Poetry

English I: Grammar & CompositionPoetry Unit

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What is a poem?

A poem is an artful arrangement of words that expresses an idea or a feeling in extremely condensed language.

A poem expresses the inexpressible in words.A poem not only tells the feelings of the poet; it

recreates them for the reader.A poem says a great deal with a very little.A poem expresses beauty of thought and sound

through the medium of human language.

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What is the purpose of poetry?

Every poem has a topic, and many poems have a theme.

Sometimes the poet reflects on death… or life… or love…

Often the purpose is to transport the reader… to make the reader know that she is not alone.

What is the purpose of poetry for you?

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THE READING PROCESS

To analyze poetry, you look at the parts. To understand poetry, you look at the whole in light of what you know about the parts.

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The Title

What does the title tell you about the poem?

“Sonnet 116”

“The Charge of the Light Brigade”

“The Old Violin”

Note: Usually you need to read the whole poem for the meaning of the title to make sense!

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Reading 1:The poem as a whole.

Go at a steady pace.Just read it all.Just be introduced.

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Reading 2:Questioning the poem.

• What words did you not know?– Look them up.

• Where are the sentences?– Find the subjects and verbs.– Find the periods.– Note the semicolons and colons and commas.

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Reading 3, 4, 5, 6…

• Look for everything we’re going to talk about in the next 2 sections:

“The Elements of Poetry”“The Poem as a Whole”

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THE POEM AS A WHOLEDifferent ways to categorize the poems that you read and write.

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1. Context: who wrote the poem, and when; where the poem is from

2. Form: how the poem is structured3. Content: what the poem is about

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2. CONTEXT

Where does the poem come from?The life / personal history of the poet…The philosophy / beliefs of the poet…The personality / attitudes of the poet…The politics of his or her place and time…The culture of his or her place and time…

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“Dreams” by Langston Hughes (p. 73)• Langston Hughes was a black poet who wrote during

the 1920s / 1930s as part of the Harlem Renaissance.

“The Pulley” by George Herbert (p. 74)• Herbert was a contemporary of Shakespeare; he was

also English, and was a devout (Protestant) Christian.

How does knowing this about the poet effect how you read the poems?

Can you read the poems without this information?

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Categories of poems based on context include:

By author: “The works of _____________.”

By era: Classical, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance, Neo-Classical, Romantic, Victorian, Modern

By place: English, French, American, Spanish, etc.

By philosophy: transcendentalist, existentialist, naturalist, Christian, etc.

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2. FORMTitleWords & Phrases

Diction is word choice.artful diction = TROPES

Syntax is word arrangement.artful syntax = SCHEMES

Sentences & ClausesLinesStanzasQuatrains, Couplets, Octets, etc.Length

Here we will talk about the form of the poem as a whole.The discussion of rhyme and meter occurs later in this PPT.

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Haiku

A form of Japanese lyric verse that encapsulates a single impression of a natural object or scene, within a particular season, in 17 syllables arrange in 3 unrhymed lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables

An old silent pond...A frog jumps into the pond,splash! Silence again.

- Bashō

http://www.haiku-poetry.org/famous-haiku.html

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Epic

a book-length story poem of a great heroExamples: Milton’s Paradise Lost, Homer’s The Iliad; Virgil’s The Aeneid

“Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.” – The first lines of Homer’s Iliad, translated from the Greek

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html

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Ballad

a story told in stanzas, usually quatrains The quatrains of a ballad typically have abab

rhyme scheme, and is stressed like this -4 stresses: “O art thou blind, Lord Thomas?” She

said,3 stresses: “Or canst thou not very well see?4 stresses: Or does thou not see my own heart’s

blood3 stresses: Runs trickling down my knee?”

