Poetry

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Poetry

• By Tara Cavanaugh
• and David Jagusch
• ED 205 P

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All About Poetry
Elements
History
Authors
Allegory Metaphor Rhyme Meter Irony
Image Simile Symbol Alliteration Assonance
Tone Word order
Epic Poetry
Styles
T.S. Eliot
Sonnet Haiku Epic Free Verse Limerick Monorhyme Q
uatrain
Elizabethan Poetry
Homer
Elizabeth Bishop
Modern Poetry
Langston Hughes
W.B. Yeats
Emily Dickinson
William Shakespeare
William Wordsworth
Works Cited
E.E. Cummings
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Epic poetry

• Characteristics usually found in preliterate
  societies, this style of poetry was typically
  passed down through oral traditions, until
  someone eventually wrote them down- this is why
  we can read them today. These poems usually take
  the form of a long narrative, which means it is
  usually a very long story told in the first
  person (I did this instead of he or she did
  that). These poems were written a long time
  ago- The Odyssey, for example, is t thought to
  have been written anywhere between 8 and 7 B.C.
• The Odyssey by Homer

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Elizabethan Poetry

• Most of our ideas about how poetry should be
  written come from this era. Elizabethan poetry
  was written in through the17th and 19th
  centuries.This poetry has a heavy emphasis on
  many rules regarding rhythm, rhyme, meter.
• Major themes of this poetry are discovery of the
  self, political turbulence, and originality
  (later in the era)
• For examples of this poetry, please see William
  Shakespeare, William Wordsworth

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Modern Poetry

• In modernism, we see poets breaking the rules of
  gentlemanly Elizabethan poetry, and forming new
  definitions of what makes a poem interesting. No
  longer did poetry have to follow rules about
  rhythm, rhyme, and meter. Poetry from this era
  ranges from small poems about an image (see E.E.
  Cummings), to long, sprawling epics written in
  several languages (see T.S. Eliot). For more
  examples of 20th and 21st century poetry, see
  below
• Elizabeth Bishop
• Langston Hughes

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T.S. Eliot
See also Modern Poetry

• 1888-1965
• Was extremely studious- he studied in Harvard AND
  the Sorbonne in Paris!
• Pioneer of high modernism (a.k.a.
  hard-to-understand poetry)
• His poetry usually has a depressing tone.
• Liked to use Italian, Greek, Russian, French, and
  German in his poems- because he spoke nearly all
  of them!

Fragment from The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock Let us go then, you and I, When the
evening is spread out against the sky Like a
patient etherised upon a table Let us go,
through certain half-deserted streets, The
muttering retreats Of restless nights in
one-night cheap hotels And sawdust restaurants
and oyster shells Streets that follow like a
tedious argument Of insidious intent To lead you
to an overwhelming question Oh, do not ask,
What is it? Let us go and make our visit.
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E.E. Cummings
in- Just in Just-spring       when the world
is mud-luscious the littlelame baloonman
whistles       far       and wee and
eddieandbill comerunning from marbles
andpiracies and it'sspring when the world is
puddle-wonderful the queerold baloonman
whistlesfar       and         weeand
bettyandisbel come dancing from hop-scotch and
jump-rope and it'sspringand        the
               goat-footed baloonMan      
whistlesfarandwee

• 1894-1962
• Liked to play with the use of punctuation and to
  make new words.
• Studied at Harvard

See also Modern Poetry
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Elizabeth Bishop
Fragment from The Fish I caught a tremendous
fish and held him beside the boat half out of
water, with my hook fast in the corner of his
mouth. He didnt fight. He hadnt fought at all.

• 1911-1979
• She was a perfectionist and did not publish many
  poems.
• She wrote in many different types of forms.
• Taught at Harvard and Cambridge Universities

Fragment from Sestina September rain falls on
the house. In the failing light, the old
grandmother sits in the kitchen with the
child beside the Little Marvel Stove, reading
jokes from the almanac, laughing and talking to
hide her tears.
see Modern Poetry
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William Shakespeare

• 1564-1616
• Regarded as the best writer in the English
  language
• Master of the sonnet
• Was a poet and playwright- he wrote 37 plays and
  134 sonnets.
• The most-quoted author in the English language!

