Transcript Poetry Party

Understanding Poetry
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.
2
Part 1: Figures of Speech

Figures of speech are
tools that writers use to
create images, or “paint
pictures,” in your mind.
3
Repetition
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Repetition occurs when
poets repeat words, phrases,
or lines in a poem.
Creates a pattern.
Increases rhythm.
Strengthens feelings, ideas
and mood in a poem.
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Repetition Example
The Sun
Some one tossed a pancake,
A buttery, buttery, pancake.
Someone tossed a pancake
And flipped it up so high,
That now I see the pancake,
The buttery, buttery pancake,
Now I see that pancake
Stuck against the sky.
by Sandra Liatsos
What is being repeated in this poem?
5
Alliteration

Alliteration is the
repetition of the first
consonant sound in
words, as in the
nursery rhyme “Peter
Piper picked a peck
of pickled peppers.”
The snake slithered silently
along the sunny sidewalk.
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Alliteration Example
This Tooth
I jiggled it
jaggled it
jerked it.
I pushed
and pulled
and poked it.
But –
As soon as I stopped,
And left it alone
This tooth came out
On its very own!
What is the alliteration in this poem?
by Lee Bennett Hopkins
7
Onomatopoeia
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Words that represent the
actual sound of something
are words of onomatopoeia.
Dogs “bark,” cats “purr,”
thunder “booms,” rain
“drips,” and the clock
“ticks.”
Appeals to the sense of
sound.
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Onomatopoeia Example
Listen
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Frozen snow and brittle ice
Make a winter sound that’s nice
Underneath my stamping feet
And the cars along the street.
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
by Margaret Hillert
What is the onomatopoeia in this poem?
9
Imagery
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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
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Imagery Example
What are the images created in this poem?
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Simile
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A simile compares two
things using the words
“like” or “as.”
Comparing one thing to
another creates a vivid
image.
The runner streaked like a cheetah.
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Simile Example
Flint
An emerald is as green as grass,
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world’s desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds fire.
By Christina Rosetti
What are the similes
in this poem?
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Metaphor
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A metaphor compares
two things without using
the words “like” or “as.”
Gives the qualities of one
thing to something that is
quite different.
The winter wind is a wolf
howling at the door.
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Metaphor Example
The Night is a Big Black Cat
The Night is a big black cat
The moon is her topaz eye,
The stars are the mice she hunts at night,
In the field of the sultry sky.
By G. Orr Clark
What are the metaphors in this poem?
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Personification
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Personification gives
human traits and
feelings to things that
are not human – like
animals or objects.
The moon smiled down at me.
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Personification Example
From “Mister Sun”
Mister Sun
Wakes up at dawn,
Puts his golden
Slippers on,
Climbs the summer
Sky at noon,
Trading places
With the moon.
by J. Patrick Lewis
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Oxymoron
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A combination of
words in the same
phrase that have
opposite meanings
but present a truth
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Oxymoron Example
What are the examples of oxymoron in this poem?
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Symbolism
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An object that
represents an idea
or quality
“Willie, I have eyes. I can see.”
“No, you can’t. You are a fish. You
live in a cave.”
From “What do Fish Have to do with Anything” by Avi
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Symbolism Example
What does the wheelbarrow symbolize?
21
Allusion

A reference in a
literary text to a
person, place,
thing or idea from
another text
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Allusion Example
Clumsy
By Fergie
Can't help it, the girl can't help it (oh baby)
Can't help it, the girl can't help it (oh baby)
Can't help it, the girl can't help it (oh baby)
Can't help it.
First time that I saw your eyes
Boy, you looked right through me,
Played it cool but I knew you knew
That cupid hit me.
You got me trippin', stumblin', flippin', fumblin‘
(So) clumsy 'cause I'm fallin' in love
You got me slippin', tumblin', sinkin', fumblin‘
(So) clumsy 'cause I'm fallin' in love, so in love with you.
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What’s the allusion in this song?

Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf_
gPZSDIxI
23
Irony
An outcome you
don’t expect
 A phrase or word
that is used in an
unexpected way
(like sarcasm)

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Irony Example
What is ironic about
this poem?
By Shel Silverstein
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Analogy
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Detailed comparison of two similar or unlike
things
Often includes a metaphor or simile
Sometimes called an “extended metaphor”
What two topics are
being compared in
this poem?
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Connotation

The tone, or
emotion,
surrounding a word

The denotation
(dictionary definition) of
two words might be the
same, but the connotation
(emotion) is different
What words have
connotation in this
poem?
27
Idiom
A phrase that has
a figurative as well
as literal meaning
 Like a cliché
 Often unique to a
specific culture or
country

What is the idiom in
this poem?
By Shel Silverstein
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Hyperbole
A statement that
uses extreme
exaggeration
 It isn’t meant to be
taken seriously
 It is often used for
effect or humor

What are the
examples of
hyperbole in this
poem?
29
Part 2: Poetry Terms
There are many terms associated with
poetry. Knowing these terms help you
understand a poem.
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Rhythm
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Rhythm is the flow of the
beat in a poem.
Gives poetry a musical
feel.
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.
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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.
What is the rhythm in this poem?
(Think about the speed of how it
reads.) How does it match the speed
of the stick striking the fence?
32
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.
What is the rhythm in this
poem? How does it match
the night?.
By Mary Britton Miller
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Meter
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Meter is the counting of syllables and sounds
so the lines are the same length and rhythm.
Iambic pentameter is one of the most
common meters. It has 5 stressed/ unstressed
feet per line (10 syllables total).
Watch the video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiOXVoDBul4
Watch the first three minutes only!
34
Rhyme
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Rhymes are words that
end with the same sound.
(Hat, cat and bat rhyme.)
Rhyming sounds don’t
have to be spelled the
same way. (Cloud and
allowed rhyme.)
Rhyme is the most
common sound device in
poetry.
35
Rhyming Patterns
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Poets can choose from
a variety of different
rhyming patterns.
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AABB – lines 1 & 2 rhyme
and lines 3 & 4 rhyme
ABAB – lines 1 & 3 rhyme
and lines 2 & 4 rhyme
ABBA – lines 1 & 4 rhyme
and lines 2 & 3 rhyme
ABCB – lines 2 & 4 rhyme
and lines 1 & 3 do not
rhyme
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AABB Rhyming Pattern
First Snow
Snow makes whiteness where it falls.
The bushes look like popcorn balls.
And places where I always play,
Look like somewhere else today.
By Marie Louise Allen
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ABAB Rhyming Pattern
Oodles of Noodles
I love noodles. Give me oodles.
Make a mound up to the sun.
Noodles are my favorite foodles.
I eat noodles by the ton.
By Lucia and James L. Hymes, Jr.
38
ABBA Rhyming Pattern
From “Bliss”
Let me fetch sticks,
Let me fetch stones,
Throw me your bones,
Teach me your tricks.
By Eleanor Farjeon
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ABCB Rhyming Pattern
The Alligator
The alligator chased his tail
Which hit him in the snout;
He nibbled, gobbled, swallowed it,
And turned right inside-out.
by Mary Macdonald
40
Lines and Stanzas
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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
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Couplet
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A couplet is a poem,
or stanza in a poem,
written in two lines.
Usually rhymes.
The Jellyfish
Who wants my jellyfish?
I’m not sellyfish!
By Ogden Nash
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Hello!
Speaker
Hi!
The speaker can be the poet himself or a
character created in the poem.
But don’t assume the author is the speaker.
That’s not usually the case!
There can be one speaker or many speakers.
The speaker is sometimes called the “Voice” or
“Narrator.”
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Poet as Speaker
The Wind
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro’.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
In this poem, who is the
speaker? How do you
know?
by Christina Rosetti
44
Human as Speaker
For Keeps
We had a tug of war today
Old March Wind and I.
He tried to steal my new red kite
That Daddy helped me fly.
He huffed and puffed.
I pulled so hard
And held that string so tight
Old March Wind gave up at last
And let me keep my kite.
In this poem, who
is the speaker?
How do you know?
by Jean Conder Soule
45
Object as Speaker
Crayon Dance
The cardboard ceiling lifts
Pickmepickmepickme, I pray
The fingers do! They choose me,
Sky Blue!
Hurrah! Hooray!
by April Halprin Wayland
In this poem, who is the
speaker? How do you know?
46
Multiple Speakers
Monster Mothers
By Florence Parry Heide
When monster mothers get together
They brag about their babies.
The other day I heard one say,
“He’s got his very first fang today!”
“Mine is ugly.”
“Mine is mean.”
“Mine is turning
nice and green.”
“Mine’s as scaly
as a fish.”
“Mine is sort of
yellowish.”
“Mine breathes fire
and smoke and such.”
“Mine has skin
you’d hate to touch.”
In this poem, who is the speaker? How do you know?
47
Author’s Purpose
The poet has an “author’s purpose” when he writes a poem.
The purpose can be to:
 Share feelings (joy, sadness, anger, fear, loneliness)
 Tell a story
 Send a message (theme - something to think about)
 Be humorous
 Provide description* (e.g., person, object, concept)
*Although description is important in all poems, the focus of some poems is
the description itself rather than feelings, story-telling, message, or humor.
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Author’s Purpose: Share Feelings
When I Was Lost
Underneath my belt
My stomach was a stone.
Sinking was the way I felt.
And hollow.
And alone.
By Dorothy Aldis
What is the author’s purpose
in this poem? How do you
know?
49
Author’s Purpose: Tell Story
Jimmy Jet
By Shel Silverstein
I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet –
And you know what I tell you is true.
He loved to watch his TV set
Almost as much as you.
He watched all day,he watched all night
Till he grew pale and lean,
From "The Early Show" to “The Late Late Show”
And all the shows between.
And his brains turned into TV tubes,
And his face to a TV screen.
And two knobs saying “VERT.” and “HORIZ.”
Grew where his ears had been.
And he grew a plug that looked like a tail
So we plugged in little Jim.
And now instead of him watching TV
We all sit around and watch him.
He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,
And his bottom grew into his chair.
And his chin turned into a tuning dial,
And antennae grew out of his hair.
What is the author’s purpose in this
poem? How do you know?
50
Author’s Purpose: Be Humorous
Insides
I’m very grateful to my skin
For keeping all my insides in –
I do so hate to think about
What I would look like inside-out.
By Colin West
What is the author’s purpose
in this poem? How do you
know?
51
Author’s Purpose: Be Descriptive
Me by Karla Kuskin
“My nose is blue,
My teeth are green,
My face is like a soup tureen.
I look just like a lima bean.
I’m very, very lovely.
My feet are far too short
And long.
My hands are left and right
And wrong.
My voice is like the hippo’s song.
I’m very, very,
Very, very,
Very, very
Lovely?”
What is the author’s purpose
in this poem? How do you
know? Also, what is ironic
about this poem?
52
Audience
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Audience is the person,
or group of people, that
the poem was intended
for
Sometimes the audience
is specific (ie. a daughter)
Sometimes the audience
is general (ie. all girls)
Identifying the audience
helps clarify purpose and
theme
53
Audience Example
Good Hot Dogs
By Sandra Cisneros
Fifty cents apiece
To eat our lunch
We’d run
Straight from school
Two blocks
Then the store
That smelled like steam
You ordered
Because you had the money
Two hot dogs and two pops for here
Everything on the hot dogs
Except pickle lily
Dash those hot dogs
Into buns and splash on
All that good stuff
Yellow mustard and onions
And french fries piled on top all
Rolled up in a piece of wax
Paper for us to hold hot
In our hands
Quarters on the counter
Sit down
Good hot dogs
We’d eat
Fast till there was nothing left
But salt and poppy seeds even
The little burnt tips
Of french fries
We’d eat
You humming
And me swinging my legs
Who is the audience
in this poem?
54
Mood
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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.
55
Mood Example
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!
What is the mood of this
poem? What clues in the
poem help you determine
the mood?
56
Mood Example
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
What is the mood of this
poem? What clues help
you determine the mood?
57
Mood Example
Something is There
Something is there
there on the stair
coming down
coming down
stepping with care.
Coming down
coming down
slinkety-sly.
Something is coming and wants to get by.
By Lilian Moore
What is the mood of this
poem? What clues help
you determine the
mood?
58
Tone
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The tone of a poem is the author's
attitude toward the subject or audience.
Tone can be positive or negative, playful
or critical, or anything in between
Tone sometimes changes in the poem
Tone impacts the theme and word
choice
What is the difference between mood
and tone? Basically, mood is the feeling
you get from the poem; tone is what the
author (or speaker) thinks.
59
Tone Example
What is the tone of
this poem? What
clues in the poem
help you determine
the tone?
60
Tone Example