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Sonnet

14 lines + iambic pentameterPetrarchan (Italian)

8 lines (2 quatrains): abbaabba+ 6 lines: cdecde or cdcdcd

Shakespearean:3 quatrains: abab cdcd efef+ turn to final couplet / epigram: gg

Spenserian: ababbabccdcdee

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Petrarchan SonnetWilliam Wordsworth: “London, 1802”

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: - AEngland hath need of thee: she is a fen – BOf stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, - BFireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower, - AHave forfeited their ancient English dower – AOf inward happiness. We are selfish men; - BOh! raise us up, return to us again; - BAnd give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. – A

Octave - Introduces the theme or problemThy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart; - CThou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: - DPure as the naked heavens, majestic, free, - DSo didst thou travel on life's common way , - EIn cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart – CThe lowliest duties on herself did lay. – E

Sestet - Solves the problem

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Spenserian Sonnet

Amoretti LXVII: Like as a Huntsman– Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

Like as a huntsman after weary chase, Seeing the game from him escap'd away, Sits down to rest him in some shady place, With panting hounds beguiled of their prey: So after long pursuit and vain assay, When I all weary had the chase forsook, The gentle deer return'd the self-same way, Thinking to quench her thirst at the next brook. There she beholding me with milder look, Sought not to fly, but fearless still did bide: Till I in hand her yet half trembling took, And with her own goodwill her firmly tied. Strange thing, me seem'd, to see a beast so wild, So goodly won, with her own will beguil'd.

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Limerick

English verse form consisting of 5 anapaestic lines rhyming aabba, the third and fourth lines having 2 stresses and the others three. See p. 73 for examples

Writing a Limerick's absurd, 1Line one and line five rhyme in word, 2And just as you've reckoned 3They rhyme with the second; 4The fourth line must rhyme with the third. 5

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Free Verse

Free verse: a kind of poetry that does not conform to any regular meter: the length of its lines is irregular, as is its use of rhyme; was established in the late 19th and early 20th century

See “Knoxville, Tennessee”

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3. CONTENT

A poem can be categorized based on what the poem is about. Does the poem focus on something in nature? Does it talk about love? Does it honor someone who has died?

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Topic / Subject

• What is the poem about?

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Voice

From whose point of view is the poem written? What do we know about the writer of the poem,

if anything?What is the “voice” of the poet?How does this voice manifest itself?

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Tone

• How does the author feel about his or her subject matter?

• Tone is always an emotion, or a combination of emotions.

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Mood

• How does the author make you feel about the subject?

• (This might be different than the tone!)

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Theme

• In what sentence: what is the poet (not the narrative voice, but the poet – be it Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson or any other poet) – what is the poet saying about his or her subject?

• The answer is always a full sentence.

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For example:Carpe Diem: “Seize the day!”Elegy: Honors and mourns someone who has

diedNarrative: Tells a storyPastoral: celebrates the innocent life of

shepherds and shepherdessesDream Vision: tells the story of an author’s

dream of going to HeavenETC….

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THE ART OF POETRY

Diction (word choice). Syntax (word arrangement). Prosody (rhyme & meter).

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1. Diction (word choice)Clues to Voice, Tone & Mood

What is conveyed with these kinds of diction?• Formal• Informal• Colloquial• Archaic: no longer used• Latinate: derived from Latin words• Slang• Jargon: the language of a particular group

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Tropes

See handout.The ones you need to know are:• Metaphor• Simile• Pun• Synechdoche• Onomatapeia

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2. Syntax (word arrangement)Sentences are Thoughts.

Remember: it’s all about finding the subjects & verbs, and counting up independents & subordinate clauses.Simple: 1 independent clauseCompound: 2 or more independent clausesComplex: 1 independent clause w/ 1 or more

subordinate clausesCompound-complex: 2 or more independent clauses

w/ 1 or more subordinate clauses

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Schemes

See handout.The ones you need to know are:• Parallel Structure• Antithesis• Alliteration• Assonance• Anaphora• Epistrophe• Rhyme

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Rhyme

• Rhyme Scheme: ababcdcd etc.• End rhyme – when words rhyme at the end of

lines• Internal rhyme – when words in the lines rhyme• Masculine rhyme: love / dove• Feminine rhyme: whether / together• Triple rhyme: glamorous / amorous• Eye rhyme: love / prove• Half rhyme: love / have or love/ leave

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3. Prosody

Rhythm = Meter

It’s all about the number and pattern of syllables!

