Elements Of Poetry

FORM

SOUND DEVISES

IMAGERY

MOOD/TONE

THEME

Poetry:
Poetry is a form of writing that uses not only words,
But also form, Patterns of sound, Imagery, And
figurative language to convey the message.
Any Poem will include some or all of these elements.

Rhyme Scheme
The rhyming pattern that is created at the end of
lines of poetry.
-If the poem does not have a rhyme scheme it is
considered to be a free verse poem.

ALLITERATION:
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings
of words.

Onomatopoeia
Words that are used to represent particular sounds.

Repetition

FORM:

The repeating of a particular sound devises to create

an effect.

A poems form is its appearance. Poems are divided

into lines. Many poems, especially longer ones may
also be divided into groups of lines called stanzas.

To create emphasis, a poet may repeat words or lines

within the poem.

IMAGERY

Stanzas function like paragraphs in a story. Each one

contains a single idea or takes the idea one step
further.

Poets use words that appeal to the readers senses of

sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

SOUND Devises

FIGURES OF SPEECH:

Some poems use techniques of sound such as

rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration.

Figures of speech are a special kind of imagery.

They create pictures by making comparisons.

Rhythm:
SIMILE
The pattern of beats or stresses in a poem. Poets use
patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables to
create a regular rhythm.

RHYME:
The repetition of the same or similar sounds, usually
in stressed syllables at the ends of lines, but
sometimes within a line.

A comparison using like or as.

METAPHOR:
Describes one thing as if it were another.

Extended Metaphor
A metaphor that extends throughout the entire poem
instead of just a few lines of the poem.

PERSONIFICATION:
Gives human characteristics to something
nonhuman.

Mood/Tone
The feelings the authors word choices give the
poem.

THEME:

d. Metrical romanceexpresses love and

admiration
A metrical romance recounts the quest undertaken
by a single knight in order to gain a ladys favor.
Frequently, its central interest is courtly love,
together with tournaments fought and dragons and
monsters slain for the damsels sake. It stresses the
chivalric ideals of courage, loyalty, honor,
mercifulness to an opponent, and exquisite and
manners; and it delights in wonders and marvels.

The theme of a poem is its central or main idea.

To identify a poems theme, ask yourself what ideas
or insights about life or human nature you have
found in the poem.

LYRIC POETRY
A short poem intended to be sung. It was originally
composed to be accompanied by a lyre.

TYPES OF POETRY

A. Elegy

Three Major Types of Poetry

B.

Haiku

1. Narrative Poetry

C.

Ode

2. Lyric poetry

D. Sonnet

3. Dramatic Poetry

1. Narrative Poetry

Elegy lyric poem that deals with life and death

Haiku - A Japanese poem consisting of 17 syllables
which is written in 5-7-5 syllables in three lines

Type of poetry that describes personal experiences,

feelings and thought.

Ode - a lyric poem that can be rhymed or unrhymed

A. Ballad

which usually addressed to a person, place or thing

with high emotions

B. Epic

Sonnet - a poem which consists of 14 lines and has

C. Metrical tale

rhyme and rhythm

D. Metrical romance

a. Ballad simple narrative poem that tells about

EMOTIONAL happenings

b. Epic a long narrative poem that tells about

fictional heroic acts

C. Metrical tale a narrative poem written in verse

that tells a story created by imagination

Dramatic Poetry
Have elements that closely relate it to drama, either
because it is written in some kind of dramatic form,
or uses a dramatic technique.
May also suggest a story, but there is more emphasis
on character rather than on the narrative

Forms of Dramatic Poetry

Dramatic Monologue
Soliloquy
Character Sketch

1.Dramatic Monologue
A combination of drama and poetry
Presents the speech of a single character in a
specific situation at a critical moment
The speaker addresses one or more persons who are
present and who are listening to the speaker, but
remain silent
The speakers personality and character, his
relationship to others, his sense of values and
attitudes towards life are indirectly gleaned from his
monologue

2.Soliloquy
A passage spoken by a speaker in a poem or a
character in a play

HOW TO WRITE A CRITICAL ANALYSIS PAPER?

A critical analysis paper asks the writer to make an
argument about a particular book, essay, movie, etc.

