POETRY TERMSMs. Mathews
English 9H
TYPES OF POEMS
VERSE
Rhymed Verse the most commonly used form of verse generally has an end rhyme
Blank Verse generally identified by a regular meter, but no
end rhyme Free Verse
usually defined as having no fixed meter and no end rhyme
EXAMPLE OF RHYMED VERSE
I wandered lonely as a cloud: That floats on high o'er vales and hills When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. -William Wordsworth
EXAMPLE OF BLANK VERSE
In Mathematics, Woman leads the way: The narrow-minded pedant still believes That two and two make four! Why, we can prove, We women-household drudges as we are- That two and two make five-or three-or seven; Or five-and-twenty, if the case demands!
-Anonymous
EXAMPLE OF FREE VERSE
I remember the days of dreamings, From where in the world so much knowledges, And thoughts of wonderful and funs. But however life walks ahead, And ideas are unavailing aloud, When around so many flies. Concealed after the masks of sorrow.
-Anonymous
NARRATIVE
Tells a story Includes the following elements:
Characters Setting Plot Point of View
All the elements combine to form a theme Example: The Odyssey
BALLAD
Tells a story Meant to be sung or recited Typically depict ordinary people in the midst
of tragic events or adventures of love and bravery
Example: “The Ballad of Birmingham”
LYRIC
A short poem in which the speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings
Most poems, with the exception of narratives, are lyric poems
Cover many subjects, from love to death to everyday experiences
Example: “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes
EPIC
A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or race
Address universal concerns, such as: Good and evil Life and death Sin and redemption
Example: The Odyssey
SONNET
A lyric poem of 14 lines Most common is the Shakespearean sonnet
made up of three quatrains (four line units) and a final couplet
has a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg Example: “Sonnet 140” by William
Shakespeare
POETIC ELEMENTS
ANALOGY
A point-by-point comparison between two things that are alike in some respect
Are often used in nonfiction, when an unfamiliar subject or idea is explained in terms of a familiar one
RHYME
The occurrence of a similar or identical sound at the ends of two or more words
Example: suite, heat, complete Internal rhyme
Occurs within the line End rhyme
Occurs at the end of the line Slant rhyme
Also called approximate or near rhyme Occurs when the sounds are not quite identical Example: care and dear
RHYME EXAMPLES
Internal Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered
weak and weary While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there
came a tapping External
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.All the King's horses, And all the King's menCouldn't put Humpty together again!
Slant I sat in the dark nursing my broken heart.
METER
The regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables in a line of poetry
RHYTHM
Refers to the pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
TONE
The attitude a writer takes towards a subject Reflects the feelings of the writer
OXYMORON
A figure of speech that combines contradicting words
Examples: Bitter sweet Forward retreat Serious joke Deafening silence
ALLITERATION
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words
Example using the h sound:“The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, Went envying her and me;”
-Edgar Allan Poe, from “Annabel Lee”
HYPERBOLE
The use of exaggeration May be used to evoke strong feelings or to
create a strong impression Not meant to be taken literally Examples:
I’m so hungry that I could eat a horse! That bag weighs a ton.