o) tin(4) pin thin din bin Some sounds can be spelt several different ways. e.g. door rhymes with four, even though they are spelt differently. Now find five more rhyming words. floor more pour poor pore pane(10 at least!) main drain pain mane lane plane reign wane gain complain

rhyming couplets rhyming couplets
How do Poets use Rhyme? Rhyming words can be used at the ends of pairs of lines as we saw in the poem about rhymes. Rhyme is when words have a similar sound, That you hear in your head, like ground, or found, rhyming couplets rhyming couplets These are called

Rhyme is when words have a similar sound,
Using Rhyming Couplets Rhyme is when words have a similar sound, That you hear in your head, like ground, or found, Using rhyming couplets has a major effect on the rhythm of a poem. The couplets give the poem a regular ‘beat’. metre metre In poetry, the rhythm is called the of a poem. This includes the length of the lines as well as the ‘beat’ you hear.

Using Rhyming Couplets
Rhyme is when words have a similar sound, That you hear in your head, like ground, or found, As you can see from the example above, the rhythm is very regular because the rhyme makes the reader stress the last word in each line. The reader puts a pause at the end of each line when reading. end-stopped lines end-stopped lines because they These are called have punctuation at the end which makes the reader pause when reading.

Using Rhyming Couplets
WARNING Unless you want your poem to have a heavy, regular rhythm, avoid rhyming couplets. They can be very effective when used sparingly, but bear in mind that even Shakespeare only used them occasionally. One of the few times when rhyming couplets can create a good effect, is in comic verse: the rhythm helps to emphasise the humour.

rhyme schemes rhyme schemes
How Poets use Rhyme If it is not a good idea to use rhyming couplets all the time, how do poets make use of rhyme? rhyme schemes rhyme schemes They use what are known as This is when poets use rhymes in a pattern of lines. For example, every other line could be rhymed. I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles.

What is the Rhyme Scheme?
When you are trying to work out the rhyme scheme in a poem, it is usual to give each new rhyming sound a letter of the alphabet. For example... I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles. a b a b See if you can find the rhyme scheme in the poem on the next slide. Remember to give each new sound a new letter. Hear the sounds, don’t be put off by the spelling.

The Lotos-Eaters by Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land, “This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.” In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seemed always afternoon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. Full-faced above the valley stood the moon; And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem.

The Lotos-Eaters by Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land, “This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.” In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seemed always after noon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. Full-faced above the valley stood the moon; And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem. a b a b b c b c c

Look at some more of the same poem and notice how Tennyson varies his rhyme scheme.
There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass, Or night-dews on still waters between walls Of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass; Music that gentlier on the spirit lies, Than tir’d eyelids upon tir’d eyes; Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies. Here are cool mosses deep, And thro’ the moss the ivies creep, And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep.

Look at some more of the same poem and notice how Tennyson varies his rhyme scheme.
There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass, Or night-dews on still waters between walls Of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass; Music that gentlier on the spirit lies, Than tir’d eyelids upon tir’d eyes; Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies. Here are cool mosses deep, And thro’ the moss the ivies creep, And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. b a b c c c d d d d

THERE IS MORE TO POETRY THAN JUST RHYME
Now you know how rhyme works HOWEVER THERE IS MORE TO POETRY THAN JUST RHYME What else is there?

IMAGERY IMAGERY

Contents 28 What is imagery? 30 Analysing the image 31-37 Similes
32 Activity: complete the similes Activity: make your own similes How poets use similes 38-42 Metaphors 40 Discussion task: how metaphors work Activity: make your own metaphors 43-47 Personification 44 What is being personified? 45 How does the image work? 46 How poets use personification 47 Activity: make your own personification

What is Imagery? And like a downward smoke, the slender stream
Imagery is a picture of some sort. Poetic imagery means painting a picture in the mind of your reader with the words you use. e.g. And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem. What picture does this create for you? Try to see in your mind’s eye the picture it describes. Is it anything like the picture which follows...

What do you see in the image?
Why has the poet referred to the water as being like “smoke”? Think about the characteristics of smoke very thin/delicate silent smoke soft, no hard edges moves slowly floats through the air Are there any other things you thought of? Consider the effect of the phrase “like a downward smoke”?

