Poems
Title - Provides clues about the topic, mood, speaker and the author’s purpose
Rhythm - The beat of the lines.
In any line of poetry, certain syllables will be stressed/emphasised. Regular beats are called
a meter.
When the rhythm is regular it will reinforce the meaning of the words.
And the cattle we hunt, they are racing in front./ with a roar like the waves,/ And the beat and the
beat of swift horses feet …
The rhythm of these lines reminds us of the sound of a galloping horse.
Iambic pentameter:
‘Iambic refers to an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
‘Pentameter’ means there are five groups of these stressed/unstressed syllables in a line.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Rhyme - Words that have a similar sound.
Rhymes that occur between words at the ends of lines are called ‘end rhyme’.
Rhymes that occur between words are called ‘internal rhyme’.
Sound devices - The elements of literature and poetry that emphasize sound.
Alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme, rhyme scheme and rhythm are all sound
devices.
Mood - Mood is the atmosphere or emotion created by the poet in the poem.
How the poem makes the reader/listener feel
Tone - The poet’s attitude towards his/her subject
Imagery - The use of figurative language to represent the objects, ideas, and actions in such a way
that the appeals to the physical senses
Allusion - A reference to another piece of literature/history
Diction - Refers to the language of a poem and how each word is chosen to convey a precise
meaning.
Connotation - The emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word.
Denotation - The strict dictionary meaning of a word.
Forms of poetry
Ballad - Usually written in four line stanzas.
Tells a story in a singsong quality.
The streets of Laredo
Elegy - A song of lament for the dead.
Uses a sad, mournful tone and expresses grief.
Funeral bliss
Epic - Long poem that tells a story
Mostly deals with heroic subjects and expresses values important for a culture.
Extract from the odyssey
Free verse - Written without strict adherence to a particular form.
Do not rhyme or have regular rhythm.
Trespasser
Haiku - A very short Japanese poetry.
Usually are only three lines and have 17 syllables (5/7/5)
Traditionally have two images that are juxtaposed; these images describe everyday objects
or events
A Poppy Blooms
Limerick - Short, humorous poetry.
Rhyme scheme is always aabba
Has 5 lines
First line usually introduces a person and a place
Third and fourth lines are usually shorter than the others
Fifth line often involves a twist or word play.
Limerick
Lyric - Non-narrative poem that expresses the pot’s feelings about something.
Many lyrical poems have a musical quality.
For Don M-Banned
Narrative - Poetry that tells a story, as opposed to poetry that just explores abstract
thoughts/feelings
Trespasser
Praise song - Form of oral poetry performed at a special public occasion.
Can be performed to celebrate powerful/ordinary people.
Its main purpose is to:
~ Name the person
~ Communicate something of their personality
~ Provide link with their family/clan
Senzangakhona
Sonnet - A structural poem of 14 lines
Lines composed upon westminster bridge
Shakespearean:
3 quatrains of four lines each
A rhyming couplet (2 lines) at the end
Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
Italian/Petrarchan:
An octave (eight lines) followed by a sestet (six lines)
A volta (change of direction) between the octave and sestet,
Love is not all
