Transcript PowerPoint Presentation - Introduction to Poetry

Introduction
to
Poetry
Poetic Devices & Terms
“In a poem the words should be as
pleasing to the ear as the meaning is
to the mind.”
-- Marianne Moore
The Human Brain
•Divided into 2 parts
•Each half has its
own function
Left Brain:
Logic
Reality
Right Brain:
Creativity
Emotions
To clarify . . .
When you
are looking
at big puffy
clouds . . .
Your right brain tells you,
“Hey! That one looks like a
bunny.”
While your left brain tells you . . .
It’s a cloud
you silly
human!
So, which half do you use when studying poetry?
Here are a few hints:
• Poetry requires creativity
• Poetry requires emotion
• Poetry requires an artistic quality
• Poetry requires logic
For the Left Brain:
Recognizing certain
devices used within a
poem will give the left
brain something to
concentrate on.
While the Right Brain:
Enjoys the details
and imagery that is
found in both the
words and the layout.
Poetry is the most misunderstood form of writing. It is
also arguably the purest form of writing. Poetry is a
sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of
beauty and expressing this through words. It is art.
Like art it is very difficult to define because it is an
expression of what the poet thinks and feels and may
take any form the poet chooses for this expression.
Poetry is not easily defined. Often it
takes the form of verse, but not all
poetry has this structure. Poetry is a
creative use of words which, like all
art, is intended to stir an emotion in
the audience. Poetry generally has
some structure that separates it from
prose.
The basic unit of poetry is the line. It serves the same
function as the sentence in prose, although most
poetry maintains the use of grammar within the
structure of the poem. Most poems have a structure
in which each line contains a set amount of syllables;
this is called meter. Lines are also often grouped into
stanzas.
The stanza in poetry is equivalent or
equal to the paragraph in prose. Often
the lines in a stanza will have a
specific rhyme scheme. Some of the
more common stanzas are:
Couplet: a two line stanza
Triplet: a three line stanza
Quatrain: a four line stanza
Cinquain: a five line stanza
Meter is the measured arrangement of words in poetry, the
rhythmic pattern of a stanza, determined by the kind and
number of lines. Meter is an organized way to arrange
stressed/accented syllables and unstressed/unaccented
syllables.
Whose woods / these are / I think /I know
• Most poems are written
in lines.
• A group of lines in a
poem is called a stanza.
• Stanzas separate ideas
in a poem. They act like
paragraphs.
• This poem has two
stanzas.
March
A blue day
A blue jay
And a good beginning.
One crow,
Melting snow –
Spring’s winning!
By Eleanor Farjeon
• Diction refers to the language of a poem, and how each
word is chosen to convey a precise meaning.
• Poets are very deliberate in choosing each word for its
particular effect,
• It's important to know the denotation and connotations
of the words in a poem, not to mention their literal
meaning, too.
Diction
• Example:
• T.S. Eliot, "Burnt Norton
"Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still.”
Notice the choice of harsh words like “burden” and “strain”.
Reading for Meaning
• To find meaning in a poem, readers ask questions as they read. There are
many things to pay attention to when reading a poem:
Title – Provides clues about – topic, mood, speaker, author’s purpose?
Rhythm – Fast or slow? Why?
Sound Devices – What effects do they have?
Imagery – What pictures do we make in our minds?
Figures of Speech – What do they tell us about the subject?
Voice – Who is speaking - poet or character; one voice or more?
Author’s Purpose – Sending message, sharing feelings, telling story,
being funny, being descriptive?
Mood – Happy, sad, angry, thoughtful, silly, excited, frightened?
Plot – What is happening in the poem?
Remember, to make meaning, readers must make connections and tap into
their background knowledge and prior experiences as they read.
The repetition of sounds End rhymethe last word on each line rhymes.
Example: hat, cat, brat, fat,
mat, sat
My Beard
by Shel Silverstein
My beard grows to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.
Internal rhyme- Words INSIDE the sentence rhyme.
Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem.
Gives poetry a musical feel, and can be fast or
slow, depending on mood and subject of poem.
You can measure rhythm in meter, by counting
the beats in each line.
Rhythm Example
The Pickety Fence by David McCord
The pickety fence
The pickety fence
Give it a lick it's
The pickety fence
Give it a lick it's
A clickety fence
Give it a lick it's a lickety fence
Give it a lick
Give it a lick
Give it a lick
With a rickety stick
pickety
pickety
pickety
pick.
The rhythm in this poem is fast –
to match the speed of the stick
striking the fence.
Rhythm Example
Where Are You Now?
When the night begins to fall
And the sky begins to glow
You look up and see the tall
City of lights begin to grow –
In rows and little golden squares
The lights come out. First here, then there
Behind the windowpanes as though
A million billion bees had built
Their golden hives and honeycombs
Above you in the air.
By Mary Britton Miller
The rhythm in this poem is
slow – to match the night
gently falling and the
lights slowly coming on.
The beat
When reading a poem out loud, you may notice a sort of “sing-song” quality to it,
just like in nursery rhymes. This is accomplished by the use of rhythm. Rhythm is
broken into seven types.
