Reading Literature: Lesson 6—Poetry Elements

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Reading LiteratureLesson 6Poetry Elements

• Expressive/Literary
• Competency Goal 5.02

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EOG Vocabulary (Poetry)Notice that some terms
overlap with Narrative Elements!!

• Alliteration
• Analogy
• Assonance
• Consonance
• End rhyme
• Figurative language
• Hyperbole
• Image
• Line
• Metaphor

• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Rhyme
• Rhyme scheme
• Rhythm
• Simile
• Speaker
• Stanza
• Structure
• Symbol

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Tip 1

• A poem is something to swim in, not just a place
  to get your feet wet. ?
• The more you read a poem, the more you will
  understand it (and maybe even enjoy it!)
• How many times have you listened to your favorite
  song? Remember lyrics are poetic!

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Tip 2

• Get a first impression, but dont cling to it.
• Read the poem from beginning to the end.
• Dont get hung up on little details OR a
  phrase/line that you dont understand.

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Tip 2 continued . . .

• Ask yourself the following
• What is the poem about?
• Who is the speaker?
• What is the tone?
• What is the mood?

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Read Kidnap Poemby Nikki Giovanni

• A volunteer should read it aloud.
• After reading, answer the multiple choice
  questions in your notes.
• Well discuss these.

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Tip 3

• Notice how often the poet paints a picture with
  words.
• Poems are filled with imagery (things that appeal
  to your five senses taste, touch, hear, smell,
  and see).
• Underline images as you come across them in a
  poem.

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Tip 4

• Enjoy the music of a poem.
• Notice if a poem rhymes.
• If so, what is the rhyme scheme?
• Is there end rhyme, approximate rhyme, internal
  rhyme?

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Copy the following limerick in your notes.
Identify the rhyme scheme.

• A mouse in her room woke Miss Doud
• Who was frightened and screamed very loud.
• Then a happy thought hit her
• To scare off the critter
• She just sat up in bed and meowed.

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Sound effects of poetry

• Alliteration the repeating of initial consonant
  sounds in two or more neighboring words.
• Ex. Klein could be clueless, kind or cold,
  curmudgeonly or compassionateall in the same
  day you never knew which Klein you would get.

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Assonance

• The repetition of vowel sounds within words or
  syllables.
• Ex. Through the moon was a radiant bloom in the
  speckled vase of night, Carrie couldnt shake her
  gloom, try as she might.

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Consonance

• The repetition of two or more consonants with
  different vowel sounds in between.
• Ex. Rick stuck the rock in his pocket.

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Onomatopoeia

• The use of words that imitate a sound.
• Ex. Smack, moo, clank, buzz, . . .

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Tip 5

• Look for comparisons that the poet is making.
• Poets do this through their use of figurative
  language similes, metaphors, personifications,
  hyperboles, and idioms.

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Definitions and Examples

• Simile statement that compares two things using
  like or as.
• Ex. Life is like a box of chocolates youre
  never sure what your gonna get.

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• Metaphor statement that compares two things by
  saying that one thing is another. Ex. Music is
  Joels lifeblood he must have a daily infusion
  of rock, pop, rap, and jazz.
• Hyperbole an exaggeration. Ex. As the
  Tilt-a-Whirl at the NC State Fair started
  spinning, Jack held on tighter than a tick on a
  dogs ear.
• Personification a statement that gives human
  qualities to a non-human thing. Ex. Toby knew he
  couldnt put off his homework much longer. His
  algebra book seemed to stare at him, whisper to
  him, call out his name.
• Idiom an everyday, over-used expression that has
  no literal/real meaning. Ex. Its raining cats
  and dogs.

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Tip 6

• Notice the structure of the poem.
• Poems are divided into lines (will be numbered
  every 5 lines on the EOG)
• Take note of how many stanzas there are.
• Poets will place line breaks and stanzas in
  unusual places to get your attention or to create
  a certain effect.

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Tip 7

• Notice anything the poet does that is unusual.
• Notice unusual word choices, line breaks, stanza
  breaks, indented lines, and weird capitalization.

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Tip 8

• Put it all together.
• After reading several times, ask yourself What
  is the message that the poet/speaker is trying to
  get across?
• Does the poet simply want to share an experience
  with you?

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Types of Poetry!!

• Light verse funny or playful poetry
• Narrative Poetry poetry that tells a story
• Ballad a traditional song that tells a story,
  often about love, tragedy, or heroic deeds
• Epic a long narrative poem that tells of the
  deeds of a legendary hero of history or
  tradition.
• Elegy a poem of sorrow

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Types of poetry continued . . .

• Lyric poetry poetry that is short and musical
  and that deals with personal issues
• Haiku a form of Japanese pattern poetry, usually
  consisting of three lines in which the syllables
  alternate in a pattern of 5-7-5
• Sonnet a poem of 14 lines, usually with 10
  syllables each (iambic pentameter) and with
  various rhyme schemes.
• Free verse poetry that is free from fixed
  patterns of rhyme or beat

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REMEMBER

• A poem can have many different interpretations.
• You dont have to understand EVERYTHING in a poem
  in order to enjoy it or to answer questions about
  it.

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Practice

• Read Mayflies on page 86 in the BuckleDown
  book.
• Answer questions 12-13.