Saint James High School

Curato St., Brgy. 5, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte

SEC Reg. No. PW00001134
Telefax (085) 343-4332 343-4834

Creative Writing
Information Sheet No.4

Topic: Elements of Poetry

MELCs:
1. identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in poetry
HUMSS_CW/MP11/12c-f-6
2. write journal entries and other short exercises exploring key elements of
fiction HUMSS_CW/MPIg-i-13

Objectives:
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
1. distinguish the different elements of a poem;
2. analyze the literary devices present in poetry; and
3. evaluate the literary techniques to be used in analyzing a poem.

What is Poetry?

Poetry is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a

story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. It often employs rhyme and meter
(a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line). In
poetry, words are strung together to form sounds, images, and ideas that might be too
complex or abstract to describe directly. Poems can also be free-form, which follows no
formal structure.

Poetry was once written according to fairly strict rules of meter and rhyme, and each
culture had its own rules. For example, Anglo-Saxon poets had their own rhyme
schemes and meters, while Greek poets and Arabic poets had others. Although these
classical forms are still widely used today, modern poets frequently do away with rules
altogether – their poems generally do not rhyme, and do not fit any particular meter.
These poems, however, still have a rhythmic quality and seek to create beauty through
their words.

The Significance of Poetry

 Endeavors to show us things anew that we may have previously taken for
granted.
 It offers us new perspectives and sees it in a deeper way.
 Through rhythm and rhyme, it can make the text more memorable, and thus
easier to preserve for cultures that do not have a written language.

COMMON FEATURES OF POETRY

● It looks like a poem - if it looks like a poem and it reads like a poem, then the
chances are pretty good that it is, indeed, a poem. Poetry comes in lines, some of which
are full sentences, but many of which are not. Also, usually these lines don’t run out to
the margins consistently, like in, say, a novel. All this gives poetry a distinctive and
recognizable look on the page.

● It often has some underlying form holding things together - while this isn’t always
true (in some free verse, for example) a lot of poetry conforms to a prescribed structure
such as in a sonnet, a haiku etc.

● It uses imagery - if the poet is worth his or her salt, they’ll endeavour to create images
in the reader’s mind using lots of sensory details and figurative language.

23
● It has a certain musicality - we could be forgiven for thinking that poetry’s natural
incarnation is the written word and its habitat the page, but the printed word is not where
poetry’s origins lie. The earliest poems were composed orally and committed to memory.
We can still see the importance the sound of language plays when we read poems out
loud. We can see it too in the attention paid to musical devices that are incorporated into
the poem. Devices such as alliteration, assonance, and rhyme, for example. We will look
at many of these later in this article.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

1. Structure

 Line - is a fundamental unit in verse, carrying meaning both horizontally

across the page and vertically from one line to the next.The line is a way of
framing poetry. All verse is measured by lines. On its own, the poetic line
immediately announces its difference from everyday speech and prose. It creates
its own visual and verbal impact; it declares its self-sufficiency.

 Stanza - It is known as the basic building block of a poem. It is a series of

lines grouped together in order to divide a poem; the structure of a stanza is often
(though not always) repeated throughout the poem. Stanzas are separated from
other stanzas by line breaks. Each stanza is a standalone unit that can either
make up an entire poem or can build a bigger poem with other stanzas.

A stanza can reveal the following about a poem:

 Structure. A poem always has a structural framework in place.

Stanzas are part of a poem’s architecture.

 Pattern. In formal verse poetry, in which the poem follows a rhyme

scheme and meter, the first stanza sets the pattern for the
overall poem. The rhyme and rhythm used will repeat in the
second stanza, and so on.

 Organization. Often, the lines of a stanza explore a thought. As the

poet moves onto the next thought, they might progress to a
new stanza.

 Set a mood. A break in between stanzas may signal a shift in mood or

emotional tone.

 Shape. The space around and between stanzas (or lack thereof), and
the pattern they create on the page, defines the shape of
a poem.

Types of Stanza:
Stanzas, like poems, come in all shapes and sizes. There are many
different types and they are often classified by meters, rhyme schemes or
how many groups of lines they have.

 Monostich. A one-line stanza. Monostich can also be an entire poem.

 Couplet. A stanza with two lines that rhyme.

 Tercet. A stanza with three lines that either all rhyme or the
first and the third line rhyme—which is called an ABA rhyming
pattern. A poem made up of tercets and concludes with a
couplet is called a “terza rima.”

 Quatrain. A stanza with four lines with the second and fourth lines
rhyming.

