LIT 2. Lesson 2
LIT 2. Lesson 2
LIT 2. Lesson 2
1 ELEMENTS OF POETRY
4- Placement – the way words and poetic lines are placed on the page of a
poem.
Example: The following are creatively-placed lines from a poem by E.E.
Cummings: in Just spring when the world is mudluscious the little lame
ballonman whistles far and wee
5- Verse – a line in traditional poetry that is written in meter.
Example: In “When I do count the clock that tells the time” from
Shakespeare‟s “Sonnet Number Twelve,” the underlined syllables are
accented, giving the line a metric pattern known as an iambic pentameter .
6- Capitalization and Punctuation – In poetry, rules of capitalization and
punctuation are not always followed; instead, they are at the
service of the poet‟s artistic vision.
Example: in our backyard we plant tomatoes Pla 4 is the first stanza from
“Laughing Tomatoes” by Francisco X. Alarcón. Notice the lack of
capitalization and punctuation.
SOUNDS
1- Rhythm – the basic beat in a line of a poem.
Example: “Whose woods these are, I think I know” is the first line from
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. Notice that
the accented words (underlined) give the line a distinctive beat.
3- End Rhyme – same or similar sounds at the end of words that finish
different lines.
Example: The following are the first two rhyming lines from “The King of
Cats Sends a Postcard to His Wife” by Nancy Willard: Keep your
whiskers crisp and clean, Do not let the mice grow lean,
12- Word Play – to play with the sounds and meanings of real or invented
words.
Example: Two lines from the poem “Synonyms” by Susan Moger:
Claptrap, bombast, rodomontade, Hogwash, jargon, and rant Two lines
from the poem “Antonio” by Laura E. Richards: Antonio, Antonio, Was tired
of living alonio.
IMAGERY
1- Precise Language – the use of specific words to describe a person, place, thing,
or action. Example: Notice how Paul B. Janeczko uses proper nouns in his poem
“Reverend Mona”: When the elders said she was too old, Reverend Mona surrendered
her tabernacle next to Fast Frankie‟s Pawn Shop
1- Simile – a comparison of two unlike things, using the words like or as.
Example: “I read the shoreline like an open volume.”
2- Metaphor – a comparison of two unlike things, not using the words like or
as.
Example: “Ribbons of sea foam / wrap the emerald island.”
6- Verbal Irony or Sarcasm – when you mean the opposite of what you
say.
Example: “My darling brother is the sweetest boy on Earth,” she muttered
sarcastically.
8- Pun – a humorous phrase that plays with the double meaning or the
similar sounds of words.
Examples: “Tomorrow you shall find me a grave man,” said the duke on
his deathbed. The cookbook Lunch on the Run by Sam Witch is
awesome.
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
(Poems may contain some or all elements of fiction.
For example, a narrative poem (a poem that tells a story) may contain all elements.)
1- Setting – the time and place where a story or poem takes place.
2- Point of View / Narrative Voice – the person narrating a story or poem (the
story/poem could be narrated in first person (I, we), second person (you), or third
person limited or omniscient (he/she, they).
10- Mood – the feelings and emotions the writer wants the reader to experience.
11- Theme and Message – the main topic of a story or poem, and the message the
author or poet wants to convey about that topic.
1- Acrostic – a poem in which the first letter of each word forms a word –
usually a name – if read downward.
Example: “A Rock Acrostic” by Avis Harley.
2- Couplet – two lines of poetry that rhyme and usually form one complete
idea.
Example: The poem “Catch a Little Rhyme” by Eve Merriam is
written in couplets.
8- Free Verse – a poem that does not follow a predictable form or rhyme
scheme or metric pattern.
Example: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.
9- List or Catalog Poem – a poem in the form of a list, that uses sensory
details and precise language to persuade the reader to take notice
of what is being listed.
Example: “Things To Do If You Are a Subway” by Robbi Katz.
12- Blank Verse – a poem written in iambic pentameter, but with no rhyme.
Example: Verses in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
13- Blues Poem – poems that – like blues songs – deal with personal or
world issues.
Example: “Evening Air Blues” by Langston Hughes.
14- Nonsense Poem – a fun, usually rhyming poem that makes no sense,
focusing instead on the sounds and the rhythm of the poem.
Example: “The Jumblies” by Edward Lear.
15- Concrete Poem – a poem that uses words to form the shape of the
subject of the poem (also known as a “shape poem”).
Example: “Concrete Cat” by Dorth Charles.
17- Ballad – a poem that tells a story, usually written in four-line stanzas.
Example: “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow.