ESTELA B.

MANZANERO, MAEng
EL116 PROF

LEARNING ACTIVITY # __
NAME:_________________________________________________ GRADE / SCORE:____________
COURSE AND YEAR:______________________________________ DATE:_____________________
SUBJECT: EL 116 CONTEMPORARY, POPULAR AND EMERGENT LITERATURE

ACTIVITY TITLE: Poetry

LEARNING TARGETS: Analyze elements of contemporary poetry; and Trace the history, characteristics, and
famous personality in contemporary poetry.
REFERENCES:

CONCEPT NOTES:
WHAT IS A POETRY?

Poetry is a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm. It often
employs rhyme and meter (a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in
each line). In poetry, words are strung together to form sounds, images, and ideas that might be
too complex or abstract to describe directly.
Poetry was once written according to fairly strict rules of meter and rhyme, and each
culture had its own rules. For example, Anglo-Saxon poets had their own rhyme schemes and
meters, while Greek poets and Arabic poets had others. Although these classical forms are still
widely used today, modern poets frequently do away with rules altogether – their poems
generally do not rhyme, and do not fit any particular meter. These poems, however, still have a
rhythmic quality and seek to create beauty through their words.
The opposite of poetry is “prose” – that is, normal text that runs without line breaks or
rhythm. This article, for example, is written in prose.
ELEMENTS OF POETRY
(Structure, Sound, Imagery, Figurative Language, Elements of Fiction, Poetic Forms)
STRUCTURE
1-. Poetic Line – the words that form a single line of poetry.
Example: “‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house” is the wellknown
first poetic line of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore.
2. Stanza – a section of a poem named for the number of lines it contains.
Example: A couplet is a stanza of two lines. The first stanza from “Barbara Frietchie” by John
Greenleaf Wittier is a couplet:
Up from the meadows rich with corn, Clear in the cool September morn,
3. Enjambment – when there is no written or natural pause at the end of a poetic line, so that
the word-flow carries over to the next line.
Example: the following lines from “Knoxville, Tennessee” by Nikki Giovanni contain
enjambment: and listen to gospel music outside at the church
4. Placement – the way words and poetic lines are placed on the page of a poem.
Example: The following are creatively-placed lines from a poem by E.E. Cummings: in
Just spring when the world is mudluscious the little lame ballonman whistles far and wee.
5. Verse – a line in traditional poetry that is written in meter.
Example: In “When I do count the clock that tells the time” from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet
Number Twelve,” the underlined syllables are accented, giving the line a metric pattern known
as an iambic pentameter (see Meter).
6. Capitalization and Punctuation – In poetry, rules of capitalization and
punctuation are not always followed; instead, they are at the service of the poet’s artistic vision.
Example: in our backyard we plant Tomatoes is the first stanza from “Laughing Tomatoes” by
Francisco X. Alarcón. Notice the lack of capitalization and punctuation.
SOUNDS
1.Rhythm – the basic beat in a line of a poem. Example: “Whose woods these are, I think I know” is the first line
from “Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. Notice that the accented words (underlined) give the line
a distinctive beat.
 ESTELA B. MANZANERO, MAEng
EL116 PROF
2. Meter – a pattern of stressed and unstressed (accented and unaccented)
syllables (known as a foot) in a line of poetry.
Example: In an iambic pentameter, the pattern is five iambic (unaccented + accented) feet in
each line (see Verse).
3. End Rhyme – same or similar sounds at the end of words that finish different lines.
Example: The following are the first two rhyming lines from “The King of Cats Sends a
Postcard to His Wife” by Nancy Willard: Keep your whiskers crisp and clean, Do not let the
mice grow lean,
4. Internal Rhyme – same or similar sounds at the end of words within a line.
Example: A line showing internal rhyme (underlined) from “The Rabbit” by Elizabeth Maddox
Roberts: When they said the time to hide was mine,
5. Rhyme Scheme – a pattern of rhyme in a poem.
Example: A quatrain – a stanza of four lines in which the second and fourth-lines rhyme – has
the following rhyme scheme: abcb (see Quatrain).
6. Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds within words in a line. Example: A line showing
assonance (underlined) from “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore: The
children were nestled all snug in their beds
7. Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds within words in a line.
Example: A line showing consonance (underlined) from “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by
Clement Clarke Moore: Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
8. Alliteration – the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Example: Notice the alliteration (underlined) in “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take
the Garbage Out” by Shel Silverstein.
9. Onomatopoeia – words that sound like their meaning.
Example: buzz, swish, hiss, gulp.
10. Repetition – sounds, words, or phrases that are repeated to add emphasis or create rhythm.
Parallelism is a form of repetition.
Examples: Two lines from “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll showing parallelism:
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Read the poem “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe and listen to the way the repetition of the word
“bells” adds rhythm and creates an increasingly ominous and morbid mood.
11. Refrain – a line or stanza repeated over and over in a poem or song.
Example: In “Jingle Bells,” the following refrain is repeated after every stanza:
Jingle Bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
12. Word Play – to play with the sounds and meanings of real or invented words.
Example: Two lines from the poem “Synonyms” by Susan Moger:
Claptrap, bombast, rodomontade,
Hogwash, jargon, and rant
Two lines from the poem “Antonio” by Laura E. Richards:
Antonio, Antonio,
Was tired of living alone.