24
  Quintain. A stanza with five lines.

 Sestet. A stanza with six lines.

 Septet. A stanza with seven lines. This is sometimes called a “rhyme

royal.”

 Octave. A stanza with eight lines written in iambic

pentameter, or ten syllable beats per line. The more lines a
stanza has the more varieties of rhyme and meter patterns.
For example, “ottava rima” is an eight-line stanza with the
specific rhyme scheme in which the first six lines have an
alternating rhyme pattern and a couplet as the final two lines.

 Isometric stanza. Isometric stanzas have the same syllabic

beats, or the same meter, in every line.

 Heterometric stanza. A stanza in which every line is a different length.

 Spenserian stanza. Named after Edward Spenser’s unique

stanza structure in his poem “The Faerie Queene.” A
Spenserian stanza has nine line, eight in iambic pentameter
—ten syllables in a line with emphasis on the second beat of
each syllable—and a final line in iambic hexameter—a
twelve-syllable beat line.

 Ballad stanza. Often used in folk songs, a ballad stanza is a

rhyming quatrain with four emphasized beats (eight syllables)
in the first and third lines, and three emphasized beats (six
syllables) in the second and fourth lines.

 Enjambment - is when the end of a phrase extends past the end of a line.
The definition of “enjambment” in French is “to step over.” In poetry, this means
that a thought “steps over” the end of a line and into the beginning of the next line,
with no punctuation, so that the reader must read through the line break quickly to
reach the conclusion of the thought.

Poets use literary devices like enjambment to:

Add complexity. Enjambment builds a more complex narrative within a

poem by fleshing out a thought instead of confining it to
one line.

Create tension. Enjambment builds the drama in a poem. The end of the
first line isn’t the end of a thought but rather a
cliffhanger, forcing the reader to keep moving forward
to find out what happens next. It delivers a resolution in
the second line, or the third line, depending on the
length of enjambment.

Build momentum. Enjambment moves seamlessly through line breaks

where there is usually a forced pause in poetry. The
brain wants to move quickly on to read the conclusion
of the sentence, creating a faster pace and a
momentum. It gives a poem a flow and energy.

Create an element of surprise. In some instances, enjambment is used

as a plot twist technique, shifting to a conflicting idea
from one line to the next, creating an element of
surprise.

Play with syntax. Words in an enjambed poetic line are deliberately

placed. A word used at the end of the line—where a

25
 pause occurs but the thought continues—is meant to
be emphasized.

Complement performance. Enjambment was often used in the poetic

dialogue in Shakespeare’s plays. The technique allows
a character to flow with a thought instead of clunky,
end-stopped lines that can disrupt the momentum of
the performance.

John Keats, Endymion (1818)

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Enjambed lines can take full advantage of rhyme schemes as

seen in Keats’s Endymion. This technique of mixing enjambment
with rhyme gives the illusion that there is closure after every
second line, and mimics an open couplet — a two-line stanza that
contains a single thought — but the enjambment pushes through
and carries on.

2. Rhythm, Meter, and Rhyme Scheme

Rhythm is the pattern of stresses within a line of verse. All spoken word has a rhythm
formed
That marks the metrical pattern of a poem by breaking each line of verse up into feet
and highlighting the accented and unaccented syllables.

In poetry, a foot is the basic unit of measurement. Each foot is made up of one stressed
syllable and at least one unstressed syllable. The syllabic arrangement in each foot and
the number of feet in a line determine the poem’s meter and affect the rhyme of the
poem. There are many types of feet in poetry, including trochee, iamb, spondee, dactyl,
and anapest, all of which have a different combination of stressed and unstressed
syllables.

What is its purpose?

Understanding the structure of the poetic form allows a reader to understand a poem on
a deeper level. This analysis of verse, or prosody, also allows a reader to:

 Determine the meter of a poem by dividing a line into feet and noting the
syllabic pattern of each foot
 Determine the type of line by its length in feet: monometer (one foot), dimeter
(two feet), trimeter (three feet), tetrameter (four feet), pentameter (five feet),
hexameter (six feet)
 Understand how a poem’s rhythm contributes to its meaning
 Map out the natural rhythm of free verse and blank verse
 Figure out how a poem is meant to be read aloud

Common Types of Feet in Poetry

In English poetry, the most common types of metrical feet are two syllables and three
syllables long. They’re characterized by their particular combination of stressed syllables
and unstressed syllables. They include:

Trochee. Pronounced DUH-duh, as in “ladder.”

Iamb. Pronounced duh-DUH, as in “indeed.”