•Iambic
•Monosyllabic
•Anapestic
•Spondaic
•Trochaic
•Accentual
•Dactylic
Most
Used
Less
Common
These identify patterns of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry.
That means one syllable is pronounced stronger, and one syllable is softer.
iambic:
unstressed
anapestic:
stressed
trochaic:
dactylic:
The length of a line of poetry, based on what
type of rhythm is used.
The length of a line of poetry is measured in metrical
units called “FEET”. Each foot consists of one unit of
rhythm. So, if the line is iambic or trochaic, a foot of
poetry has 2 syllables. If the line is anapestic or
dactylic, a foot of poetry has 3 syllables.
(This is where it’s going to start sounding like geometry class, so
you left-brainers are going to love this!)
Each set of syllables is one foot, and each line is measured by how many feet are in
it. The length of the line of poetry is then labeled according to how many feet are in
it.
1: Monometer
5: Pentameter
2: Dimeter
6: Hexameter
3: Trimeter
7: Heptameter
4: Tetrameter
8: Octameter
*there is rarely more than 8 feet*
She Walks in Beauty
I.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
˘ ΄ ˘ ΄ ˘ ΄ ˘ ΄
Reading this poem
out loud makes the
rhythm evident.
Which syllables are
more pronounced?
Which are naturally
softer?
II.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Count the syllables in
Had half impaired the nameless grace
each line to
Which waves in every raven tress,
determine the meter.
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
III.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
Examination of this poem
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
reveals that it would be
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
considered iambic tetrameter.
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
• Mood is the atmosphere, or
emotion, in the poem created
by the poet.
• Can be happy, angry, silly, sad,
excited, fearful or thoughtful.
• Poet uses words and images
to create mood.
• Author’s purpose helps
determine mood.
Mood - Barefoot Days
Barefoot Days by Rachel Field
In the morning, very early,
That’s the time I love to go
Barefoot where the fern grows curly
And grass is cool between each toe,
On a summer morning-O!
On a summer morning!
That is when the birds go by
Up the sunny slopes of air,
And each rose has a butterfly
Or a golden bee to wear;
And I am glad in every toe –
Such a summer morning-O!
Such a summer morning!
The mood in this poem is
happy. What clues in the
poem can you use to
determine the mood?
Mood - Mad Song
Mad Song
I shut my door
To keep you out
Won’t do no good
To stand and shout
Won’t listen to
A thing you say
Just time you took
Yourself away
I lock my door
To keep me here
Until I’m sure
You disappear.
By Myra Cohn Livingston
The mood in this poem is
angry. What clues in the
poem can you use to
determine the mood?
Mood - Poem
Poem
I loved my friend.
He went away from me.
There’s nothing more to say.
The poem ends,
Soft as it began –
I loved my friend:
By Langston Hughes
The mood in this poem is
sad. What clues in the
poem can you use to
determine the mood?
Tone is the attitude
writers take towards their
subject .
Would this poem have a
different meaning for the
reader if the tone was
changed?
“There’s This that I like About Hockey, My
Lad” by John Kieran (continued)
chap
There’s
thisthat
that
I like
about
hockey
There’s this
I like
about
hockey,
old old
chap;
I think you’ll agree that I’m right;
Although you may get an occasional rap,
There’s always good
good fun
fun in the fight.
So toss in the puck, for the players are set;
enemynet;
net
Sing ho! For the dash on the enemy
And ho! For the smash as a challenge is met;
And hey! For a glorious
gloriousnight!
night
Author’s Attitude towards Hockey
Author is speaking to
Don’t Confuse Tone & Mood!
Tone and mood are two different aspects
of a poem!
* Tone is the author's or the poet's attitude
towards his or her subject.
*Mood is how the poem makes the reader or the
listener feel.
The repetition of the initial
letter or sound in two or
more words in a line.
To the lay-person, these are called “tongue-twisters”.
Example: How much dew would a dewdrop drop if a
dewdrop did drop dew?
Alliteration
Alliteration
Let’s see what this
looks like in a poem.
These examples use the beginning sounds of words only twice in
a line, but by definition, that’s all you need.
Alliteration
She Walks in Beauty
I.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.
Words that spell out sounds;
words that sound like what
they mean.
Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack, ptthhhbbb.
Let’s see what this
looks like in a poem.
Noise Day
by Shel Silverstein
Let’s have one day for girls and boyses
When you can make the grandest noises.
Screech, scream, holler, and yell –
Onomatopoeia
Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell,
Sneeze – hiccup – whistle – shout,
Laugh until your lungs wear out,
Toot a whistle, kick a can,
Several other words
not highlighted could
also be considered
as onomatopoeia.
Can you find any?
Bang a spoon against a pan,
Sing, yodel, bellow, hum,
Blow a horn, beat a drum,
Rattle a window, slam a door,
Scrape a rake across the floor . . ..
Using the same key word or phrase throughout
a poem.
This should be fairly selfexplanatory,
but . . .
at risk of sounding like a broken
record . . .
Valued Treasue
by Chris R. Carey
Time to spend;
Time will eventually
time to mend.
show us the truth.
