Lyric Poetry

An introduction with a romanticism twist

Song lyrics

On a separate sheet, write down your

favorite song lyric (if it is explicit, make
sure you use *** to indicate that). In about
a sentence, explain what is so appealing
to you about that song lyric.
What is Lyric Poetry?

Lyric poetry expresses the personal

thoughts and feelings of a single speaker.
Have a melodious, song like structure
Use imagery, sound devices, and figurative
language

“Poetry . . . is. . . a speaking picture

. . . ” —Sir Philip Sidney
Figurative Language
Simile: comparing two apparently unlike
things, using like or as
Metaphor: comparing two apparently
unlike things without using like or as
Personification: giving human traits to
something nonhuman
Oxymoron: juxtaposing two opposite or
contradictory words that reveal an
interesting truth
Sound Devices
 Repetition: repeated use of sounds, words, phrases, or
sentences. Poets use repetition for emphasis as well as
to create a musical effect. There are three popular
devices that rely on repetition:
“The “a fair breeze
frightful
 Alliteration: ofblew,
repetitionfiend / the white
Doth
initial consonant sounds foal
close
flew…” “The
“With
 Consonance: western
heavy
repetition of wave
thump,
final wasa
consonant all
lifeless
sounds
behind…”
aflame.”
 Assonance: repetition of similar vowel sounds
 Rhyme:lump,…”
repetition of sounds at the ends of words.
 End rhyme is the most common type of rhyme, which occurs
when rhyming words appear at the ends of lines.
 Internal rhyme occurs when rhyming words appear within
the same line.
 Onomatopoeia: use of words that imitate sounds—for
example, words like ring, boom, and growl.
 Lyrical Ballads
Poetry is….
is
“the spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings.”

Coleridge and Wordsworth

Ignoring the “love element” for a
moment…
What makes this line romantic?
Focus on individual emotion
Comparison and link to nature

My love for you is like a red,

red, rose
The Natural Element

Comparisons are often made to nature…

why?
“Nature” a creative and controlling force in the
universe
An inner force or the sum of such forces in an
individual.
Okay, so what makes it Lyrical?

Expresses the thoughts and emotions of

one speaker…
“MY”
First person
Words and emotions create the tone of
the poem
What is the tone?
What techniques are used?

Simile or Metaphor?
Imagery?
Alliteration?
Rhyme?
What words are used?

Love
Red
Rose
 COMPARISON
LOVE ROSE
Can you replace any of the words and
achieve the same effect?
Yellow, white, pink?
Tulip, daffodil, lily?
Like, hate, tolerate?
So…how do words hold
power?
Explain.
A Red, Red Rose
Robert Burns
Listen to the poem…
Identify the techniques used to
make the musical quality.
Now, Listen to the musical
tune
Burns’ poem as an old Scottish
ballad.
Is it what you expected?
Explain.
Does the tone change when
music is added?
Explain.
GUESS WHAT! Now you get to practice
using words with power! Yahoooooooo!
Step 1: Fill in the following sentence stem
choosing appropriate words to go in the
blanks
My _________ for ___________ is like a(n)
(emotion) (noun)

_________ __________.
(adjective) (noun from nature)
STEP 2: You can either…
Write a 4 line poem Write an 8 line poem
and a 2-3 sentence using at least 2 sound
interpretation of your devices.
poem using
vocabulary related to
our
romanticism s e y
W ! U
R R O l y!
M O wi s e
: T O t i m e
Du e s s
cla