notes on poetry: s.l.a.m
TRANSCRIPT
A poem packs all kinds of
sounds, feelings (emotions),
and ideas into a few carefully
chosen words.
Sounds Emotions Ideas
SoundUsually poems are meant to be read aloud;
poets will choose and arrange words to
create sounds that appeal to the listener.
Sound techniques include the following:
• Alliteration / Assonance
• Onomatopoeia
• Refrain/Repetition
• Rhyme
• Rhythm
• Meter
• Rhyme Scheme
AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds:
Positive Patti holds her pretty petite purple purse.
A device or technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis
After seventy days
of wind and sun,
of wind and clouds,
of wind and sand,
after seventy days,
of wind and dust,
a little
rain
came.
A repetition or similarity of sounds at the end
of words, usually at the end of lines.
My love for you grows each passing day,With dreams of watching you run & play.Your life will have many ups & downs,I promise to be there for the smiles & frowns.
Rhythm
• Rhythm – the pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetryHow one reads the poem in rhythm.
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell up the patrons of the game.
Meter
• Meter is basically the rhythm throughout
the poem. (Like our example of Casey at
the Bat.)
• The recurring patterns of stressed (long)
and unstressed (short) syllables happen in
every stanza.
Rhyme Scheme
It is the pattern of rhyme at the end of lines in
a poem or song
My Baby Sister
by Bruce Lansky
My baby sister’s a
Really swell. b
I love her smile, c
But not her smell. b
Types of Effective Language• Good Word Choice• Imagery• Figurative Language
–Simile
–Metaphor
–Personification
–Hyperbole
The language of a poem is carefully
chosen by the poet, who considers words to create a flow (rhythm), stir
emotions, and produce visual
images in the listener’s mind.
ImageryThe use of descriptive words or phrases to create vivid mental pictures in the minds of the reader often appealing to sight, sound, taste, smell, and/ortouch.
“The tree roots
clutched the ground
like gnarled
fingers.”
4 types: Figurative Language
Authors use figurative language to create
fresh and original descriptions.
Figurative expressions while not literally
true, help readers picture ordinary things in
different ways.
SimileA comparison of two things, using the signal words like or
as.
“her eyes shone like stars”
“the sun looked like a red ball in the sky”
MetaphorA comparison of two things that have some
quality in common, but does not use likeor as.
“The sun is a red spiraling ball in the sky”
Human qualities that are applied to an
animal, an object, or an idea is known
as personification.
“The warm smile of the sun
shines brightly.”
“The piano leaned
toward me”
HyperboleA type of figurative language that makes
an exaggeration for the purpose of
emphasis.
Example:
His ears were so sharp he could hear
dogs bark in the next county.
ArrangementDistinctive elements about the arrangement
of the poem on the page. These elements
include the following:
Capitalization Margins
Punctuation Word Position
Stanza End Line Rhyme
Internal Rhyme Line Breaks
Arrangement
Capitalization – C DMargins –
Indentions or lines begin from
center of the page, etc.
Punctuation – commas, colons, semi-colons
, : ;
Arrangement
Stanza – grouping of two or more lines in a
poem usually similar in length and pattern.
Similar to paragraph form in prose.
End-line rhyme – most common form of
rhyme in poetry.Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
ArrangementInternal rhyme – rhyme that occurs
within a line.From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won.
Line Breaks – poet puts emphasis or importance on an idea or topic. Line lengthmay help to emphasize topic.
It rained
a little
everywhere
but here.
MessageSpeaker – the voice that talks to the reader
in a poem, like the narrator in a piece of fiction; the speaker is not necessarily the poet.
Symbol – a person, place, object, or an
action that stands for something
beyond itself.
Types of Poetry• Lyrical Poetry - is a short poem or a long poem
with rhyming that expresses personal feelings.
• Narrative Poetry - is poetry that has a plot.
They may be short or long, and the story may be
simple or complex. Narrative poems include
epics and ballads.
• Both lyrical and narrative can be humorous.
Verse Form• Free Verse - Free verse is poetry without
rules; after all, it doesn't rhyme, and it
doesn't have a meter.
The arrangement consists of carefully
chosen words in verses.
• Blank Verse - is a type of poetry, having a
regular meter, but no rhyme.