Transcript Elements of Poetry - Hilldale Public Schools

No Fear!
Will I understand everything on the first reading?
What is Poetry?
Poetry is a type of literature in which words are
carefully chosen and arranged to create certain effects.
Where do we FIND Poetry?
 Greeting Cards
 TV Theme Song
 Advertising Jingles
 Song lyrics
When do we NEED Poetry?
Love
Death (elegy)
Memory
Experience
Expression
Humor
Joy
Poetic Devices
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Example –
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there
wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to
dream before
- Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”
Poetic Devices
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nonrhyming words.
Example Only their usual maneuvers, dear
- W.H. Auden, “O What Is That Sound”
Poetic Devices
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within
and at the end of words, as in “lonely afternoon.”
Sound Devices
Sound devices, or uses of words for their auditory effect,
can convey meaning and mood or unify a work.
 Onomatopoeia – words whose sound imitates their
suggested meanings, such as buzz, whisper, gargle, and
murmur.
 Repetition is a technique in which a sound, word,
phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity.
Sound Devices
 Meter – the measured arrangement of sounds/beats in
a poem, including the poet’s placement of emphasis
and the number of syllables per line.
*Think about the musical quality of a piece of writing.
Terms to Know
 Diction – the author’s specific word choice.
Formal (elaborate words), neutral (standard language) or
informal (slang, dialect, etc.)?
Terms to Know
 Shift – refers to a change or movement in a piece resulting
from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the
speaker, a character, or the reader.
Look for:
Key words (but, yet, however)
Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons)
Stanza divisions
Changes in diction
Poetic Forms
Ballad
A ballad is a narrative poem that is meant to be sung or
recited. Typically, a traditional ballad focuses on a single
tragic event.
Poetic Forms
Haiku
Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry in which 17 syllables are
arranged in three lines of 5 – 7 – 5 syllables. Haiku poems are
usually inspired by nature.
Harvest moon –
walking around the pond
all night long.
- Basho
Poetic Forms
Concrete Poetry
A concrete poem is one in which the poet uses visible
shape to create a picture related to the poem’s subject.
Poetic Forms
Narrative Poetry
Like fiction, a narrative poem contains the elements of
plot, conflict, character, and setting that combine to create
a story.
Poetic Forms
Free Verse
Free verse is poetry that does not contain regular patterns
of rhythm or rhyme.
Using TPFASTT to Analyze
Poetry
T – Title
P – Paraphrase
F – Figurative Language
A – Attitude
S – Shifts
T – Title
T - Theme
Title
What do the words of the title suggest to you?
Paraphrase
Translate the poem in your own words. What is the poem
about?
Figurative Language
What meaning does the poem have beyond the literal meaning?
Consider:
 Imagery
 Allusions
 Symbolism
 Figurative Language
Attitude
What is the speaker’s attitude? What is the author’s tone?
Shifts
Where do the shifts in tone, setting, voice, etc. occur?
Look for time and place, keywords, punctuation, stanza
divisions, changes in length or rhyme, and sentence
structure.
Title
Reanalyze the title on an interpretive level. You have read
the poem, now what are your thoughts on the title?
Theme
What is the underlying message the author is trying to
convey to the reader? What is the poem saying?