Also Elizabethan
Sonnet 138 by William Shakespeare When my love
swears that she is made of truthI do believe
her, though I know she lies,That she might think
me some untutor'd youth,Unlearned in the world's
false subtleties.Thus vainly thinking that she
thinks me young.Although she knows my days are
past the best,Simply I credit her false speaking
tongueOn both side thus is simple truth
supress'dAnd wherefore says she not she is
unjust?And wherefore says not I that I am
old?O! love's best habit is in seeming
trust,And age in love loves not to have years
told Therefore I lie with her and she with
me, And in our faults by lies we flatter'd be.
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William Wordsworth

• 1770-1850
• Major poem is The Prelude, published after his
  death
• Was Englands poet laureate
• He wanted to write poetry in the real words of
  men

Fragment from The Prospectus my voice proclaims
How exquisitely the individual Mind (And the
progressive powers perhaps no less Of the whole
species) to the external World Is fitted--and
how exquisitely, too, Theme this but little
heard of among Men, The external World is fitted
to the Mind . . .
Please see Elizabethan
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Homer

• Whether he was a real man or not is disputed!
• Is credited with recording the Iliad and the
  Odyssey
• If he was a real man, he is rumored to have been
  blind.
• The movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou? is based on
  the Odyssey!

The opening of The Odyssey TELL ME, O MUSE, of
that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide
after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many
cities did he visit, and many were the nations
with whose manners and customs he was acquainted
moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to
save his own life and bring his men safely home
but do what he might he could not save his men,
for they perished through their own sheer folly
in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion so
the god prevented them from ever reaching home.
Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter
of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know
them.
see Epic Poetry
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W.B.Yeats

• 1865-1939
• He is an Irish cultural nationalist
• His poems are very political and were written
  during political turmoil in Ireland

Fragment of Easter 1916 I have met them at the
close of day Coming with vivid faces From counter
or desk among grey Eighteenth-century houses.I
have passed with a nod of the head Or polite
meaningless words, Or have lingered awhile and
said Polite meaningless words, And thought before
I had done Of a mocking tale or gibe To please a
companion Around the fire at the club, Being
certain that they and I But lived where motley
was born All changed, changed utterly A
terrible beauty is born.
see Modern Poetry
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Emily Dickinson

• 1830-1886
• Is credited with inventing American poetry
• Was considered very strange and mentally
  disturbed spent most of her life in seclusion
• Common theme of death and Christianity in her
  poems

49 I never lost as much but twice, And that was
in the sod. Twice have I stood a beggar Before
the door of God! Angels- twice
descending Reimbursed my store- Burglar! Banker!
Father! I am poor once more!
See also Modern Poetry
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Langston Hughes
Fragment from THEME FOR ENGLISH B The
instructor said, Go home and write a page
tonight. And let that page come out of you---
Then, it will be true. I wonder if it's that
simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in
Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then
Durham, then here to this college on the hill
above Harlem. I am the only colored student in
my class. The steps from the hill lead down into
Harlem through a park, then I cross St.
Nicholas, Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to
the Y, the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the
elevator up to my room, sit down, and write this
page It's not easy to know what is true for you
or me at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm
what I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear
you hear you, hear me---we two---you, me, talk
on this page. (I hear New York too.) Me---who?

• 1902-1967
• Is considered a Harlem Renaissance Poet- he was
  an African American that was one of the first of
  his race to be a published and respected poet.
• His poetry has been set to jazz music

see Modern Poetry
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And if youre hankering for even more information
about poetry

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_poetry
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_poetryThe_Re
  storation_and_18th_century
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wordsworth
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_poetryThe_20
  th_century
• Nortons Anthology of Modern and Contemporary
  Poetry, 3rd ed. Volumes 1 and 2
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slam_poetry