IMAGERY (see also Imagist Poetry)

1. Precise Language – the use of specific words to describe a person, place, thing, or action.
Example: Notice how Paul B. Janeczko uses proper nouns in his poem “Reverend Mona”:
When the elders said she was too old,
Reverend Mona
surrendered her tabernacle
next to Fast Frankie’s Pawn Shop
2. Sensory Details – the use of descriptive details that appeal to one or more of the five senses.
Example: Notice the sensory details in the following lines from “The Sea” by James Reeves:
The giant sea dog moans, Licking his greasy paws.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
 ESTELA B. MANZANERO, MAEng
EL116 PROF
1. Simile – a comparison of two unlike things, using the words like or as.
Example: “I read the shoreline like an open volume.”
2. Metaphor – a comparison of two unlike things, not using the words like or as.
Example: “Ribbons of sea foam / wrap the emerald island.”
3. Personification – to ascribe human traits to non-human or non-living things.
Example: “The unfurled sailboat glides on / urged by wind and will and brilliant bliss.”
4. Symbolism – a person, place, thing, or action that stands for something else.
Example: In “From Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, a set of stairs symbolizes life.
5. Hyperbole – the use of exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comical effect.
Example: “I’m so hungry I could eat a hippo.”
6. Verbal Irony or Sarcasm – when you mean the opposite of what you say.
Example: “My darling brother is the sweetest boy on Earth,” she muttered sarcastically.
7. Situational Irony – when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected.
Example: After many years of trying, Mr. Smith won the lottery -- and immediately died of a
heart attack.
8. Pun – a humorous phrase that plays with the double meaning or the similar sounds of words.
Examples: “Tomorrow you shall find me a grave man,” said the duke on his deathbed. The
cookbook Lunch on the Run by Sam Witch is awesome.
9. Allusion- a reference to a familiar person, place, or event.
Example: The following two lines from the poem “My Muse” contain an allusion to Pandora’s
Box: hunched over from carrying that old familiar Box
10. Idiom - a cultural expression that cannot be taken literally.
Examples: She is the apple of his eye. He drives me up the wall.
ELEMENTS OF FICTION (Poems may contain some or all elements of fiction.
For example, a narrative poem (a poem that tells a story) may contain all elements.)
1. Setting – the time and place where a story or poem takes place.
2. Point of View / Narrative Voice – the person narrating a story or poem (the story/poem
could be narrated in first person (I, we), second person (you), or third person limited or
omniscient (he/she, they).
3. Characterization – the development of the characters in a story or poem (what they look
like, what they say and do, what their personalities are like, what they think and feel, and how
they’re referred to or treated by others).
4. Dialog or Dialogue – the conversation between the characters in a story or poem.
5. Dialect or Colloquial Language – the particular style of speaking of the narrator and the
characters in a story or poem (according to their region, time period, and social expectations).
6. Conflict – the problem or situation a character or characters face in a story or poem.
7. Plot – the series of events in a story or poem.
8. Tone and Voice – the distinctive, idiosyncratic way a narrator has of telling a story or poem
(tone and voice depend on the intended audience, the purpose for writing, and the way the
writer or poem feels about his/her subject).
9. Style – the way a writer uses words to craft a story or poem.
10. Mood – the feelings and emotions the writer wants the reader to experience.
11. Theme and Message – the main topic of a story or poem, and the message the author or
poet wants to convey about that topic.
TWENTY POETIC FORMS
1- Acrostic – a poem in which the first letter of each word forms a word – usually a name – if
read downward.
Example: “A Rock Acrostic” by Avis Harley.
