Notes on

Poetry:

The S.L.A.M.

A poem packs all kinds of

sounds, feelings (emotions),

and ideas into a few carefully

chosen words.

Sounds Emotions Ideas

The words, the sounds,

and

even the shapeof

a poem all work togetherto

create a total effect!

SoundUsually poems are meant to be read aloud;

poets will choose and arrange words to

create sounds that appeal to the listener.

Sound techniques include the following:

• Alliteration / Assonance

• Onomatopoeia

• Refrain/Repetition

• Rhyme

• Rhythm

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds:

Positive Patti holds her pretty petite purple purse.

AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds:

Avery always ate apples.

A word that sounds like the

things they name.

A device or technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis

After seventy days

of wind and sun,

of wind and clouds,

of wind and sand,

after seventy days,

of wind and dust,

a little

rain

came.

A repetition or similarity of sounds at the end

of words, usually at the end of lines.

My love for you grows each passing day,With dreams of watching you run & play.Your life will have many ups & downs,I promise to be there for the smiles & frowns.

Rhythm

• Rhythm – the pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetryHow one reads the poem in rhythm.

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;

The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,

And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,

A pall-like silence fell up the patrons of the game.

Meter

• Meter is basically the rhythm throughout

the poem. (Like our example of Casey at

the Bat.)

• The recurring patterns of stressed (long)

and unstressed (short) syllables happen in

every stanza.

Rhyme Scheme

It is the pattern of rhyme at the end of lines in

a poem or song

My Baby Sister

by Bruce Lansky

My baby sister’s a

Really swell. b

I love her smile, c

But not her smell. b

Types of Effective Language• Good Word Choice• Imagery• Figurative Language

–Simile

–Metaphor

–Personification

–Hyperbole

The language of a poem is carefully

chosen by the poet, who considers words to create a flow (rhythm), stir

emotions, and produce visual

images in the listener’s mind.

ImageryThe use of descriptive words or phrases to create vivid mental pictures in the minds of the reader often appealing to sight, sound, taste, smell, and/ortouch.

“The tree roots

clutched the ground

like gnarled

fingers.”

4 types: Figurative Language

Authors use figurative language to create

fresh and original descriptions.

Figurative expressions while not literally

true, help readers picture ordinary things in

different ways.

SimileA comparison of two things, using the signal words like or

as.

“her eyes shone like stars”

“the sun looked like a red ball in the sky”

MetaphorA comparison of two things that have some

quality in common, but does not use likeor as.

“The sun is a red spiraling ball in the sky”

Human qualities that are applied to an

animal, an object, or an idea is known

as personification.

“The warm smile of the sun

shines brightly.”

“The piano leaned

toward me”

HyperboleA type of figurative language that makes

an exaggeration for the purpose of

emphasis.

Example:

His ears were so sharp he could hear

dogs bark in the next county.

ArrangementDistinctive elements about the arrangement

of the poem on the page. These elements

include the following:

Capitalization Margins

Punctuation Word Position

Stanza End Line Rhyme

Internal Rhyme Line Breaks

Arrangement

Capitalization – C DMargins –

Indentions or lines begin from

center of the page, etc.

Punctuation – commas, colons, semi-colons

, : ;

•

• Poems in various shape!

Word Position

Arrangement

Stanza – grouping of two or more lines in a

poem usually similar in length and pattern.

Similar to paragraph form in prose.

End-line rhyme – most common form of

rhyme in poetry.Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the lord my soul to keep

ArrangementInternal rhyme – rhyme that occurs

within a line.From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won.

Line Breaks – poet puts emphasis or importance on an idea or topic. Line lengthmay help to emphasize topic.

It rained

a little

everywhere

but here.

MessageSpeaker – the voice that talks to the reader

in a poem, like the narrator in a piece of fiction; the speaker is not necessarily the poet.

Symbol – a person, place, object, or an

action that stands for something

beyond itself.

Types of Poetry• Lyrical Poetry - is a short poem or a long poem

with rhyming that expresses personal feelings.

• Narrative Poetry - is poetry that has a plot.

They may be short or long, and the story may be

simple or complex. Narrative poems include

epics and ballads.

• Both lyrical and narrative can be humorous.

Verse Form• Free Verse - Free verse is poetry without

rules; after all, it doesn't rhyme, and it

doesn't have a meter.

The arrangement consists of carefully

chosen words in verses.

• Blank Verse - is a type of poetry, having a

regular meter, but no rhyme.