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Allegory
An allegory tells a story that can be read
symbolically. Interpreting an allegory is
complicated because you need to be aware of what
each symbol in the narrative refers to.
Allegories thus reinforces symbolic meaning.
Metaphor
Closely related to similes, metaphors immediately
identify one object or idea with another, in one
or more aspects. The meaning of a poem frequently
depends on the success of a metaphor. Like a
simile, a metaphor expands the sense and
clarifies the meaning of something.
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Rhyme
The basic definition of rhyme is two words that
sound alike. The vowel sound of two words is the
same, but the initial consonant sound is
different.. Rhyme helps to unify a poem it also
repeats a sound that links one concept to
another, thus helping to determine the structure
of a poem. There are true rhymes (bear, care) and
slant rhymes (lying, mine).
Meter
Meter is the rhythm established by a poem, and it
is usually dependent not only on the number of
syllables in a line but also on the way those
syllables are accented. This rhythm is often
described as a pattern of stressed and unstressed
syllables.
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Image
Something concrete and representational. Literal
images appeal to our sense of realistic
perception. There are also figurative images that
appeal to our imagination. Poetic imagery alters
or shapes the way we see what the poem is
describing.
Irony
Irony refers to a difference between the way
something appears and what is actually true.
Irony allows us to say something but to mean
something else, whether we are being sarcastic,
exaggerating, or understating. Irony is generally
more restrained than sarcasm, even though the
effect might be the same. The key to irony is
often the tone, which is sometimes harder to
detect in poetry than in speech.
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Simile
The word like signifies a direct comparison
between two things that are alike in a certain
way. Usually one of the elements of a simile is
concrete and the other abstract. Sometimes
similes force us to consider how the two things
being compared are dissimilar, but the
relationship between two dissimilar things can
break down easily, so similes must be rendered
delicately and carefully.
Symbol
A symbol works two ways It is something itself,
and it also suggests something deeper. It is
crucial to distinguish a symbol from a metaphor
Metaphors are comparisons between two seemingly
dissimilar things symbols associate two things,
but their meaning is both literal and figurative.
No symbols have absolute meanings, and, by their
nature, we cannot read them at face value. Rather
than beginning an inquiry into symbols by asking
what they mean, it is better to begin by asking
what they could mean, or what they have meant.
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Alliteration
Alliteration occurs when the initial sounds of a
word, beginning either with a consonant or a
vowel, are repeated in close succession. The
function of alliteration, like rhyme, might be to
accentuate the beauty of language in a given
context, or to unite words or concepts through a
kind of repetition. Alliteration, like rhyme, can
follow specific patterns. Sometimes the
consonants aren't always the initial ones, but
they are generally the stressed syllables.
Assonance
Assonance occurs when the vowel sound within a
word matches the same sound in a nearby word, but
the surrounding consonant sounds are different.
"Tune" and "June" are rhymes "tune" and "food"
are assonant. The function of assonance is
frequently the same as end rhyme or alliteration
All serve to give a sense of continuity or
fluidity to the verse.
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Tone
The tone of a poem is roughly equivalent to the
mood it creates in the reader. Much depends on
interpretation. A poem gives its readers clues
about how to feel about it. The tone may be based
on a number of other conventions that the poem
uses, such as meter or repetition. Tone is not in
any way divorced from the other elements of
poetry it is directly dependent on them.
Word Order
Word order matters, sometimes for clarity of
meaning, and sometimes for effect. Readers should
always question why poets have chosen a
particular order, whether the choice is
conventional or just the opposite.
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Sonnet
A Sonnet is a poem consisting of 14 lines (iambic
pentameter) with a particular rhyming
scheme. Examples of a rhyming scheme 1) abab
cdcd efef gg 2) abba cddc effe gg 3) abba abba
cdcd cd Example Sonnet of Demeter--Italian
Sonnet Oh the pirate stars, they have no
mercy! Masquerading as hope they tell their
lies Only the young can hear their
lullabies. But I am barren and I am thirsty Since
she has gone. No hope is there for me. I will
roam and curse this earth and these skies-- Death
from life which Zeus sovereign denies. My heart's
ill shall the whole world's illness be Till she
is returned-- my daughter, my blood-- From the
dark hand of Hades to my care. With my tears
these mortals shall know a flood To show
Poseidon's realm desert and bare. No myrtle shall
flower, no cypress bud Till the gods release
her...and my despair.
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Haiku
Haiku (also called nature or seasonal haiku) is
an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three
unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables
(5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Haiku is
usually written in the present tense and focuses
on nature (seasons). Example Come on let us
see All the real flowers of this Sorrowful
world Basho 1644-1694
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Epic
An Epic is a long narrative poem celebrating the
adventures and achievements of a hero...epics
deal with the traditions, mythical or historical,
of a nation. Examples Beowulf, The Iliad and the
Odyssey, the Aeneid, Gilgamesh
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Free Verse
Free Verse is an irregular form of poetry in
which the content free of traditional rules of
versification, (freedom from fixed meter or
rhyme). In moving from line to line, the poet's
main consideration is where to insert line
breaks. Some ways of doing this include breaking
the line where there is a natural pause or at a
point of suspense for the reader. Authors Walt
Whitman, Ezra Pound, T.S. Elliot Example I
celebrate myself, And what I assume you shall
assume, For every atom belonging to me as good
belongs to you. Walt Whitman, Song of Myself
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Limerick
A Limerick is a rhymed humorous, and or nonsense
poem of five lines. With a rhyming scheme of
a-a-b-b-a. Example I love ta see the morning
sun that's how I tell the days begun. Birds all
singing a happy song it tis the place where I
belong. Far from school without the nun
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Monorhyme
A poem in which all the lines have the same end
rhyme.
Example I was sitting in my chair wanting to
become a millionaire It won't happen I'm well
aware but I still think its very unfair I have
even said a little prayer but I don't have that
special flair And my bodies in great despair I
think I look more like a pear But at least I
still have my hair and a table to play solitaire
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Quatrain
A poem consisting of four lines of verse with a
specific rhyming scheme. Quatrain rhyming
schemes 1) abab 2) abba -- envelope rhyme 3)
aabb 4) aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd -- chain rhyme