Poetry is…

1. Poetry is… • “The best words in the best order” • Samuel Taylor Coleridge • Words have different properties • Designation • What it actually means • Its sound and appearance (squash) • Connotation • Meanings and associations they suggest indirectly • A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”

2. Poetry is…. • Visual-the way the word looks on the page l (a le af fa ll s) one l iness

3. Suggestions to aid in Understanding • Read the poem several times • Brings increased comprehension • Look at meaning, word sound, rhythm, word appearance • Think about the role the following terms may play.

4. Poetic Elements

5. Alliteration Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words Dan’s dog dove deep in the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove.

6. Onomatopoeia The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. The crackling bag crumpled in his fist. Squeal Buzz Clatter Clink

7. End Rhyme Using words whose endings sound alike Flowers grow in sidewalk cracks And children grow near railroad tracks.

8. Partial Rhyme AKA “THE SLANT RHYME” The similarity of vowel sounds within neighboring words. In partial rhymes the sounds are similar but not identical. Love and Rough The "f" sound in rough is close to the "v" sound in love and work together. Soul and All Lovely and Funny Dark and Heart

9. Internal Rhyme Rhyme that occurs within a line (or lines) of verse. Hiding somewhere in the nightWorking hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrillPaying anything to roll the dice just one more timeSome will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the bluesOh, the movie never ends, it goes on and on, and on, and on… Another example: The smoke could choke a chimney.

10. Simile Compares two unlike things using "like" or "as." "Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." "He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food."

11. Metaphor Compares two unlike things without use of "like" or "as." His face was a blue moon pocked with craters. Her eyes were darting searchlights, scanning the room for her rival.

12. Personification Giving human traits to non-human things The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow. The wind howled its mighty objection.

13. Hyperbole An exaggerated statement used to make a point; often humorous When she showers, the Pacific Ocean goes dry. It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets.

14. Repetition The deliberate use of the same words or phrases multiple times She forced her tired feet, her tired soul, her tired mind to slog along.

15. Imagery Descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the 5 senses. The eerie silence was shattered by her scream.

16. Word Choice Poets carefully choose each word. They aren’t writing paragraphs but they can still get their message across. Find a unique way of saying something.

17. Rhythm A pattern, or beat, the words create as you read. In Londontown where urchins hide, There lives a man of woeful mind. End rhyme and matching syllable count aid in creating rhythms.

18. Line Breaks The place where a line of poetry ends, unguided by traditional punctuation conventions. • Importance: • Can introduce ambiguity and affect meaning. • Lead readers into multiple understandings and surprising ideas • Control the flow at which they encounter ideas and images