2- Couplet – two lines of poetry that rhyme and usually form one complete idea.
Example: The poem “Catch a Little Rhyme” by Eve Merriam is written in couplets.
3- Haiku - a Japanese three-line poetic form – usually about nature – with lines of three,
seven, and five syllables, respectively.
Example: I call to my love on mornings ripe with sunlight. The songbirds answer.
4- Quatrain – a stanza made up of four lines, often containing a rhyme scheme.
Example: “The Toaster” by William Jay Smith.
5- Cinquain – a five-line untitled poem, where the syllable pattern increases by two for each
line, except for the last line, which ends in two syllables (2,4,6,8.2).
 ESTELA B. MANZANERO, MAEng
EL116 PROF
Example: The cinquain that begins with “Oh, cat” by Paul B. Janeczko.
6- Limerick – a humorous rhyming poem written in five lines and having a particular meter. It
often begins with “There once was a…”
Example: Limericks by Edward Lear.
7- Sonnet – a poem that is 14 lines long, generally written in iambic pentameter.
Example: “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare.
8- Free Verse – a poem that does not follow a predictable form or rhyme scheme or metric
pattern.
Example: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.
9- List or Catalog Poem – a poem in the form of a list, that uses sensory details and precise
language to persuade the reader to take notice of what is being listed.
Example: “Things To Do If You Are a Subway” by Robbi Katz.
10- Villanelle – a challenging poetic form that includes five tercets (aba rhyme) followed by a
quatrain (abaa rhyme) and a pattern of repetition of lines 1 and 3 of the first stanza.
Example: “Is There a Villain in Your Villanelle?” by Joan Bransfield Graham.
11- Ode – a poem that celebrates or praises something.
Example: “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” by Gary Soto.
12- Lyric Poetry – poetry that expresses a poet’s personal experience, feelings, and emotions.
Example: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth.
13- Blank Verse – a poem written in iambic pentameter, but with no rhyme.
Example: Verses in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
14- Blues Poem – poems that – like blues songs – deal with personal or world issues.
Example: “Evening Air Blues” by Langston Hughes.
15- Nonsense Poem – a fun, usually rhyming poem that makes no sense, focusing instead on
the sounds and the rhythm of the poem.
Example: “The Jumblies” by Edward Lear.
16- Concrete Poem – a poem that uses words to form the shape of the subject of the poem
(also known as a “shape poem”).
Example: “Concrete Cat” by Dorth Charles.
17- Narrative Poem – a poem that tells a story.
Example: “The Sneetches” by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel).
18- Ballad – a poem that tells a story, usually written in four-line stanzas.
Example: “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
19- Epic Poem – a long and heroic narrative poem.
Example: “The Odyssey” by Homer.
20- Imagist Poetry – poems that contain precise visual images.
Example: “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams.
 EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATION
Example 1
Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.
(Homer, The Odyssey)
The Greek poet Homer wrote some of the ancient world’s most famous literature. He wrote in a
style called epic poetry, which deals with gods, heroes, monsters, and other large-scale “epic”
themes. Homer’s long poems tell stories of Greek heroes like Achilles and Odysseus, and have
inspired countless generations of poets, novelists, and philosophers alike.
Example 2
Poetry gives powerful insight into the cultures that create it. Because of this, fantasy and
science fiction authors often create poetry for their invented cultures. J.R.R. Tolkien famously
wrote different kinds of poetry for elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans, and the rhythms and
subject matter of their poetry was supposed to show how these races differed from one another.
In a more humorous vein, many Star Trek fans have taken to writing love poetry in the invented
