A poem is a composition in verse.

It paints
pictures by means of poetic devices such as
figurative language, rhythm and rhyme.

Poetry Basics

Poets and
Their Times
Poets reflect the
events and ideas of
their times through
poetry.
Understanding of a
poets time may lead
to an understanding
of his ideas.
Knowledge of a
poets background
also gives us insight
into his intention.
We refer to schools
of poets:
Metaphysical Poets
(John Donne)
Romantic Poets
(Wordsworth)
War Poets
(Rupert Brooke)

Analysis of Poetry
Theme/Main

Idea

Form
Diction (Word Choice)
Tone (Attitude)
Imagery
Rhythm
Rhyme
Metre

Poetic Forms
Narrative

Poetry: Ballad,
Epic, Allegory, Dramatic
Monologue

Lyric:

Sonnet (Petrarchan,
Shakespearean, Modern),
Ode, Elegy.

Analysis of
Poetry
Theme/Idea

Each poem
conveys the
messages or
intentions of the
poet and these
may be explicit
(0bvious) or
implicit (implied).
The poem may be
a narrative, which
tells a story, or a
lyric, which
describes the
personal feelings
of the poet.

of
A Analysis
poem is written
in
a particular
Poetry
Form
form.
Poems are
usually written in
lines.
These lines can
be grouped into
stanzas.
Enjambment or
run-on lines
occur in poetry
where there is no
punctuation at
the end of a line.
The poets
thoughts remain
unbroken.

Analysis of
Poetry
Diction

The poets use of

words creates
atmosphere and sets
the poem in its
correct time and
place.
Word choice
influences rhythm
and mood.
In a rhyming poem,
appropriate word
choice is crucial.
Jargon and slang may
be used for effect.
The use of repetition
is also an effective
device.

Analysis of
The tone of the poem
Poetry Tone
reveals the poets
(Attitude)
subjective
views and
attitude to the reader and
to the subject.
Tone contributes to the
mood or atmosphere of the
poem.
Best descriptive words for
tone:
Friendly
Sharp
Sarcastic
Ironic
Angry
Humorous
Condescending
(Image the poets TONE OF
VOICE hear the poet
reading his/her poem out
loud)

Analysis of
Poetry Imagery

Poetry

is a combination of
literal and figurative
language.
Imagery conjures up word
pictures these affect us
emotionally and
intellectually.
Metaphors, similes,
personifaction.
Alliteration, assonance,

Rhythm sets
Analysis
of
the
pace and
should match
Poetry
Rhythm
the meaning.
Slow rhythm =
sombre
meaning.
Quick pace =
happy mood.
When reading a
poem aloud,
FEEL the
change of pace
and how it
affects the
mood of the
poem.
Pace (tempo)
and pause
affect rhythm.

Analysis of
Poetry Rhyme

Aabb =
pair rhyme
Abab =
alternate/cross
rhyme
Aabb =
enclosed rhyme
Abca =
free verse

Rhyme

depends on
sound, not sight.
Rhyme schemes differ.
Couplet: Two consecutive
rhyming lines.
Quatrain: Four-lined
stanza.

Metre is the
number
ofof
Analysis
stresses,
Poetry Metre
beats or feet
in a line of
poetry.
Shakespeare
used the
iambic
(rising
rhythm of
two
syllables)
pentameter
(five feet) to
write his
sonnets.

Poetic Forms
NARRATIVE POETRY

The Ballad
The Epic
The Allegory
Dramatic Monologue

THE LYRIC

Elizabethan Sonnet
Petrarchan Sonnet
Modern Sonnet
The Ode
The Elegy

Poetic Forms: Narrative

A

narrative form tells a story.

It usually has a beginning, middle,
climax and conclusion.
Direct and narrated speech can be
used.
Often composed to record historical,
political and family events.
Passed down from generation to
generation.
Example: The Pied Piper of

Poetic Forms: The Lyric

The

Lyric is a poem with a musical or

song-like quality.
The Lyric conveys the personal
thoughts of the poet.
The Lyric was originally accompanied
by the lyre.
This form was favoured by romantic
poets like Wordsworth, Keats and
Shelley.

Narrative Poetry: The

Ballad
Oldest form of
narrative verse.
At one stage it was
sung.
Subject matter:
Love, death, war,
bravery,
adventure, action.
Rhythm has strong
beat.
Today =

Narrative Poetry: The

Epic
Long,

narrative
poem telling the
story of an
historical figure
or event.

Has

been
referred to as a
novel in verse.

Narrative Poetry: The

Allegory
The Allegory is a
narrative poem
that appears in the
form of an
extended
metaphor.
It conveys a veiled
moral meaning.
Example: Faerie
Queene by
Spencer.

Narrative Poetry:
Dramatic Monologue

Spoken in the first

person (I).
The speaker
addresses an
invisible recipient.
From his words, we
learn more about
the speaker.
Story line =
narrative.
Example: Robert
Browning

The Lyric: Elizabethan

Sonnet
Shakespearean
Sonnet
English Sonnet
14 Lines
Three quatrains +
rhyming couplet.
Iambic
pentameter.
Couplet: Ties up
the images and
feelings and states

The Lyric: Petrarchan

Sonnet
Italian Sonnet
Octave (8 lines) +
Sestet (6 lines).
Octave: The
Problem
Sestet: The
Solution
Break = Volta
Octave: abbaabba
Sestet: cdecde or
cdcdc or cddcef.

The Lyric: Modern

Sonnet

These often
combine aspects
of the
Shakespearean
and Petrarchan
forms.

They may create

their own forms,
but always retain
the 14 lines.

The Lyric: Sonnet

Comparison

The Lyric: The Ode

The Ode is an
address or tribute in
praise of something.
It describes the
personal feelings of
the poet.
Originally sung as
accompaniment to a
Greek Dance.
Later: Praise of
inanimate object.

The Lyric: The Elegy

A reflective poem
or lament dealing
with topics such as
death or mourning.

Examples: Elegy
written in a
Country
Churchyard by
Gray and Lycidas
by Milton.

Poetry Concluding
Thoughts

A poet is, before

anything else, a
person who is
passionately in
love with
language.
(W.H. Auden)
To have great
poets, there must
be great
audiences.
(Walt Whitman)
Poetry is nearer
to vital truth
than history.
(Plato)