What is the Image Called?
The image you have been studying is one of a particular type. Do you know which type it is? CLUE These images all contain the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. SIMILES SIMILES ANSWER They are Similes are a way of comparing two things: in this case, water and smoke. Another way of using a simile to compare water with smoke would be... The water fell as slowly and softly as smoke drifting down.

Similes As the example you have been studying shows, the simile can be a useful image when writing poetry. Some similes have also become very well-known phrases. Do you recognise the phrase “as white as snow”? What about “as black as coal” or sometimes “as black as pitch”? There are many, many more. See if you can complete the phrases on the following slide. There are some phrases which can be completed in more than one way, so if you know more than one answer, write down all you know.

Similes houses 1. As cold as… 11.As safe as...
2.As clear as… 12.As cheap as… 3.As green as… 13.As brave as a... 4.As hard as… 14.As sweet as... 5.As round as a… 15.As bold as... 6.As plain as a… 16.As wise as an... 7.As dead as a… 17.As cunning as a... 8.As dull as… 18.As neat as a... 9.As daft as a… 19. As rich as... 10.As tough as… 20. As old as... ice day/glass dirt grass lion nails honey/sugar/pie brass ball pikestaff owl dodo/ doornail fox new pin ditch water brush Croesus the hills/ time/Methuselah old boots

e.g. s/he ran like the wind
Make Your Own Similes In the same way that some phrases using “...as…as…”, have become well known, there are some similes using “like” which are over-used. e.g. s/he ran like the wind However, this should not stop you from being inventive and imaginative. Try to create some descriptive similes using “like” to replace the rather dull phrases and sentences on the next slide.

Make Your Own Similes Activity
e.g.The explosion was loud and it echoed. 1. The sand was very hot. Walking on it was painful. 2. I tripped over the dog and fell headlong. 3. The frost on the pavement made it very slippery. 4. The cat was sitting very still on the window sill. The explosion boomed and echoed like thunder. You could alter these phrases in many ways. Here are some ideas: 1. Walking on the sand was like stepping onto burning coals. 2. I fell over the dog and went down like a ton of bricks. 3. The frosted pavement was like glass. 4. The cat sat like a small statue on the window sill.

How do Poets use Similes?
Look at the extract below. One simile should be familiar, but there is another. Where is it? “Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land, “This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.” In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seemed always afternoon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. Full-faced above the valley stood the moon; And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem.

As with any poetic device, similes should be used sparingly: that way your reader will notice them and remember the effect they created. Sometimes, a simile is not what you want in your writing. At times like this, if you want to create a vivid image, you need to turn to something else. Look at the poem on the next slide and particularly at the line in red. Try to work out what kind of imagery is being used.

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert … Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

metaphor metaphor “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:”
Here there is no “like” or “as…as”, it is written as a statement about how the king (who in real life was Rameses II of Egypt) treated his people CLUE ANSWER metaphor metaphor It is a Metaphors are images which state that a thing or person is something or is doing something which it clearly cannot be/do. They are very useful in poetry as they allow you to sum up the nature or characteristics of something in only a few words.

How Does the Image Work? “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:” Look at the words used here and think about the picture they create. Hands do not speak, therefore they cannot mock. Kings do not feed their people with their hearts. Discussion Task What do you think Shelley means by his image? What kind of picture is he creating of “Ozymandias”? Why has Shelley not said, “The heart that mocked them, and the hand that fed”?

Make your own Metaphors
Activity Below are some statements. Try to re-write them using metaphors to create a picture of exactly what is happening. Remember that metaphors do NOT use “like” or “as…as”. e.g. She ran quickly up to the house. She flew up the drive. Since she did not sprout wings, this is a metaphor 1.The duck skidded around on the ice as if it were dancing. 2.Fear made them stand absolutely still.