26
 Spondee. Pronounced DUH-DUH, as in “TV.”
Dactyl. Pronounced DUH-duh-duh, as in “certainly.”
Anapest. Pronounced duh-duh-DUH, as in “what the heck!” (Anapestic poetry
typically divides its stressed syllables across multiple words.)

Common Types of Meter in Poetry

Metrical feet are repeated over the course of a line of poetry to create poetic meter. We
describe the length of a poetic meter by using Greek suffixes:

one foot = monometer

two feet = dimeter
three feet = trimeter
four feet = tetrameter
five feet = pentameter
six feet = hexameter
seven feet = heptameter
eight feet = octameter

When you combine the stress patterns of specific poetic feet with specific lengths, you
unlock the many possibilities of poetic meter. A good example of this is “iambic
pentameter,” which can be found in English language poetry across many centuries.

Iambic pentameter contains five iambs per line, for a total of ten syllables per line. Every
even-numbered syllable is stressed. William Shakespeare is the most famous
practitioner of iambic pentameter in the English literary canon. Each of Shakespeare’s
154 sonnets features rhyming iambic pentameter—specifically adhering to an ABAB
CDCD EFEF GG pattern. This is exemplified by “Sonnet 114”:

How Is it Marked in a Poem?

A graphic scansion visually marks the syllabic rhythm and feet in a line of poetry. A
simple scan of a poem might simply bold or underline the stressed syllables. More
formal scansion places a graphic representation to denote the feet and stresses in a line.
The most common symbols used to scan a poem are:

Wand: A wand—represented as “/”—is placed over a strong syllable.

Cup: A cup—represented as “u”—is placed over a weak or unstressed syllable.
Foot boundary: A boundary mark—represented as “I”—separates the feet in a line of
verse.
Caesura: A break in speech, either between feet or phrases, is marked by “II.”

1. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

In this excerpt from Shakespeare’s play, these lines represent iambic pentameter—a line
of five feet with an unstressed and stressed syllable in each foot.

2. Hope Is the Thing With Feathers by Emily Dickinson

In this poem, the scansion reveals that the meters in the first line and third line are
iambic tetrameter and the meters in the second line and fourth line are iambic trimeter.

27
What Is a Rhyme Scheme in Poetry?

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza.
Rhyme schemes can change line by line, stanza by stanza, or can continue throughout a
poem. Poems with rhyme schemes are generally written in formal verse, which has a
strict meter: a repeating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Rhyme scheme patterns are formatted in different ways. The patterns are encoded by
letters of the alphabet. Lines designated with the same letter rhyme with each other. For
example, the rhyme scheme ABAB means the first and third lines of a stanza, or the
“A”s, rhyme with each other, and the second line rhymes with the fourth line, or the “B”s
rhyme together.

Some additional key details about rhyme schemes:

 Rhyme schemes represent stanza breaks using spaces. So a poem made up

of two rhyming couplets (two-line stanzas) would be said to have a rhyme scheme
of AA BB.

 There are different conventions for writing out rhyme schemes. Some people
use lowercase letters (abab), some use uppercase (ABAB), and some even throw
in italics or hyphens (a-b-a-b). This formatting aspect of rhyme schemes is not
very scientific.

 Rhymes are used in all types of poetry, but they don't always occur in regular
patters or at the ends of lines—so not all poems that use rhyme necessarily have
rhyme schemes. Rhyme schemes are only used to describe poems that use end
rhyme (that is, rhymes at the ends of lines).

Why Do Writers Use Rhyme Schemes?

Poets use rhyme schemes for many of the same reasons they use rhyme: because it
makes language sound more beautiful and thoughtfully-composed, like music. In the
majority of rhyme schemes, rhymes repeat at regular intervals, dramatically increasing
both the rhythm and musicality of poetry and in the process making the poem more
pleasant to listen to, easier to understand, and more memorable.

Types of Rhyme Schemes

A poem's rhyme scheme can be anything the poet wants it to be, but here's a list of
some of the more common rhyme schemes:

 Alternate rhyme is ABAB CDCD EFEF and so on. This is the rhyme scheme
typically used in ballads.
 Coupled rhyme is any rhyme scheme in which rhymes occur in pairs, such as
AABBCC. The rhymes themselves are called couplets.
 Monorhyme is the term used for poems that use just one rhyme throughout
the entire poem, as in AAAA.
 Enclosed rhyme is the term used for "sandwich" rhyme schemes like ABA or
ABBA.
 Simple 4-line rhyme follows a pattern of ABCB.
 Chain rhyme describes rhyme schemes in which stanzas are linked together
by rhymes that carry over from one stanza to the next, as in ABA BCB CDC.

