| What Is Poetry?
Poetry is difficult to define. More than any other type of writing it involves our feelings. It takes many forms and has many purposes. Here is one definition of poetry: It is language that says more than ordinary language, and says it more intensely than ordinary language. It uses figures of speech. Each figure of speech suggests several meanings with only a few words. Poetry uses many words with strong connotations. These words appeal to the reader's emotions. The language of poetry is strong. Here is another definition of poetry: It is literature that fits language into a rhythm or pattern. Often, a poem is arranged in lines and the lines are arranged in stanzas. However, not all poems are arranged into lines and stanzas. Usually, a poem has a definite, regular rhythm. Still, not all poems fit their words into a regular rhythm. Whatever form a poem takes, it makes you see in a new way.
The History of Poetry Poetry is one of the oldest forms of literature. You will recall that. in ancient times, myths were told in poem form. Wandering poets carried them from place to place. They sang or chanted the poems to their audiences. Before poems were ever written down, they were part of the oral tradition in literature. Even after most poetry was written, sung poetry has remained popular. A ballad, for example, is a kind of folk poetry. It tells a story in song. Early settlers in America brought ballads with them and soon created new ones. These were some of the earliest literature in North America. You may be familiar with such ballads as 'The Ballad of John Henry," "Casey Jones," and "Sweet Betsy from Pike." Poetry has been sung and written throughout history, all over the world.
The Elements of Poetry
Shapes. Poems are usually written in lines. The lines are grouped in stanzas. The beginning of a new line or stanza does not have to be the beginning of a new sentence. In fact, many poems, especially modern poems, do not use sentences at all. In many poems, a regular pattern of rhythm and rhyme is repeated in every stanza. In some poems, the shape that the words form on the paper suggests a picture. These poems are called concrete poems.
Language. A poet chooses words very carefully for exact meanings and for the feelings they suggest. In addition, almost every poem has one or more figures of speech. Yet, the words are chosen not only for meaning, but for sound, as well. Rhythm is an important part of every poem. Many poems use alliteration, rhyme, and other sound effects, also.
Speaker. Even though a poem uses I and me, the speaker is not necessarily the poet. Often the poet invents a separate character. The reader must imagine that character saying the poem.
Theme. The theme of a poem is the writer's main idea or concern. Sometimes a poem describes how an object looks. Its theme is the desire to describe the object. Other times a poet may make a serious statement about how people should behave.
Mood. Mood is the emotion you feel reading a poem. Some poems are sad, others are joyful, and still others are angry. The main purpose of some poems is to set a mood.
How To Read a Poem 1. Let yourself get involved in the poem. When it describes some thing, try to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel that thing. 2. Read the poem aloud to hear its sound. Often the sound of a poem suggests or stresses its meaning. 3. Make sure that you understand every word in a poem. Pay particular attention to figures of speech. 4. Identify the speaker. It could make all the difference.
More About the Elements of Poetry You have learned that poets choose their words carefully for meaning, feeling, and sound. You have seen that they arrange the worth create a pattern of sounds. At the same time, they arrange the words show the organization of ideas. Here are some concerns that help a poet select the best words.
Sensory Images. In poetry, sensory images help the reader see or hear or feel things. Sensory images, also called imagery, are details that appeal to the senses. An apple, for example, might be described "juicy and tart." The words "juicy and tart" appeal to your sense of taste. "The rolling rumble and crash" of thunder, on the other hand, appeals to your sense of hearing. Imagery may appeal to any of your senses. Here are examples of imagery from the poems you have read:
Sight a ginger cat, very tall and thin streaked glass, flashing with sunlight
Hearing strong melodious songs crackling splinters of glass and dried putty
Touch soft shapes . . . inside the hard bodies
While all writing uses imagery, poetry is especially rich in this kind of language. Poets try to give the most exact details possible. Then their readers can imagine the experience more accurately.
Rhythm. Poetry usually has a regular beat. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the lines of a poem is called its rhythm. There are many possible patterns of rhythm.
Rhyme. Rhyme is the repetition of the same sound at the ends of lines. This kind of rhyme is called end rhyme.
eighty-eight, red-ball freight
Rhyme may also occur within a line. This is called internal rhyme.
Phoebe Snow, B & 0
When a poet is writing a poem with rhyme, he or she often tries to think of words with many rhymes. One of these words may make sense at the end of one line. Then there are several possible rhymes for the ends of other lines. That makes it easier to find a word with the meaning the poet wants. Many poets enjoy the challenge of finding rhymes.
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