POETRY(What is it?)

Definition of poetry

• Take a few minutes to talk with the person next to you and try to come up with a definition

• Think of keywords and examples

Definition of poetry by the Oxford dictionary

• Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.

Definition of poetry by Greg

• Poetry is the art of creating one’s own language in order to say one thing whilst saying another thing. The meaning is in the words, between the words and beyond the words.

E.g. ”Looking at her was like watching the sunset through a black-eye.”

A few important concepts

• Narrative poetry

• Lyric poetry

• Metaphor vs comparison

Narrative Poetry

• A narrative poem tells a story. It always has a plot: something happens.

• Most ancient form of poetry.

• Narrative poetry must rhyme.

Lyric Poetry

• Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings.

• It does not tell a story, but instead presents a state of mind or an emotional state.

• The characters are ususally hard to pin down.

Example of lyric poetry

“First Fig”

My candle burns at both ends;It will not last the night;But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—It gives a lovely light.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

So… what is a metaphor?

• A metaphor is not a comparison

• A metaphor is a nonsense that makes sense (in the context)

• E.g. ”My neighbour is an elephant. She makes so much noise!”

My neighbour is an elephant -> metaphor

My neighbour walks like an elephant -> comparison

Can you find two metaphors using the word ’head’

• E.g. My head is going to explode if he says the word ’poetry’ one more time.

• ’I didn’t know what to reply, my head was totally empty.’

• ’I walked back home with a smile on my face; my heart was filled with love, my head was light.’

Can you find two comparisons using the word ’head’

• E.g. When she gets angry her head looks like a big tomato.

What good poetry does…

. It talks to the mind and soul

. It prefers metaphors to comparisons

. It chooses words that carry a deeper meaning

. It does not explain, it shows

Example of good poetry

For sale:

baby shoes,

never worn.

Ernest Hemingway

Example of bad poetry

Hit by a truck

Lucky in love, lucky in loveDidn't forget me when I asked you to leave meDidn't forget meNow you're alongside meYou've brought luck to loveI've been hit by a truck in love.

Anonymous

For next time, could you work in pairs and:

Choose a short poem (max 8 lines)

Present it for the class (you will have to show it on the white board)

Explain why it is poetic

Classify it either as a good or a bad poem

Explain why you think it is good/bad

Find at least one metaphor/comparison and explain it