Poetry is…• “The best words in the best order”

– Samuel Taylor Coleridge

• Words have different properties• Designation

– What it actually means– Its sound and appearance (squash)

• Connotation– Meanings and associations they suggest

indirectly– A possible connotation of “home” is “a place

of warmth, comfort, and affection.”

Poetry is….• Visual-the way the word looks on the pagel (aleaffalls)one liness

Suggestions to aid in Understanding

• Read the poem several times– Brings increased comprehension

• Look at meaning, word sound, rhythm, word appearance

• Think about the role the following terms may play.

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of

words

Dan’s dog dove deep in the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove.

the use of the same consonants sounds within

two or more words

They plucked the anchor from the aching deep.

the use of the same vowel sounds within two or more

wordsFleet feet sweep by sleeping geese.

A green apple gleams at me.

Overview

• Alliteration-repeat of consonants at the beginning of a word

• Consonance-repeat of consonants within words

• Assonance-repeat of vowel sounds within words

The use of words that imitate the sounds

associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

Buzz Clink ClatterSqueal

The crackling bag crumpled in his fist.

Using words whose endings sound alike

Flowers grow in sidewalk cracks

And children grow near railroad tracks.

AKA “THE SLANT RHYME”

The similarity of vowel sounds within neighboring words.

In partial rhymes the sounds are similar but not identical. Love and Rough

The "f" sound in rough is close to the "v" sound in love and work together.

Soul and AllLovely and Funny

Dark and Heart

Rhyme that occurs within a line (or lines) of verse.

Hiding somewhere in the nightWorking hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrillPaying anything to roll the dice just one more timeSome will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the bluesOh, the movie never ends, it goes on and on, and on, and on…

Another example: The smoke could choke a chimney.

Compares two unlike things using "like" or

"as."

"Life is like an onion:

You peel it off one

layer at a time, and

sometimes you

weep."

"He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food."

Compares two unlike things without use of

"like" or "as."

His face was a

blue moon

pocked with

craters.

Her eyes were darting searchlights, scanning the room for her rival.

Giving human traits to non-human things

The stars

danced

playfully in the

moonlit sky.

The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow. The wind howled its mighty objection.

An exaggerated statement used to make a point; often

humorousWhen she showers, the Pacific Ocean goes dry.

It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets.

The deliberate use of the same words or phrases

multiple times

She forced her tired feet, her tired soul, her tired mind to slog

along.

Descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the 5 senses.

The eerie silence was shattered by her scream.

Poets carefully choose each word.

They aren’t writing paragraphs but they can still get their message across.

Find a unique way of saying something.

A pattern, or beat, the words create as you read.

In Londontown where urchins hide,

There lives a man of woeful mind.

End rhyme and matching syllable count aid in creating rhythms.

The place where a line of poetry ends, unguided by traditional

punctuation conventions.Importance:

1. Can introduce ambiguity and affect meaning.

2. Lead readers into multiple understandings and surprising ideas

3. Control the flow at which they encounter ideas and images