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RHYTHMThe foot.

A poetic “foot” is a syllable group of 2, 3, or 4 syllables.

¯ = stressed/long syllable, ˘ = unstressed/short syllable

Meter is … well, we’ll get there!

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Feet of 2 Syllables

Disyllables• ˘ ˘pyrrhus, dibrach• ˘ ¯iamb – deDUM:

Iambic: “That time of year thou mayst in me behold…” (Shakespeare)

• ¯ ˘trochee, choree (or choreus) – DUMdeTrochaic: “Tell me not in mournful numbers…” (Longfellow)

• ¯ ¯spondee – DUMDUMSpondaic: “Break, break, break/ On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!”

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Feet of 3 Syllables

Trisyllables• ˘ ˘ ˘tribrach• ¯ ˘ ˘dactyl – DUMdede

Dactylic: “This is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlock” (a trochee replaces the final dactyl)

• ˘ ¯ ˘amphibrach• ˘ ˘ ¯anapest, antidactylus – dedeDUM

Anapestic: “And the sound of a voice that is still”• ˘ ¯ ¯bacchius• ¯ ¯ ˘antibacchius• ¯ ˘ ¯cretic, amphimacer• ¯ ¯ ¯molossus

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Feet of 4 Syllables(This is just interesting.

You don’t need to know this. )

Tetrasyllables• ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘tetrabrach, proceleusmatic• ¯ ˘ ˘ ˘primus paeon• ˘ ¯ ˘ ˘secundus paeon• ˘ ˘ ¯ ˘tertius paeon• ˘ ˘ ˘ ¯quartus paeon• ¯ ¯ ˘ ˘major ionic, triple trochee• ˘ ˘ ¯ ¯minor ionic, double iamb• ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ditrochee• ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯diiamb• ¯ ˘ ˘ ¯choriamb• ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘antispast• ˘¯ ¯ ¯first epitrite• ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯second epitrite• ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯third epitrite• ¯ ¯ ¯ ˘fourth epitrite• ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯dispondee

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MeterEach line of a poem contains a certain number of feet of iambs, trochees, spondees,

dactyls or anapests. The number of syllables in a line varies therefore according to the meter.

monometer (1)dimeter (2)trimeter (3)

tetrameter (4)pentameter (5)hexameter (6)heptameter (7)octameter (8)

A good example of trochaic monometer, for example, is this poem:“Fleas”AdamHad’em

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Putting Rhythm Together:• iambic pentameter (5 iambs, 10 syllables) That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold

• trochaic tetrameter (4 trochees, 8 syllables)Tell me | not in | mournful | numbers

• anapestic trimeter (3 anapests, 9 syllables)And the sound | of a voice | that is still

• dactylic hexameter (6 dactyls, 17 syllables; a trochee replaces the last dactyl)

This is the | forest pri | meval, the | murmuring | pine and the | hemlocks

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Imagery

• Sensory images• Metaphorical language• Similes

ALMOST ALL POEMS USE IMAGERY. IMAGERY IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL WAYS TO USE LANGUAGE!

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Theme: Again

A poet chooses words and sounds to create a certain effect. When you are done analyzing a poem, you should understand how all the words have been chosen to create a certain effect in you, to feel that effect, and (if the poem is worthy of admiration!) to admire the poet’s skill and creativity.

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The St. Cecilia Girl & Poetry

1.) will read and memorize poems all her life;2.) will know the difference between better and

worse poems;3.) will find at least one poet that she especially

loves, and buy a book of that poet’s poems;4.) will at times express herself by writing poems;5.) will write poetry with awareness of her

choices in diction, syntax and prosody

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Your Assignment

A portfolio of poems!

Due on December 13.

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Poem #1: A Song

8 lines divided into 2 quatrainsAbab rhyme schemeA consistsent meter, preferrably tetrameter

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Poem #2: A Lyric

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Poem #3: A Haiku

2 lines

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Poem #4: A Sonnet

14 lines

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Poem #5: Free Verse

Whatever you want!