Creative Writing ( Module 10 )

Poetry: Analysis through form

Poetry is a literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and
ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm .
Kinds of Poetry
There are several kinds of poetry. Below are some examples. Focus on their structure.
1.Japanese haiku- short poem with three lines and a syllable count of 5-7-5; contains elements
such as “ kigo “ ( seasonal reference ) and an “ ikireji “ ( “cutting word” placed between
juxtaposed imagery ).
2.English haiku- similar to a Japanese haiku, but is less restrictive with regard to the syllable
count ( due to the language ); does not necessarily have the same features as a Japanese haiku.
3.Filipino haiku- even less restrictive in form as the English haiku and written in Filipino.
4.Haibun- comparable to the essence of a travel journal , the “ haibun “ combines prose and
poetry; the prose serves to vividly describe the location of scene, while the poetry is meant to
capture the atmosphere or “ feeling “ associated with the scene.
5.Tanka- Japanese short poem ( generally known as “ waka “ ) with five lines following a
syllable count of 5-7-5-5-7 ).
6.English/Shakespearean sonnet- fourteen lines, conventionally follows iambic pentameter,
with a rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d-e-f-e-f-g-g
7.Sestina- six verses with six lines, each following an alternating end-word pattern.
8.Villanelle- nineteen-line poem of five tercets and a quatrain; the poem has two refrains and
two rhyme patterns repeated throughout , involving the alternative repetition of the first and
third lines of the first tercer.
9.Tanaga- Filipino poetic form of four lines with seven syllables each, all of which rhyme
together.
10.Awit- another Filipino poetic form, emphasizes narrative greatly .
Answer the following:
1.How do the same poetic elements ( rhyme, meter, number of lines, verses, etc. )
change the way a poem is read?

2.Is it possible to break the form and still call it that same form ( i.e. in the case of
the “haiku”, from the original Japanese to the English and Filipino counterparts)?

3.Which form do you think is the hardest to write? Why? Which form looks the
easiest to write?

4.How does each form contribute to their purpose ( e.g. “tanka” as descriptive
poetry, “awit” as used in storytelling, sonnet as in Shakespeare’s works )?