Make your own Metaphors
Activity Below are some statements. Try to re-write them using metaphors to create a picture of exactly what is happening. Remember that metaphors do NOT use “like” or “as…as”. e.g. She ran quickly up to the house. She flew up the drive. Since she did not sprout wings, this is a metaphor 1.The duck skidded around on the ice as if it were dancing. 2.Fear made them stand absolutely still. The duck waltzed across the frozen pond. Fear turned them to stone where they stood.

personification personification
Metaphors and similes can be used in both prose (ordinary writing) and verse, to make the description more interesting and effective. They can also be combined with another device which appears in many poems. personification personification This is which is when you describe a thing or an animal as though it were human. Have a look at the extract from a poem on the next slide and work out what the poet is personifying.

Songs from The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson
The title gives the image away Songs from The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down the valley. By thirty hills I hurry down, Or slip between the ridges, By twenty thorps, a little town, And half a hundred bridges. hern: heron to make a sally: to rush out a thorp: a tiny village or hamlet to bicker: to squabble

How Does the Image Work? What can you see that makes the brook sound like a person ? Guidance points I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down the valley. By thirty hills I hurry down, Or slip between the ridges, By twenty thorps, a little town, And half a hundred bridges. Written in the first person as though the brook can talk. All the verbs are active as though the river can choose to do things. Choice of verb “to bicker” sounds like a group of children Choice of verb “to hurry” sounds as though the brook can decide how fast it flows

How Do Poets Use Personification?
Remember to look for words which make the brook sound like a person I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles. Notice how the verbs are active, just like in the previous section. They all sound as though they are being done by a person. The result is that the personification brings the brook to life. eddying: swirling of water babble: to talk non-stop nonsense

Creating Personification Yourself
This is tricky and you need to apply your imagination. It gets easier with practice, so don’t give up. e.g. There was an old shabby table in the corner which looked quite out of place with the newly decorated room. This could become: A battered old table squatted apologetically in the corner of the lovely new room. Activity What can your imagination do to these everyday objects to give them life, feelings and actions? a door that slams a glass that breaks a duvet that ends up on the floor a piece of buttered toast

THERE IS MORE TO POETRY THAN
Now you know how personification works HOWEVER THERE IS MORE TO POETRY THAN JUST RHYME AND IMAGERY What else is there?

Let’s look at a section which you have seen before...
In addition to rhyme and imagery,poetry makes use of the sound of words Let’s look at a section which you have seen before...

Contents 51-59 Alliteration 51-53 Looking at sounds
Activity: how Tennyson combines poetic devices 57 How poets use alliteration Activity: making silly sentences 60-61 Assonance 61 Activity: Analyse the effect and make your own 62-64 Onomatopoeia 63 Activity: finding onomatopoeic words 64 Extension activity: writing using onomatopoeia

Looking at sounds And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. Find and count up all of the hard sounds used in this couplet You are looking for: hard c or k, hard g, t,d and b.

Looking at sounds And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. Find and count up all of the hard sounds used in this couplet You are looking for: hard c or k, hard g, t,d and b. Not many are there. three ds, which are barely pronounced since they are at the end of a word; one hard c, one t which is part of a soft sound and one hard g sound made up of two letters. Now look for the soft sounds: f, s, l, m, n, w, soft th, hard th, soft g,r, p and y.

Looking at sounds And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. Find and count up all of the hard sounds used in this couplet You are looking for: hard c or k, hard g, t,d and b. Not many are there. three ds, which are barely pronounced since they are at the end of a word; one hard c, one t which is part of a soft sound and one hard g sound made up of two letters. Now look for the soft sounds: f, s, l, m, n, w, soft th, hard th, soft g,r, p and y. What a difference! 1 × f, 4 × s, 5 × l, 2 × m, 5 × n, 1 × w, 4 × hard th, 4 × r, 4 × p and 2 × y.

Discussion Activities
Let’s have another look at the couplet and this time look at how meaning and sound are connected. Discussion Activities What is the effect of all these soft sounds? And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. Look at the opening section of The Lotos Eaters on the next slide. Discuss how and with what success, Tennyson combines rhyme, rhythm, imagery and sound effects to create a vivid picture of the tropical island which he is describing.

“Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land,
The Lotos-Eaters by Alfred Lord Tennyson “Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land, “This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.” In the afternoon they came unto a land In which it seemed always afternoon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, Breathing like one that hath a weary dream. Full-faced above the valley stood the moon; And like a downward smoke, the slender stream Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem. languid: weak and exhausted to swoon: to faint

Special sound effects As well as using soft sounds in general in that extract, Tennyson used two popular special effects which you too can use in your writing. alliteration alliteration The first of these is This is when words, or sometimes syllables, begin with the same consonant. Take another look at the couplet on the next slide and see if you can find where Tennyson uses alliteration.

How poets use alliteration
And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. long-leaved Why has he chosen to alliterate on the letter l? What is the effect of using this device here? This is a sparing use of alliteration, which is suitable for creating a serious effect in writing. However, you don’t always have to be serious when you write...

Six stripy snakes sunbathed sleepily, seeking serpentine sun-tans.
This is how you can have fun with alliteration.

Activity Now try to create some silly sentences for yourself.
See if you can build some around the words listed below. mice birds chairs elephants sharks trees parrots roses cars newts apples dancers fish insects jaguars stones rabbits llamas gerbils hearts If you really want a challenge, try the following: orang-utans queens yetis zebras thorns iguanas kings umbrellas

Sometimes, alliteration is not what you want
Sometimes, alliteration is not what you want. For instance, if you are trying to create a soft effect, you might prefer to make use of lots of vowels. If you repeat vowel sounds in a phrase or sentence it is called assonance Because vowels are all soft sounds, this effect tends to be used to create moods which are gloomy or sleepy. After all, these sounds are the ones associated with vowels. As with rhyme, it is the sound which counts in assonance, not the spelling. So, look at the extract on the next slide and see if you can find a vowel sound which is being repeated.

Music that gentlier on the spirit lies,
Than tir’d eyelids upon tir’d eyes. Activities Which sound is being repeated here? What effect is the poet trying to create? How does it work? See if you can create a sentence which uses a long o sound and has a gloomy effect. Remember that ‘ou’ can sound the same as ‘oo’, or it can sound like ‘ow’.

The last special sound effect that we are going to study is called
onomatopoeia onomatopoeia This strange word comes from Greek and means “the same sound”.That tells you exactly what this image does: it mimics sounds. For example: click, buzz, thud, splash, tap, tick etc.

Activity See how many onomatopoeic words you can think of in connection with the following things. water fire wind trees traffic sea snow demolition It can be easier to keep similar levels of noise grouped together on a mind map. Where might you put these? rush ripple splash drip drop ? thunder tap Water ? ? ? ? ? ? Here are a few ideas to start you off.

Using Onomatopoeia Extension Activity Choose one of your mind map sets of words and try using them in a piece of description. You may not wish to use all of them and you may think of some others while you are writing: this all part of the creative process! See how vivid you can make the picture for the reader.

You have now looked at most of the main technical things which need to be considered when analysing, or indeed writing, poetry. On the next two slides you will find a poem called Wind by Ted Hughes. This poem makes use of many technical devices to communicate a sense of the power of nature to the reader. Extension Activity Study the poem with care, then analyse how and with what effectiveness, Ted Hughes brings to life his chosen theme of a storm. Remember to look out for all of the technical devices which you have been studying.

Reproduced with the permission of Faber and Faber Ltd
Wind by Ted Hughes This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Floundering black astride and blinding wet Till day rose; then under an orange sky The hills had new places, and wind wielded Blade-light, luminous black and emerald, Flexing like the lens of a mad eye. At noon I scaled along the house-side as far as The coal-house door. Once I looked up-- Through the brunt wind that dented the balls of my eyes The tent of the hills drummed and strained its guyrope, Reproduced with the permission of Faber and Faber Ltd

Reproduced with the permission of Faber and Faber Ltd
The fields quivering, the skyline a grimace, At any second to bang and vanish with a flap: The wind flung a magpie away and a black- Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly. The house Rang like some fine green goblet in the note That any second would shatter it. Now deep In chairs, in front of the great fire, we grip Our hearts and cannot entertain book, thought Or each other. We watch the fire blazing, And feel the roots of the house move, but sit on, Seeing the windows tremble to come in, Hearing the stones cry out under the horizons. Reproduced with the permission of Faber and Faber Ltd

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