Time to hate;
Time is a mystery;
time to wait.
time is a measure.
Time is the essence;
Time for us is
time is the key.
valued treasure.
Time will tell us
Time to spend;
what we will be.
time to mend.
Time is the enemy;
Time to cry . . .
time is the proof.
Time to die.
So, which is the
repeated key
word or phrase?
Valued Treasue
by Chris R. Carey
Time to spend;
Time will eventually
time to mend.
show us the truth.
Time to hate;
Time is a mystery;
time to wait.
time is a measure.
Time is the essence;
Time for us is
time is the key.
valued treasure.
Time will tell us
Time to spend;
what we will be.
time to mend.
Time is the enemy;
Time to cry . . .
time is the proof.
Time to die.
So, which is the repeated key word
or phrase?
Fairly obvious, huh?
The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at the
end of a stanza.
It can also be an entire stanza that is repeated
periodically throughout a poem, kind of like a
chorus of a song.
Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
by Maya Angelou
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Remember this
I walk into a room
Men themselves have wondered
Just as cool as you please,
What they see in me.
And to a man,
They try so much
The fellows stand or
But they can’t touch
Fall down on their knees.
My inner mystery.
Then they swarm around me,
When I try to show them,
A hive of honey bees.
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
It’s in the arch of my back,
And the flash of my teeth,
The sun of my smile,
The swing of my waist,
...
And the joy in my feet.
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Look familiar?
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
That’s me.
That is refrain.
A comparison between two usually unrelated
things using the word “like” or “as”.
Examples:
Joe is as hungry as a bear.
In the morning, Rae is like an angry lion.
Simile
Ars Poetica
A poem should be palpable
and mute as a globed fruit,
Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the
moss has grown—
A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.
Simile
Let’s see
what this
looks like in a
poem.
Simile
By Archibald MacLeish
An implied comparison between
two usually unrelated things.
Examples:
Lenny is a snake.
Ginny is a mouse when it comes to standing up for
herself.
The difference between
a simile and a metaphor is
that a simile requires either
“like” or “as” to be included
in the comparison, and a
metaphor requires that
neither be used.
When it comes to using a metaphor device in poetry, a
poet can either make the entire poem a metaphor for
something, or put little metaphors throughout the poem.
The Toaster
A silver-scaled Dragon with jaws flaming red
Sits at my elbow and toasts my bread.
I hand him fat slices, and then, one by one,
He hands them back when he sees they are done.
William Jay Smith
An exaggeration for the sake of
emphasis.
Examples:
I may sweat to death.
The blood bank needs a river of blood.
Giving human characteristics
to inanimate objects, ideas,
or animals.
Example:
The sun stretched its lazy
fingers over the valley.
• A symbol is something that stands for
itself, but also something larger than itself.
• It may be a person, an animal, an
inanimate object, or an action
What is Symbolism?
•A writer often uses a concrete
object to express an abstract idea,
a quality, or a belief.
•A symbol may appeal to a
reader's emotions and can provide
a way to express an idea,
communicate a message, or
clarify meaning.
Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor -Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now -For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
Using words to create a picture
in the reader’s mind.
Imagery




Imagery is the use of words
to create pictures, or images,
in your mind.
Appeals to the five senses:
smell, sight, hearing, taste
and touch.
Details about smells, sounds,
colors, and taste create
strong images.
To create vivid images
writers use figures of speech.
Five Senses
A reference to another piece of
literature or to history.
Example: “She hath Dian’s wit” (from Romeo and Juliet).
This is an allusion to Roman mythology and the
goddess Diana.
The three most common types of allusion refer to
mythology, the Bible, and Shakespeare’s writings.
Examples of Allusion in Literature
Let us analyze a few examples of the use of allusions in
literature:
Example #1
Milton’s “Paradise Lost” gives allusions a fair share. Look at the
example from Book 6 below:
“All night the dread less Angel unpursu’d
Through Heav’ns wide Champain held his way, till Morn,
Wak’t by the circling Hours, with rosie hand
Unbarr’d the gates of Light. There is a Cave
Within the Mount of God, fast by his Throne”
In the above lines “dread less Angel” is a reference to “Abdiel”, a
fearless angel. “Circling Hours” alludes to a Greek Myth “The Horae”,
the daughters of “Zeus” and “Themis” namely “Thallo (Spring), Auxo
(Summer) and Carpo (Fall). “ With rosie hand” Milton refers to Homer’s
illustration of the “rosy fingered dawn” (Odyssey Book 2).
Example #2
Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus” is replete with instances of
allusions. Read the example from Act III below:
“Learnèd Faustus, to find the secrets of astronomy
Graven in the book of Jove’s high firmament,
Did mount him up to scale Olympus’ top,
Where, sitting in a chariot burning bright,
Drawn by the strength of yokèd dragons’ necks,
He views the clouds, the planets, and the stars.”
Jove’s high firmament refers to the outer stretches of the universe.
“Olympus’ top” is an allusion to Greek Mythology where Mount
Olympus is home of gods. Similarly, “a chariot burning bright”
refers to a Greek Myth of “god Apollo” who is said to drive the sun
in his chariot.