Structure of a Critical Analysis Paper

I. Introduction
a. Identify the work being criticized
b. Present thesis argument about the work
c. Preview your argument what are the steps you
will take to prove your argument

II. Short summary of the work

a. Does not need to be comprehensive present only
what the reader needs to know to understand your
argument

III. Your argument

a. Your argument will likely involve a number of subarguments mini-theses you prove to prove your
larger argument true.

IV. Conclusion
No one present to hear the speaker
a. Reflect on how you have proven your argument.
The thoughts expressed, the emotions displayed, and
the revelations made, freely and without inhibition,
give deep insights into the character

b. Point out the importance of your argument

WORLD LITERATURE
Used in poetic dramas to enrich and vivify
characterization
Inform the audience about other developments in
the play

3.Character Sketch
A poem in which the writer is concerned less with
matters of story, complete or implied, than he is with
arousing sympathy, antagonism, or merely interest
for an individual
Poet serves as observer and commentator

Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words,
and images, often by improvisation or
embellishment. Stories or narratives have been
shared in every culture as a means of entertainment,
education, cultural preservation, and
instilling moral values. Crucial elements of stories and
storytelling include plot, characters, and narrative
point of view.

Literature (from Latin litterae (plural); letter) is the

art of written work. The word literature literally
means: "things made from letters". Literature is
commonly classified as having two major forms
fiction and non-fictionand two major techniques
poetry and prose.
Literature may consist of texts based on factual
information (journalistic or non-fiction), a category
that may also include polemical works, biography,
and reflective essays, or it may consist of texts based
on imagination (such as fiction, poetry, or drama).
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest known
literary works. This Babylonian epic poem arises from
stories in the Sumerian language. Although the
Sumerian stories are older (probably dating to at
least 2100 B.C.), it was most likely composed around
1900 BC. The epic deals with themes of heroism,
friendship, loss, and the quest for eternal life.

Purpose of Literature
Literature communicates histories, languages,
cultures and arts
Entertainment
Self- expression
It helps people discover themselves

Literary Theory
A very basic way of thinking about literary theory is
that these ideas act as different lenses critics use to
view and talk about art, literature, and even culture.
These different lenses allow critics to consider works
of art based on certain assumptions within that
school of theory. The different lenses also allow
critics to focus on particular aspects of a work they
consider important.

Approaches to Literary Criticism

Biographical
This perspective focuses on the authors condition,
biases, life, and times and where this one fits into the
writers list of other works. From this research the
Biographical Critic will be able to develop a review of
the work

Formalist:
Formalists disagreed about what specific elements
make a literary work "good" or "bad"; but generally,
Formalism maintains that a literary work contains
certain intrinsic features, and the theory "...defined
and addressed the specifically literary qualities in the
text" (Richter 699). Therefore, it's easy to see
Formalism's relation to Aristotle's theories of
dramatic construction.
Formalism attempts to treat each work as its own
distinct piece, free from its environment, era, and
even author. This point of view developed in reaction
to "...forms of 'extrinsic' criticism that viewed the text
as either the product of social and historical forces or
a document making an ethical statement" (699).
Formalists assume that the keys to understanding a
text exist within "the text itself

Psychoanalytic:
This perspective focuses on the deep seated concerns
of the reader which have arisen out of personal
experience and how the story pictures these
elements. These may include elements of abuse,
sexuality, childhood issues, and parent/child
relationships which can then be translated as
understanding of the characters within the story.

Mythic:
This perspective focuses on the deep seated universal
human consciousness. It delves back into earlier time
of myths and heroes and maintains that each story
has echoes of heroism that we automatically
recognize

Marxist:
This perspective focuses on the oppressed people
usually of the working class. It may view a story as
how the regular man is treated or maltreated as its
main idea. It is concerned with class differences
economic and otherwise, as well as the implications
and complications of the capitalist system

Feminist:
This perspective focuses on the viewing and
treatment of the female within the story. How
important is the female? Is she simply an object of
physical desire while the male struggles with
weightier issues?
Feminist criticism is concerned with "...the ways in
which literature (and other cultural productions)
reinforce or undermine the economic, political,
social, and psychological oppression of women"
(Tyson). This school of theory looks at how aspects of
our culture are inherently patriarchal (male
dominated) and "...this critique strives to expose the
explicit and implicit misogyny in male writing about
women" (Richter 1346).