Keep in mind that this is just a list of some of the more common types of rhyme scheme.
It's not a list of all the different forms of poetry, since the form of a poem is defined by
more than just its rhyme scheme.

28
3. Form - A poem may or may not have a specific number of lines, rhyme scheme
and/or metrical pattern, but it can still be labeled according to its form or style.
Here are the three most common types of poems according to form:
 Lyric Poetry - concerns itself largely with the emotional life of the poet, that
is, it’s written in their voice and expresses strong thoughts and emotions. There is
only one voice in a lyric poem and we see the world from that single perspective.
Most modern poetry is lyric poetry in that it is personal and introspective.

 Narrative Poetry - As its name implies, narrative poetry is concerned with

storytelling. Just as in a prose story, a narrative poem will most likely follow the
conventions of plot including elements such as conflict, rising action, climax,
resolution etc. Again, as in prose stories, narrative poems will most likely be
peopled with characters to perform the actions of the tale.

 Descriptive Poetry - usually employs lots of rich imagery to describe the

world around the poet. While it most often has a single poetic voice and a strong
emotional content, descriptive poetry differs from lyric poetry in that its focus is
more on the externalities of the world, rather than the interior life of the poet.

We have mentioned that poetry often hangs on the conventions of specific

underlying structures. Let’s now take a look at some of the more common of these
subtypes and their defining characteristics.

SUBTYPES OF POETRY

 Sonnet - Sonnets are predominantly concerned with matters of the heart. If

you see a sonnet’s recognisably blocky form on a page, there’s a good chance the
theme will be love. There are two common forms of sonnet: Shakespearean and
Petrarchan. They differ slightly in their internal structure, but both have 14 lines.
Let’s take look at some more of the internal characteristics of both forms:

Petrarchan - The Petrarchan Sonnet is named after the Italian poet

Francesco Petrarch, a lyrical poet of fourteenth-century Italy. Petrarch
did not invent the poetic form that bears his name. Rather, the
commonly credited originator of the sonnet is Giacomo da Lentini, who
composed poetry in the literary Sicilian dialect in the thirteenth century.

The Petrarchan sonnet is characterized by the following core elements:

 It contains fourteen lines of poetry.

 The lines are divided into an eight-line subsection (called an octave)
followed by a six-line subsection (called a sestet).
 The octave follows a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA. This means
the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth lines all rhyme with one another.
The second, third, sixth, and seventh lines similarly rhyme with one
another.
 The “Crybin” variant on the Petrarchan sonnet contains a different
rhyme scheme for the opening octave: ABBA CDDC.
 The sestet follows one of two rhyme schemes. The more common is
a CDE CDE scheme (where the ninth and twelfth, tenth and
thirteenth, and eleventh and fourteenth lines rhyme).
 The other sestet rhyme scheme is CDC CDC (where the ninth,
eleventh, twelfth, and fourteenth lines rhyme; and the tenth and
thirteenth lines rhyme). It is sometimes called the “Sicilian sestet,”
named for the dialect used by Petrarch himself.

29
Petrarchan sonnets were immensely popular in England. Browning’s “Sonnet 43” is a
Petrarchan sonnet.
(Please refer in the APPENDICES for the content of the said literary piece)

Other English language poets known for the Petrarchan form include William
Wordsworth and Sir Thomas Wyatt. Meanwhile, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, gained
fame for translating Italian Petrarchan sonnets into English, but he did not personally
employ the form when composing his own English language sonnets.

Shakespearean - A Shakespearean sonnet is a variation on the Italian sonnet

tradition. The form evolved in England during and around the time of the
Elizabethan era. These sonnets are sometimes referred to as Elizabethan
sonnets or English sonnets.

Although Shakespeare’s sonnets have prominently endured for centuries,

he was hardly alone in his embrace of this poetic style. Many prominent
English poets of the day, from John Donne to John Milton, also wrote
sonnets.

Shakespearean sonnets feature the following elements:

 They are fourteen lines long.

 The fourteen lines are divided into four subgroups.
 The first three subgroups have four lines each, which makes them
“quatrains,” with the second and fourth lines of each group
containing rhyming words.
 The sonnet then concludes with a two-line subgroup, and these two
lines rhyme with each other.
 There are typically ten syllables per line, which are phrased in
iambic pentameter.
Shakespeare composed 154 sonnets during his lifetime. Their themes were
typically romantic, but they contained no shortage of philosophical reflection.
(Please refer in the APPENDICES for a sample of two most famous
sonnets of Shakespeare)

What Is the Difference Between a Petrarchan Sonnet and a Shakespearean

Sonnet?