Pray for You
By Jaron and The Long Road to Love
I haven't been to church since I don't remember when
Things were goin' great 'til they fell apart again
So I listened to the preacher as he told me what to do
He said you can't go hatin' others who have done wrong to you
Sometimes we get angry, but we must not condemn
Let the good Lord do His job and you just pray for them

Watch the video at
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=atBg9zLI2bA

What is the tone of this
song? What clues help you
determine the tone?
I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the
head like I'd like to
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are honey, I pray for you . . . .
61
Theme
The moral, or
lesson, of the
poem
 What does the
author want you to
learn or think
about?

What is the theme of this poem?
62
Part 3: Forms of Poetry
There are many forms of poetry. Recognizing
the form helps you understand or imitate the
poem.
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Narrative
A poem that tells a
story
 Often has the
elements of a story
(characters, plot,
setting, dialogue,
etc.)
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64
Narrative Example
Casey at the Bat
By Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Read in your literature book on
pages 301 - 302 or at
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/
poem/casey-bat.
65
Ballad
Poem that was meant
to be sung or recited
 Sometimes set to
music
 Narrative
 Rhythmic
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66
Ballad Example
Skin (Sara Beth)
By Rascal Flats
Sara Beth is scared to death
To hear what the doctor will say.
She hasn't been well
Since the day that she fell
And the bruise it just won’t go away.
So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad
And flips through an old magazine
'Til the nurse with a smile stands at the door
And says "Will you please come with me?"
Sara Beth is scared to death
Cause the doctor just told her the news.
Between the red cells and white
Something's not right,
But we're gonna take care of you. . . .
Watch the video at
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=VLxOWGsjHjs
67
Cinquain

Word-count cinquain uses the
following pattern:
Line 1: One word (title)
Line 2: Two words (describe the
title)
Line 3: Three words (describe an
action)
Line 4: Four words (describe a
feeling)
Line 5: One word (another word for
title)
Owl
Swift, ferocious
Watches for food
Soaring through the night
Hunter
68
Haiku
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A haiku is a Japanese
poem with 3 lines of 5, 7,
and 5 syllables. (Total of
17 syllables.)
Does not rhyme.
Is about an aspect of
nature or the seasons.
Captures a moment in
time.
Little frog among
rain-shaken leaves, are you, too,
splashed with fresh, green paint?
by Gaki
69
Concrete Poem
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A concrete poem (also
called shape poem) is
written in the shape of
its subject.
The way the words are
arranged is as important
as what they mean.
Does not have to rhyme.
70
Sonnet
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Shakespearean Sonnet is
most popular
14 line poem
Follows the rhyme pattern
a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d, e, f,
e, f, g, g.
Iambic Pentameter
(10 syllables or 5 stressed/
unstressed meters)

Has a couplet at the end
that often “turns” or ends
ironically
In this poem, by William Shakespeare,
identify the sonnet elements marked in
green.
71
Free Verse
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A free verse poem
does not use rhyme or
patterns.
Can vary freely in
length of lines,
stanzas, and subject.
Revenge
When I find out
who took
the last cooky
out of the jar
and left
me a bunch of
stale old messy
crumbs, I'm
going to take
me a handful
and crumb
up someone's bed.
By Myra Cohn Livingston
72
Acrostic
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In an acrostic poem
the first letter of each
line, read down the
page, spells the
subject of the poem.
Type of free verse
poem.
Does not usually
rhyme.
Loose brown parachute
Escaping
And
Floating on puffs of air.
by Paul Paolilli
73
Limerick
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A limerick is a funny
poem of 5 lines.
Lines 1, 2 & 5 rhyme.
Lines 3 & 4 are
shorter and rhyme.
Line 5 refers to line 1.
Limericks are a kind
of nonsense poem.
There Seems to Be a Problem
I really don’t know about Jim.
When he comes to our farm for a swim,
The fish as a rule,
jump out of the pool.
Is there something the matter with him?
By John Ciardi
74