English 8 Poetry

Poetry
Contents
Introduction
Part 1 - The Sounds of Words
Part 2 - The Meaning of Words
Part 3 - The Arrangement of
Words
Part 4 - The Imagery of Words
Introduction
Poets are limited in the materials they can use in creating
their work – all they have are words to express ideas and
emotions. These words need to be right on several levels
at once.
Introduction
They must sound They must have a They must be They must
right to the meaning which is arranged in a way encourage deep
listener as they clear and thought- that is easy to thoughts or
are read out aloud. provoking. follow but also emotions while
assists the reader's appearing simple
understanding. and self-contained.
Part 1
The Sounds of Words
Certain words can be selected and grouped together to achieve specific effects when we hear
them. The sounds that are created might sound pleasing or soothing, clever or rhythmic, or
harsh and uncomfortable to hear.
The following poetic devices can affect the way a poem sounds when read aloud. It's
important to remember that these deliberate arrangements of words can convey a particular
sense of mood, atmosphere or emotion.
Alliteration
Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of
words placed near each other or next to each other.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers.
Slim-pinioned swallows sweep and pass.
The barbarians broke through the
barricade.
Assonance
Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near
each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines.
I feel stressed and restless.

The dapper lad chatted to the other happy chap.
Johnny went here and there and everywhere.
Go slow over the road to nowhere.
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate the natural sound of the thing
they describe.
The clang of the pots and pans and woke the baby.
The wolves howled at the moon.
Zoom! Went the race car as it sped past the finish line.
The bacon sizzled in the pan.
Repetition
The purposeful re-use of words and phrases to
create emphasis or convey a particular effect.
I will not brush my hair, I will not wear a dress

and I will not clean my room.
We have so much stuff but still buy more stuff
then need storage units to store all the stuff.
Rhythm
Rhythm is when words are arranged according to stressed and unstressed
syllables so that they make a pattern or beat. Verses might contain a certain
cumber of syllables to create this pattern. Rhythm helps to distinguish poetry
from prose.
Some common rhythms include iamb (x /), trochee (/ x) or spondee (/ /).

You can usually hear rhythm if you hum the words instead of saying them.
Rhyme & Rhyme
Scheme
Rhyme refers to words that have different beginning sounds but whose endings
sound alike, including the final vowel sound and everything following it.
Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern established by the arrangement of

rhymes in a stanza or poem, generally described by using letters of the alphabet
to denote the recurrence of rhyming lines.
Capital letters in the alphabetic rhyme scheme are used for the repeating
rhyming words at the end of each verse. The letters X and Y indicate unrhymed
lines. In quatrains, the popular rhyme scheme of ABAB is called alternate rhyme
or cross rhyme and the ABBA scheme is called envelope rhyme.
Part 2
The Meanings of Words
A word can be carefully selected to convey a precise idea but some words can carry several
layers or depths of meaning at the same time. Poets can use these or combine them with
other words for particular effects.
Some techniques that can enhance the meaning of words are as follows.
Simile
Creates a comparison between two things by using the words
'like' or 'as'.
The desert was as dry as a bone.
Her tempers were like an uncontrollable
storm.
He's as cool as a cucumber.
Rain plastered the land until it was shining
like hammered lead.
Metaphor
Creates a comparison by stating that one thing is another or does the
actions of another.
The wind was a torrent of darkness

among the gusty trees.
Her fingers danced across the keyboard.
His stomach was a twisted storm of
butterflies.
Personification
Attributing human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or
abstract idea.
As I climbed the stairs, the staircase

groaned as if awoken from a long sleep.
The days crept by slowly, sorrowfully.
Seaweed snatched at his legs as he tried
to swim away.
Symbolism
When a simple or ordinary object, event, animal, or person represents
deeper meaning or significance.
The dove is a symbol of peace.

A red rose stands for love or romance.
A skull can represent danger or death.
A fork in the road may symbolise a choice
or a decision.
Word Choice &
Connotation
Connotations are the ideas or feelings evoked by a word. These are
the implications or associations we might form which are different to a
word's literal meaning.
E.g. The words ‘animal’ and ‘beast’ refer to the same type of
creature but the second term has connotations of wildness
and savagery.
E.g. The words ‘house’ and ‘home’ have the same denotation
but the word ‘home’ has connotations of warmth, family,
safety, belonging etc.
Other Language Features
Paradox A statement which seems contradictory You’ve got to be cruel to be kind
but may reveal an unexpected truth. I can resist anything but
temptation
The only constant is change
Oxymoron A combination of two words that appear to Bittersweet

contradict each other. Clearly confused
Seriously funny
Deafening silence
Euphemism An understatement, used to lessen the She is at rest

effect of a statement that might sound I need to use the ladies room
harsh, offensive or hurtful. I'm currently between jobs
She's a late bloomer
Other Language Features
Idiom A group of words established by usage as I was over the moon.
having a meaning not deducible from Put in some elbow grease.
those of the individual words. She was sitting on the fence.
I have my finger on the pulse.
Metonym A figure of speech in which a person, place The pen is mightier than the
or thing is referred to by something sword.
closely associated with it. Wall Street braces for further
rate rises.
Allusion A brief reference to a person, historical I thought the software would be

event, biblical or mythological situation or useful, but it was a Trojan Horse.
character. Chocolate cake is my kryptonite.
Part 3
Arrangement of Words
The poet decides on how the words are arranged into a certain order or sequence to achieve
a particular effect. The structure of the poem can also contribute to its overall meaning.
Some words used to identify the structure and arrangement of a poem are as follows.
Point of View
The vantage point of the speaker. In poetry, this is also sometimes referred
to as the persona.
First person – the speaker is a character in the story or poem and tells it from his/her
perspective (uses “I”).
Second person - an unusual form of storytelling that addresses the reader directly (uses
“you”)
Third person limited – the speaker is not part of the story, but tells about the other
characters through the limited perceptions of one other person (uses “he”, “she” or “they”)
Third person omniscient – the speaker is not part of the story, but is able to “know” and
describe what all characters are thinking (uses “he”, “she” or “they”)
Verses & Stanzas
A verse is one single line of a poem arranged in a metrical pattern.
A stanza is a group of verses where the lines are arranged into a unit
and often repeated in the same pattern throughout the poem (similar
to a paragraph).
Poems are made up of multiple verses and stanzas and poets can
make particular choices in the length and number of verses and
stanzas for various purposes.
Poetic Forms
Blank Verse Rhymed poetry Free Verse

Poetry written with a precise In contrast to blank Poetry that lacks a
meter (almost always iambic verse, these poems consistent rhyme
pentameter) that does not rhyme although their scheme, metrical
rhyme. rhyme scheme can pattern, or musical
vary. form.
Poetic Forms
Traditional
Ballad Sonnet
a poem that adheres to a definite
A form of narrative verse A 14 line poem, typically verse structure or set of
that can be either poetic or on the topic of love that characteristics. By contrast, the
musical. It typically follows a contains internal metrical and rhyme patterns
pattern of rhymed quatrains. rhymes within their associated with traditional poems
lines. are typically absent from
contemporary poetry.

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Poetry

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

I feel stressed and restless.

I will not brush my hair, I will not wear a dress

Some common rhythms include iamb (x /), trochee (/ x) or spondee (/ /).

Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern established by the arrangement of

The wind was a torrent of darkness

As I climbed the stairs, the staircase

The dove is a symbol of peace.

Oxymoron A combination of two words that appear to Bittersweet

Euphemism An understatement, used to lessen the She is at rest

Allusion A brief reference to a person, historical I thought the software would be

Blank Verse Rhymed poetry Free Verse

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