1. Reading and Writing about Poetry
ENC 1102
Brown
7/15/2012

2. What is Poetry? Undefinable Unmistakable Is Shakespeare poetry?
What about “Who Let the Dogs Out”?

3. What is Poetry? Uses more concentrated language
Requires closer reading than fiction
Often helps to read out loud
Often helps to paraphrase, or rewrite using your own prose

4. Poetic Devices

5. Figures of Speech Denotation = literal meanings
Bird = a type of animal
Connotation = associated meanings
Bird = fragility, vulnerability, the sky, or freedom
Might vary from time, place and culture
Light vs. lite beer
Simile: comparison of two seemingly unlike objects, using “like,” “as,” etc.
Metaphor: like a simile, but without the linking words

6. Persona The speaker may or may not be the same as the poet
Sometimes the poet will create a persona, or character (similar to narrator), that tells the poem
Pay attention to how favorably you respond to the persona
Pay attention to the persona’s situation
Pay attention to the persona’s diction
Example: Eminem’s Stan

7. Diction Poetic diction Formal diction Middle diction Informal diction
Extremely elevated word choices (e.g. Shakespeare)
Formal diction
Dignified, impersonal and elevated word choices (e.g. wedding invitation)
Middle diction
Less formal word choices (e.g. college paper)
Informal diction
Conversational, and colloquial (slang) word choices

8. Repetition and Rhyme Alliteration: repeat letter sounds
Consonance: repeat consonant sounds
Assonance: repeat vowel sounds
End rhyme and rhyme scheme: pattern of rhyming words at the end of each line

9. Rhythm and Meter Rhythm refers to stressed and unstressed syllables
Stressed get more emphasis than unstressed
The pattern of stresses makes up the meter
We measure the meter using scansion
We typically use ͝ to mark unstressed and ʹ for stressed

10. Units of Meter
A foot is the basic unit of meter, and usually consists of two syllables:
Iamb: ͝͝͝ ʹ
Trochee: ʹ ͝͝͝
Anapest: ͝͝͝ ͝͝͝ ʹ
Dactyl: ʹ ͝͝͝ ͝͝͝
Spondee: ʹ ʹ
Iambic feet are the most common in English poetry

11. Units of Meter A line is measured by the number of feet it contains
Monometer: one foot
Dimeter: two feet
Trimeter: three feet
Tetrameter: four feet
Pentameter: five feet
Hexameter: six feet
An iambic line of five feet is thus iambic pentameter
Unrhymed iambic pentameter is called blank verse (used in Shakespeare’s plays)

12. Other things to consider
Setting
Title
Theme(s)
Symbolism
Allusions (i.e. references to other literary works)
Style
Tone
Irony