Klingon language.
 IMPORTANCE OF POETRY
Poetry is probably the oldest form of literature, and probably predates the origin of writing
itself. The oldest written manuscripts we have are poems, mostly epic poems telling the stories
of ancient mythology. Examples include the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Vedas (sacred texts of
Hinduism). This style of writing may have developed to help people memorize long chains of
 ESTELA B. MANZANERO, MAEng
EL116 PROF
information in the days before writing. Rhythm and rhyme can make the text more memorable,
and thus easier to preserve for cultures that do not have a written language.
Poetry can be written with all the same purposes as any other kind of literature – beauty, humor,
storytelling, political messages, etc.
 EXAMPLES IN POETRY LITERATURE
Example 1
I think that I shall never see --> A
a poem lovely as a tree…--> A
poems are made by fools like me,--> B
but only God can make a tree.--> B
(Joyce Kilmer, Trees)
This is an excerpt from Joyce Kilmer’s famous short poem. The poem employs a fairly standard
rhyme scheme (AABB, lines 1 and 2 rhymes together and lines 3 and 4 rhymes together), and a
meter called “iambic tetrameter,” which is commonly employed in children’s rhymes.
Example 2
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,
starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking
for an angry fix,
angel headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking…
(Alan Ginsberg, Howl)
These are the first few lines of Howl, one of the most famous examples of modern “free verse”
poetry. It has no rhyme, and no particular meter. But its words still have a distinct, rhythmic
quality, and the line breaks encapsulate the meaning of the poem. Notice how the last word of
each line contributes to the imagery of a corrupt, ravaged city (“madness, naked, smoking”),
with one exception: “heavenly.” This powerful juxtaposition goes to the heart of Ginsburg’s
intent in writing the poem – though what that intent is, you’ll have to decide for yourself.
Example 3
In the twilight rain,
these brilliant-hued hibiscus –
A lovely sunset
This poem by the Japanese poet Basho is a haiku. This highly influential Japanese style has no
rhymes, but it does have a very specific meter – five syllables in the first line, seven in the
second line, and five in the third line.
 EXAMPLES OF POETRY IN POPULAR CULTURE
Example 1
Rapping originated as a kind of performance poetry. In the 1960s and 70s, spoken word artists
like Gil Scott-Heron began performing their poems over live or synthesized drumbeats, a
practice that sparked all of modern hip hop. Even earlier, the beat poets of the 1950s sometimes
employed drums in their readings.
Example 2
Some of the most famous historical poems have been turned into movies or inspired episodes of
television shows. Beowulf, for example, is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem that has spawned at least
8 film adaptations, most recently a 2007 animated film starring Angelina Jolie and Anthony
Hopkins. Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven has also inspired many pop culture spinoffs with its
famous line, “Nevermore.”

Task:
Read the short contemporary poem entitled “The Promise” by Jane Hirshfield. After reading the poem answer
the essential questions.
“The Promise”
Stay, I said
to the cut flowers.
They bowed
their heads lower.
 ESTELA B. MANZANERO, MAEng
EL116 PROF
Stay, I said to the spider,
who fled.
Stay, leaf.
It reddened,
embarrassed for me and itself.
Stay, I said to my body.
It sat as a dog does,
obedient for a moment,
soon starting to tremble.
Stay, to the earth
of riverine valley meadows,
of fossiled escarpments,
of limestone and sandstone.
It looked back
with a changing expression, in silence.
Stay, I said to my loves.
Each answered,
Always.
Essential Questions:
1. What are the elements of poetry present in the poem read?
2. How was the poem different from the traditional poem you know?
3. What are its characteristics?
4. Name some famous contemporary poets