The primary difference between a Shakespearean sonnet and a Petrarchan

sonnet is the way the poem’s fourteen lines are grouped. The Petrarchan
sonnet divides its lines between an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six
lines).

 Haiku - is a disciplined form of poetry that has its origins in 17th century
Japanese poetry. Usually it is concerned with nature and natural phenomenon
such as the seasons, weather etc. They are often quite meditative in tone. The
first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line
again has five syllables.

4 Common Themes of Haiku Poetry

Nature themes and imagery evoking a specific season are the traditional focus of
haiku poetry. Haiku poems often feature juxtaposition of two images.

30
 Nature and the seasons. Describing the season was the original purpose of
haiku, and to this day poets often focus on the natural world and how it
changes throughout the year.
On. A Japanese haiku contains 17 on, or sounds. On are counted differently
than syllables in English, which leads to translators’ lack of consensus on
whether 17 English syllables truly captures the spirit of haiku.

Kigo. Traditional haiku contains a kigo, a word or phrase that places it in a

particular season. Signaling a season with only one word lends haiku its
economy of expression. Some of the most classic kigo are sakura (cherry
blossoms) for spring; fuji (Wisteria) for summer; tsuki (moon) for fall; and
samushi (cold) for winter.

Kireji. Known in English as the “cutting word,” kireji creates a pause or a

break in the rhythm of the poem. The kireji is often deployed to juxtapose two
images. Contemporary haiku may not always use a kireji, but juxtaposition
remains a common feature of haiku.

Matsuo Bashō is widely regarded as the master of the art form.

Read through a few of Matsuo Basho’s most popular poems found in the
APPENDICES.

Due to their short length and limited requirements, these are usually a lot of fun for
students to write. They can serve as a great introduction for students to attempt to
write poetry according to specific technical requirements of a form.

 Elegy - is a poem of lamentation - the word elegy itself comes from the Greek
word elegeia which means to ‘lament’.Traditionally, it contains themes of
mourning, loss, and reflection. However, it can also explore themes of redemption
and consolation
.
Early elegiac poetry was typically versed in couplets. But, dating back to the
eighteenth century, an elegiac stanza has traditionally contained the following
characteristics:

 It is a quatrain (four lines)

 It contains an ABAB rhyme scheme
 Each line is written in iambic pentameter

This structure is only a loose guideline. Many contemporary elegies contain no set
form, and even the nineteenth-century elegies by the likes of Whitman and
Tennyson take ample liberties with meter and rhyme scheme.

For samples of famous elegy, kindly refer in the APPENDICES.

 Limerick - is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, an AABBA

rhyme scheme, and whose subject is a short, pithy tale or description. Most
limericks are comedic, some are downright crude, and nearly all are trivial in
nature.
Limericks follow a very strict composition structure. All traditional limericks:

 Consist of a single stanza

 Consist of exactly five lines
 Employ one rhyme on the first, second, and fifth lines
 Employ a second rhyme on the third and fourth lines

For samples of famous limerick, kindly refer in the APPENDICES.

 Ballad - is a type of poem that tells a story and was traditionally set to music.
English language ballads are typically composed of four-line stanzas that follow an

31
ABCB rhyme scheme. Ballads are a form of narrative verse that can be either
poetic or musical; not all ballads are songs. Many ballads tell stories, but this is not
a mandatory attribute of the form. Many musical ballads are slow and emotionally
evocative.

Some additional key details about ballads:

 The ballad is one of the oldest poetic forms in English.

 There are so many different types of ballad that giving one strict definition to fit
all the variations would be nearly impossible. The simplest way to think of a ballad
is as a song or poem that tells a story and has a bouncy rhythm and rhyme
scheme.
 Traditional ballads are written in a meter called common meter, which consists
of alternating lines of iambic tetrameter (eight syllables) with lines of iambic
trimeter (six syllables).
 Many ballads have a refrain (a line or stanza that repeats throughout the
poem), much like the chorus of modern day songs.

For samples of famous ballads, kindly refer in the APPENDICES.

 Ode - An ode is a short lyric poem that praises an individual, an idea, or an

event. In ancient Greece, odes were originally accompanied by music—in fact, the
word “ode” comes from the Greek word aeidein, which means to sing or to chant.
Odes are often ceremonial, and formal in tone. There are several different types of
odes, but they are all highly structured and adhere to poetic forms.

What Is the Structure of an Ode Poem?

An ode poem is traditionally divided into three sections, or stanzas:

The strophe. In a Greek ode, the strophe usually consists of two or more lines
repeated as a unit. In modern usage, the term strophe can refer to any group of
verses that form a distinct unit within a poem.

The antistrophe. The second section of an ode is structured the same way as the
strophe, but typically offers a thematic counterbalance.

The epode. This section or stanza typically has a distinct meter and length from
the strophe and antistrophe, and serves to summarize or conclude the ideas of the
ode.

Nowadays, though no longer sung, the term ode still refers to a type of lyrical
poem that addresses and often praises a certain person, thing, or event.

 The author addresses a person, thing, or event

 Usually has a solemn, serious tone
 Explores universal elements of the theme
 Powerful emotional element, often involving catharsis

Odes written in the classical vein can follow very strict metrical patterns and rhyme
schemes, however, many modern odes are written in free verse involving irregular
rhythm and without adherence to a rhyme scheme.

Epic - is a lengthy, narrative work of poetry. These long poems typically detail
extraordinary feats and adventures of characters from a distant past. The word
“epic” comes from the ancient Greek term “epos,” which means “story, word,
poem.”

How Did Epics Originate?

Epic poems trace back to some of the earliest human civilizations—both European
and Asian. Take the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered by some scholars to be the

32
 oldest surviving example of great literature. The poem is thought to have been
written in approximately 2100 BC and traces back to ancient Mesopotamia. It tells
of the ancient king Gilgamesh, a descendant from the Gods, who embarks on a
journey to discover the secret of immortality.

What Are the Characteristics of an Epic Poem?

The meter of epics varies depending on cultural custom. Ancient Greek epics and
Latin epics were typically composed in dactylic hexameter. Old Germanic epics
(including those in Old English) typically contained non-rhyming alliterative verse.
Later English language epics were written in Spenserian stanzas and blank verse.
An archetypal epic poem typically:

 Is written in a formal style

 Contains third-person narration and an omniscient narrator
 Frequently invokes a Muse who provides inspiration and guidance to the poet
 Takes place in an era beyond the range of any living memory
 Typically includes a journey across a variety of settings and terrains
 Features a hero with immense bravery and resolve
 Includes obstacles and circumstances that are otherworldly and even
supernatural—pitting the hero against nearly insurmountable odds
 Looks with concern to the future of a civilization or culture

4. Sound devices and Figurative Languages

Sound devices are literary elements used in prose and poetry to stress certain sounds
and create musical effects. The writers make their texts vibrant, emotive and pleasing
with the use of these devices. Also, they create pointed and special effects in their
writings that help the readers in understanding the literary piece at a deeper level.
However, the writers intentionally stress some syllables to emphasize sound that
appeals to the readers in a certain way.

There are many types of sound devices. For example:

 Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line.

 Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same
line.
 Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line.
 Onomatopoeia: It refers to the word which imitates the natural sounds of the
things.

For further discussion on Sound devices, you may refer to Module 3.

Figurative language is seen in the literature, especially in the poetry where writers
appeal to the senses of the readers. Through figurative language, writers usually use
specific phrase or word to express something beyond the literal meaning. Sometimes,
figurative language is used to present a comparison in the poetry in an interesting
manner. The use of this type of language is essential when the writers want to give the
readers a detailed insight into the subject of the work. The significance of the figurative
language is noticeable as it allows the writers to relate to the readers.

There are many types of Figurative language and the most commonly used are the
following:

 Metaphor
 Simile
 Personification
 Hyperbole
 Onomatopoeia

For further discussion on Figurative languages, you may refer to Module 3.

33
BLANK VERSE vs FREE VERSE

Despite their similar names, free verse poems and blank verse poems are very different.
Free verse poetry has been popular from the nineteenth century onward and is not
bound by rules regarding rhyme or meter. Blank verse poetry came of age in the
sixteenth century and has been famously employed by the likes of William Shakespeare,
John Milton, William Wordsworth, and countless others. Unlike free verse, it adheres to a
strong metrical pattern.

What Is a Blank Verse Poem?

Blank verse is poetry written with a precise meter—almost always iambic pentameter—
but that does not rhyme.

When a poem is written in iambic pentameter, it means each line contains five iambs—
two syllable pairs in which the second syllable is emphasized.

As an example, consider the opening line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130”:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

With proper iambic emphasis, the line would be read aloud in the following way:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

While Shakespearean sonnets exemplify iambic pentameter, they are not examples of
blank verse. Why? Because Shakespearean sonnets rhyme and blank verse does not.
However, Shakespeare himself wrote extensively in blank verse. He did so in the text of
his plays. Consider Romeo’s famous monologue from Act 2, Scene 2 of Romeo and
Juliet. It begins:

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.

