POETRY

The purpose of poetry is to create among people the possibility of wonder, admiration, enthusiasm, mystery, the sense
that life is marvelous . . . to make life a marvelthat is the role of poetry (Octavio Paz, Mexican poet)
It gives us a sense of the mystery and marvel of life through what African American poet Quincy Troupe calls the
music of the language. Understanding the basic elements of poetry will help one hear the singing and sense the marvel
in the poetry you read and hear.

Elements of Poetry:

Speaker the voice that communicates with the reader of a poem. A poems speaker can be the voice of a person, and
animal, or even a thing.

Lines and Stanzas a line is a horizontal row of words, which may not form a complete sentence. A stanza is a group
of lines forming a unit. The stanzas in a poem are separated by a line of space.

Rhythm and Meter rhythm is the pattern of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a
line. Rhythm can be regular or irregular. Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that sets the
overall rhythm of certain poems. The basic unit in measuring rhythm is the foot, which usually contains one stressed
syllable marked with () and one or more unstressed syllables marked with ().

Rhyme the repetition of the same stressed vowel sound and any succeeding sounds in two or more words. Internal
rhyme occurs within lines of poetry. End rhyme occurs at the ends of the lines. Rhyme scheme, the pattern of rhyme
formed by the end rhyme, may be designated by assigning a different letter of the alphabet to each new line.

Other Sound Devices

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of the words.
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within words or at the ends of words.
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words.
Onomatopoeia is the use of word or phrase, such as swoosh or clank, that imitates or suggests that sound of what it
describes.

Imagery a descriptive language used to represent objects, feelings, and thoughts. It often appeals to one or more of
the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

Figures of Speech a word or expression that is not meant to be taken literally.

A simile uses the word like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things.
A metaphor compares two or more different things by stating or implying that one thing is another
Personification involves giving human characteristics to an animal, object, or idea.

Active Reading Strategies

1.

Listen - Read a poem aloud, listening to the way it sounds. Read without stopping until you come to a punctuation
mark or a natural pause. Notice how a poem is formed and the lines are grouped. Are there sound patterns within these
groups?
Ask yourself . . .

What kind of rhythm does this poem have? Is it slow, fast, regular, irregular?

Does the poem use rhyme? If so, what is the pattern of rhyme?

What other sound devices does the poet use? How do these devices affect me? How do they affect the mood
of the poem?

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6.

Imagine Conjure up the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations the poem describes or evokes.
Ask yourself . . .

How does this scene or subject look?

What details appeal to my different senses? How would they sound, smell, taste, or feel?

What overall feeling does the poem convey?

Respond Think about your spontaneous reaction to the poem.
Say to yourself . . .

This poem makes me think . . .

This poem reminds me of . . .

Thats pretty funny!

What I like about this poem is . . .

I didnt expect that this poem would . . .

Question Ask yourself questions to help you understand and interpret the poem. Write down or mentally note
questions you cant answer.
Ask yourself . . .

Do I understand what this poem is about?

What does this image mean or represent? Why does this poet use figurative language in this way?

What allusions or references does this poet use and how do they help me understand the poems message?
Clarify Put the poem into your own words. Then summarize the poem, and think about what it might mean on a
deeper level.
Say to yourself . . .

These lines can be restated like this . . .

This stanza is about . . .

This image brings to mind or symbolizes . . .

Rereading this stanza helps me understand that . . .

Interpret Read the poem several times, focusing on interpreting its overall meaning.
Ask yourself . . .

Does the title give a clue to the meaning of the poem?

What main theme, or message, is the poet trying to convey?

Does the poem have more than on meaning?

How do the symbols and language support the meaning of this poem?