elements of poetry Flashcards
(11 cards)
WHAT IS A POEM?
Poetry is a form of writing that uses not only words, but also form (lines and stanzas), patterns of sound,
(rhyme, repetition, and rhythm) as well as figurative language and imagery to convey a message, tell a story, or express the author’s feelings or thoughts.
THE STRUCTURE OF POETRY?
A poem’s form is its appearance. Poems are divided into lines. Many poems, especially longer ones, may also be divided into groups of lines called stanzas.
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*Stanzas function like paragraphs in a story. Each one contains a single idea or takes the idea one step further.
Some poems use techniques of sound such as:
Rhythm
Rhyme
Meter
Rhyme Scheme
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Rhythm
the flow of the beat in a poem
Meter
the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in a verse; gives the poem rythem
rhyme
rhyme are words that end with the same sound
rhyme scheme
a pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem or song
rhyme scheme
Rhyme schemes are described using letters of the alphabet, such that all the lines in a poem that rhyme with each other are assigned a letter, beginning with “A.” For example, a four-line poem in which the first line rhymes with the third line, and the second line rhymes with the fourth line has the rhyme scheme ABAB, …
imagery
Imagery is descriptive language used to appeal to a reader’s senses: touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight. By adding these details, it makes our writing more interesting. Here is an example of how adding imagery enhances your writing. Original sentence: She drank water on a hot day.
graphic elements
Graphical elements of a poem refer to the type of capitalization and punctuation it uses, the length of the lines, and the positioning of the words. These elements help form the “shape” of a poem.
authors purpose
An author’s purpose is his reason for or intent in writing. An author’s purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition.
