1. Introduction to Poetry

2. “The Naming of Cats” by T.S. Eliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn't just one of your holiday games; You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES. First of all, there's the name that the family use daily, Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James, Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-- All of them sensible everyday names. There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter, Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames: Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter-- But all of them sensible everyday names. But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular, A name that's peculiar, and more dignified, Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular, Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride? Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum, Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat, Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum- Names that never belong to more than one cat. But above and beyond there's still one name left over, And that is the name that you never will guess; The name that no human research can discover-- But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. When you notice a cat in profound meditation, The reason, I tell you, is always the same: His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: His ineffable effable Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

3. Essential Questions What are the characteristics of a poem?
What are the different types of poems?
How do poets use figurative language?

4. What is a poem?
Words arranged in lines, meant to be spoken aloud, with rhythm and sometimes rhyme. The words often express emotion or life experiences.

5. What are the characteristics of a poem?
Line – Lines of poetry are either run-on (no punctuation at the end) or end- stopped (punctuation at the end of the line).
When reading poetry, the reader should read the lines according to the punctuation.
“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.”
- William Shakespeare

6. Characteristics Cont.
Stanzas: a stanza is a division in poetry marked with spaces between the lines.
“The Road Not Taken”
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
-Robert Frost

7. Characteristics Cont. Literal Language – the words mean what they say
Figurative Language – language that has deeper or hidden meaning used to creatively express ideas, thoughts, or emotions.
Speaker – the voice of the poem
Diction – word choice the poet uses to achieve clarity and effectiveness

8. Rhythm Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem
Gives poetry a musical feel
Can be fast or slow depending on mood and subject of the poem
You can measure rhythm in meter by counting the beats in each line

9. Rhythm Example The Pickety Fence by David McCord The pickety fence
Give it a lick it's
A clickety fence
Give it a lick it's a lickety fence
Give it a lick
With a rickety stick
pickety
Pickety
pick.

10. Rhythm Example: Where Are You Now? When the night begins to fall
And the sky begins to glow
You look up and see the tall
City of lights begin to grow –
In rows and little golden squares
The lights come out. First here, then there
Behind the windowpanes as though
A million billion bees had built
Their golden hives and honeycombs
Above you in the air.
By Mary Britton Miller

11. Example: hat, cat, brat, fat, mat, sat
Rhyme: The repetition of sounds
End rhyme- the last word on each line rhymes.
Example: hat, cat, brat, fat, mat, sat
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.
Internal rhyme- Words INSIDE the sentence rhyme.

12. Poetry Terms
Metaphor – points out a resemblance between two unlike things
Bob is snake.
Sara is a mouse when it comes to standing up for herself.

13. Poetry Terms
Simile – a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as
Danielle is as graceful as a cat.
Without coffee, Mrs. Gondik is like an angry lion.

14. Poetry Terms
Implied Metaphor – a suggested comparison; one that is not directly stated
Mrs. Gondik barked commands at her students.

15. Poetry Terms
Alliteration – the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words
We often call them “tongue-twisters”
“How much dew could a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop did drop dew?”

16. Onomatopoeia
Words that spell our sounds; word that sound like what they mean.
Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack, ptthhhbb

17. Let’s see what this looks like in a poem.
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
Onomatopoeia
Several other words not highlighted could also be considered as onomatopoeia. Can you find any?

18. Imagery
Imagery is the use of words to create pictures, or images, in your mind.
Appeals to the five senses: smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch.
Details about smells, sounds, colors, and taste create strong images.
To create vivid images writers use figures of speech.
Five Senses

19. Symbolism
A symbol is something that stands for itself, but also something larger than itself.
It may be a person, an animal, an inanimate object, or an action
. A writer often uses a concrete object to express an abstract idea, a quality, or a belief.
A symbol may appeal to a reader's emotions and can provide a way to express an idea, communicate a message, or clarify meaning

20. Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor -- Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now -- For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

21. Personification
Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects, ideas, or animals
The sun stretched its lazy fingers over the valley.

22. Hyperbole An exaggeration for the sake of emphasis
I may sweat to death.
It’s been a hundred years since I’ve seen that movie.

23. Mood
Mood is the atmosphere, or emotion, in the poem created by the poet.
Can be happy, angry, silly, sad, excited, fearful or thoughtful.
Poet uses words and images to create mood.
Author’s purpose helps determine mood.

24. Mood - Barefoot Days Barefoot Days by Rachel Field
In the morning, very early,
That’s the time I love to go
Barefoot where the fern grows curly
And grass is cool between each toe,
On a summer morning-O!
On a summer morning!
That is when the birds go by
Up the sunny slopes of air,
And each rose has a butterfly
Or a golden bee to wear;
And I am glad in every toe –
Such a summer morning-O!
Such a summer morning!
The mood in this poem is happy. What clues in the poem can you use to determine the mood?

25. Mood - Mad Song
Mad Song
I shut my door
To keep you out
Won’t do no good
To stand and shout
Won’t listen to
A thing you say
Just time you took
Yourself away
I lock my door
To keep me here
Until I’m sure
You disappear.
By Myra Cohn Livingston
The mood in this poem is angry. What clues in the poem can you use to determine the mood?

26. Mood - Poem Poem I loved my friend. He went away from me.
There’s nothing more to say.
The poem ends,
Soft as it began –
I loved my friend:
By Langston Hughes
The mood in this poem is sad. What clues in the poem can you use to determine the mood?

27. Diction
Diction refers to the language of a poem, and how each word is chosen to convey a precise meaning.
Poets are very deliberate in choosing each word for its particular effect,
It's important to know the denotation and connotations of the words in a poem, not to mention their literal meaning, too.

28. Diction Example: T.S. Eliot, "Burnt Norton
"Words strain, Crack and sometimes break, under the burden, Under the tension, slip, slide, perish, Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place, Will not stay still.”
Notice the choice of harsh words like “burden” and “strain”.

29. Different Types of Poems
Sonnet – 14 line poem
Limerick – 5 line witty poem
Haiku – 3 line poems with very specific syllables
Narrative – a poem that tells a story
Epic – a very long poem that celebrates the adventures of a hero
Free Verse – Poems that do not follow any specific rules

30. The End…