Poetry Review: Types & Terms

For Mrs. Acton’s 4th Period Class

For the silver quiz on Wednesday, February 1st...You should be able to…

1. ...know all definitions and characteristics for the all of the types of poetry and all of the poetic terms we’ve covered

2. ...recognize those same types/terms when you see them in a new poem

FYI: This quiz is a “mental check” before our last 2 poetry activities coming up that are like “water ski[ing] across a poem” and “press[ing] an ear against its hive” that Billy Collins wrote about...all leading up to the gold grade essay that will show what have learned (not just memorized) about poetry.

Sonnets

● “love is not all” by Edna St. Vincent Millay● “Ozymandius” by Percy Bysshe Shelley● Sonnets have 14 lines .● They follow the rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg.● They are divided into 4 parts and each part is a new

subject.● The last two lines are the big idea.

Poetic terms● Rhyme scheme-a pattern in the poem (abab)

● Alliteration- repetition of consonants (Life lock)

● Assonance- repetition of vowels (Go mow the

lawn)

● Thematic idea-the human condition (freedom)

Epic PoetryAn epic poem is a long narrative poem it’s had about 1000’s lines, it is about a hero’s

journey, and the role a hero plays in a nation. It also talks about a hero on an epic

adventure and did heroic deeds.

Epic ExamplesEpic Of Gilgamesh

● This epic was written in Mesopotamia , in the 18th BC, and was written by an

unknown author

Iliad

● This epic was written in Greece, in the 6th century BC by Homer

LimericksEdward Lear*: “There was an Old Person whose habits” Edward Lear*: “There was an Old Person of Buda”Ogden Nash: “There was a young fellow named Fonda”Ogden Nash: “A jolly young fellow from Yuma”Ogden Nash: “There was a young girl from old Natchez”

Limericks: a humorous, often lewd, three long and two short lines rhyming aabba poem. ● Created in 1700s● 5 lines-aabba rhyme scheme● The title is the 1st line● Often manipulate words to fit structure

*“King Limericks”, wrote for kids, made nonsense, 1812-1888

Poetic TermsRhyme Scheme-the pattern of rhymes used in a poem, usually marked by letters to symbolize correspondences

Syllable Structure- which is the combination of allowable segments and typical sound sequences, is language specific.

There was a young fellow named --A

Who was squeezed by a great anaconda--A

Now he’s only a smear--B By- Ogden Nash

A part of him here--B

And the rest of him somewhere out yonder --A

Narrative Poetry

Major types: Epic and Ballad

Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story

or song but also has a narrator or characters and

tells a whole story. Narrative poetry does not have to

rhythmic.

Poetic Terms

Point Of View: a particular attitude or way of considering a matter

Characters:the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.

Setting:the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned

or where an event takes place.

Plot:a plan made in secret by a group of people to do something illegal

or harmful.

~ Lyric Poetry ~● Lyric poems are under 100 lines

● They are also going to be about thoughts,feelings, and emotions

● They are about showing the reader not telling using imagery and the five senses.

● An example is Hart Crane’s “Forgetfulness”

~Poetic Terms~● Simile- a comparison using like or as. Example:

“Forgetfulness is like a song ”( Crane 1)● Free verse- no rhyme scheme. Example:” and it may stun

the sybil into prophecy, or bury the Gods” (crane 9,10)● Metaphor- comparison, saying something is something

else. Ex: “forgetfulness is white” (crane 8)● Imagery - create strong images using senses ex: “or an

old house in the forest” (crane 7)

“Ballad”

“The Long Black Veil “Johnny Cash

A Ballad is a poem that tells a story, which are often used in songs because of their rhyme. A ballad is a poetic story, often a love story.

“Ballad Terms” Refrain- Stop oneself from doing something

For example Refrain from putting glue on your hand

Water Is Wide W.H Logan

Haiku ➢ An old silent pond

A frog jumps into the pond

Splash! Silence again.

● By Basho :Mastsuo It is origin Japan in 1600s, 17thC.It is only 3 lines. It rhymes scheme is 5,7,5.Haikus are about nature. Haiku’s are about exclusion. Images/words must be strong and suggestive enough for readers to fill in what’s been left out.

POetic Terms (as discussed for Haikus)Thematic idea: Abstract noun or noun phrase about the human condition.

Ex: “ a frog jumps into the pond”(Basho Matsuo, line 2) example of nature

Imagery: words or phrases that appeal to any of the five senses.

Ex: “ my mother keeps calling me”( paul David, line 2) example of hear

Syllable count: its how many syllables are in a word.

Ex: “ the milky way steams”(H.F. Noyes, line 1) ( 5 syllables )