Romeo speaks in blank verse, as he does throughout much of the play’s dramatic
action. If we place iambic emphasis on his first line, it reads:

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

What Is Free Verse Poetry?

Free verse poetry is poetry that lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or
musical form. While free verse poems are not devoid of structure, they allow enormous
leeway for poets, particularly when compared to more metrically strict forms like blank
verse.

Free verse poetry rose to prominence in the nineteenth century. While examples of
unmetered, non-rhyming poetry date back to antiquity, such a style had not been of
notable artistic prominence prior to the late 1800s.

A major touchstone for free verse poets was Leaves of Grass, a collection by the
American poet Walt Whitman. Scholars have called Whitman the “father of free verse”
although he is not known to have used the term himself. Leaves of Grass, which
Whitman continually revised and expanded over the course of 37 years, draws from the
cadences of biblical text.

34
What Are the Origins of Free Verse Poetry?

From Whitman onward, free verse poetry has thrived within the English language canon.
It particularly thrived during the Modernist era of the early twentieth century.
Practitioners included Gertrude Stein (1914’s Tender Buttons contains many free verse
poems); T.S. Eliot (1922’s The Waste Land mixes free verse with blank verse and
rhyming verse); and Ezra Pound. Even Robert Frost, famed for his rhyming poetry,
experimented with free verse during his career.

In France, a parallel poetic form called “vers libre” was also developing. (The term
translates literally as “free verse.”) French poets including Paul Verlaine, Charles
Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé—many of whom had spent much of their careers writing
more rigidly structured poetry—were all affiliated with the “vers libre” movement.

As the twentieth century pushed forward, some free verse poetry began to reclaim
formal structure. Allen Ginsberg famously imposed structure upon free verse with his
1955/1956 poem “Howl.”

Although not bound by rhyme scheme or specific meter, the poem nevertheless
maintains structure through Ginsberg’s use of repeated phrases such as “I’m with you”
or “who…” or “Moloch…”

Example of Free Verse

Twentieth-century free verse took more liberties, as evidenced by modernist William

Carlos Williams. In “Portrait of a Lady” (1920), he sneaks in rhymes (along with semi-
rhymes that are sometimes called “slant rhymes”) and flashes of rhythmic consistency.
Ultimately, however, the poem is its own master; it bows to no preordained rules:

“Portrait of a Lady”

Your thighs are appletrees whose blossoms touch the sky. Which sky? The sky where
Watteau hung a lady's slipper. Your knees are a southern breeze--or a gust of snow.
Agh! what sort of man was Fragonard? --as if that answered anything. Ah, yes--below
the knees, since the tune drops that way, it is one of those white summer days, the tall
grass of your ankles flickers upon the shore-- Which shore?-- the sand clings to my lips--
Which shore? Agh, petals maybe. How should I know? Which shore? Which shore? I
said petals from an apple tree.

What Is the Difference Between Blank Verse and Free Verse in Poetry?

Although their names are similar, blank verse and free verse are decidedly different.
Blank verse is bound by a metrical pattern—almost always iambic pentameter. It has
been an immensely popular form for English language poetry for centuries, spanning
from Shakespeare and Milton to Eliot and Frost.

Free verse has also existed for centuries, but it rose in prominence during the nineteenth
century and remains so to this day. It is not bound by rules of rhyme and meter, although
lines of free verse may be interspersed with more formally structured lines.

Living poets who are writing poetry today are generally unburdened with rules of rhyme
or meter. This effectively makes free verse more popular than ever, but if you look
carefully, many of these supposedly “free” poems may have more structure than meets
the eye.

ANALYZING POETRY

What Is Poetry Analysis?

Poetry analysis is examining the independent elements of a poem to understand

the literary work in its entirety. Analyzing poems line by line allows you to break poems

35
down in order to study their structure, form, language, metrical pattern, and theme. The
purpose of literary analysis is to interpret the meaning of a poem and appreciate it on a
deeper level.

5 Things to Consider When Analyzing Poetry

Poetry involves different elements like language, rhythm, and structure. Together, they
tell a story and create a complexity that is unique to poetic verse. When studying poems
in-depth, look at these individual elements:

Theme: Poetry often conveys a message through figurative language. The central idea
and the subject matter can reveal the underlying theme of a poem.

Language: From word choice to imagery, language creates the mood and tone of a
poem. The way language is arranged also impacts the rhythm of a poem.

Sound and rhythm: The syllabic patterns and stresses create the metrical pattern of a
poem.

Structure: The framework of a poem’s structure affects how it is meant to be read. A

poet sculpts their story around stanzas, line breaks, rhyme patterns, punctuation, and
pauses.

Context: The who, what, where, when, and why of a poem can help explain its purpose.
Look at these elements to discover the context of a poem.

How to Analyze a Poem in 10 Steps

Reading poetry is a rewarding experience in and of itself. But to really see how all of
the elements of a poem work together, you’ll want to study the qualities and
characteristics of each. Follow this step-by-step guide to analyze a poem:
1. Read the poem. The first time you approach a poem, read it to yourself. Go
through it slowly, appreciating the nuances and details you might miss when
reading it quickly. Examine the title of the poem and how it relates to the
meaning of the piece.

2. Read the poem again, this time aloud. Given its rhythmic patterns, poetry is
designed to be read aloud. As you read a poem aloud, listen to how the words
and syllables shape the rhythm. It can also help to hear someone else read the
poem. Look online and find a recording of the poem, if you can. Listen to how
the words flow from line to line, where the breaks are, and where the stress is
placed.

3. Map out the rhyme scheme. You’ll notice right away if a poem has a rhyme
scheme or is written in free verse (i.e. without a rhyme scheme or regular
meter). Map out the rhyming pattern by assigning each line a letter, giving lines
that rhyme the same letter. See if there is a distinct pattern and a formal rhyme
scheme, like terza rima (three-line stanzas with interconnected scheme of ABA
BCB, etc.)

4. Scan the poem. Scansion is how you analyze the meter of poetry based on
the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. Mark each foot—
the basic measurement of a poetic line consisting of one stressed syllable
paired with at least one unstressed syllable. Next, mark the pattern of stresses
throughout the line. Identify the meter based on this information. For
example, a poem written in iambic pentameter will have five feet with a syllabic
pattern of da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM.

5. Break down the structure. Take a step back and look at the poem on the
page. Notice the white space around the words. Poetry is meant to make a
visual statement as well as an emotional one. Look at the details of this
structure—like how many lines are in each stanza. Notice where the line
breaks are. Does the end of every line coincide with the end of the thought? If

36
 not, the poet may be using enjambment, where one line continues into the
next.

6. Determine the form of the poem. In your poem analysis, note what type of
poem you’re reading based on the elements you’ve examined. For example, if
a poem has three quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a couplet, the poem
is a sonnet. Other formal types of poetry include sestina, haiku, and limerick.

7. Study the language in the poem. Poets make deliberate word choices to
craft their poems. Examine each word and its significance in the line and the
poem. How does it contribute to the story? If there are words you don’t know,
look them up. See how the poet plays with language through the use of
metaphors, similes, and figurative language. Note any literary devices used,
like alliteration and assonance, that help sculpt the poem’s language.

8. Study the content of the poem. As you wade through the language of the
poem, look at the content and message of the piece to uncover the theme.
Learn when it was written to learn the historical context of the poem. Find out
where it was written, and what language the poet used. If you’re reading a
translation, see if there are other variations that can show how different
translators interpreted the original work.

9. Determine who the narrator is. Try to identify the speaker of the poem. Is it
told through first-person point of view, second-person, or third-person? What
tone does the narrator convey? The speaker’s identity influences the telling of
the poem based on their personal perspective.

10. Paraphrase the poem line by line. Finally, go through the poem again.
Beginning with the first line, paraphrase each line. In other words, interpret the
meaning, writing down your summary as you go. Once you’ve gone through
the entire piece, read your words to grasp the meaning of the poem.

37
 Self-Check No. 4

Read the poem below and analyze it. Answer the essential questions that follow
for a better analysis of the poem. Use another sheet of paper for this activity.

Still I Rise
BY MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like
teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend
you?
Don't you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I've got gold
mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Maya Angelou, "Still I Rise" from And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems. Copyright © 1978
by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of
Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Essential Questions:

1. Who is the speaker in this poem? What kind of person is he or she?

2. To whom is the speaker speaking, or in other words, who is the audience?
3. What are the situation and setting in time (era) and place?
4. What is the purpose of the poem?
5. State the poem’s central idea or theme in a singular sentence.
6. Are there predominant usages of figurative language? Are there predominant
usages of figurative language? Cite the line/s of the poem that proves the use of
such figurative language.What is the effect?
a. Metaphors
b. Similes
c. Imagery
d. Allusions
e. Personification
f. Symbols

38