Module 2

ELEMENTS OF POETRY:
SOUND
This lesson discusses the literary sound devices of poetry such as rhythm, alliteration,
assonance, consonance, cacophony, and euphony. They are necessary for children to
help them learn phonemic and phonetic elements of language and easily remember
lines easily.

1. RHYTHM
Rhythm is the repetition of sound patterns. It describes the beat or sound
that the poem produces. Rhythm is created in stressing the syllables. Rhythm, is
treated mainly by using letters that produce the same sounds at the end of every
line. This technique is used to captivate the readers with the musical effect of the
poem or literary text. Poets use rhythmic patterns to create emphasis and produce a
pleasant sound.

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of repeated sounds that occur in lines or

stanza of the poem. Observe the rhythm in William Blake’s “Tyger.”

Tyger
Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright,
In the forests of the night’
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy
Fearful symmetry.
2. ALLITERATION
Alliteration is referred to as the initial or head rhyme. It is the use of
conspicuous repetition of consonant sounds in a sequential pattern. In the poem
“Betty Butter” by Mother Goose, the initial sound /b/ is very dominant.

Betty Botter

Betty Botter bought a bit of butter;

“But, she said, “this butter’s bitter!
If I put it in my batter
It will make my batter bitter
But a bit o’better butter
Will make my batter better.”

Then she bought a bit o’ butter

Better than the bitter butter,
Made her bitter batter better.
So ’ twas better Betty Botter
Bought a bit o’ better butter.

3. ASSONANCE
When one says “chips and dip, or keep your eyes on the price,” there is a
lyrical effect created due to the repetition of internal sounds of vowels such as the
/i/ for chips and dip and /ai/ for eyes and price. Assonance refers to the repetition
of vowel sounds. The internal vowel sounds are usually repeated. This is used to
emphasize important words in the poem as well as create a recognizable rhythm. It
allows the writers to create a lyrical effect and enhance the mood, Mother Goose’s
poem “Baa Baa Black Sheep” has a dominant repetition of the /a/ sound.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the master
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

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4. CONSONANCE
When one says “Mike likes his new bike”, the consonant sound /k/ is repeated
which creates a rhythmical effect to the statement. This is an example of consonance.
While assonance is referred to as the repetition of vowel sounds, consonance refers to
the repetition of consonant sounds or the presence of identical consonants in a
sequence of words, the vowels of which are different such as “bed and bad” or “tip and
tap”. The poem of Shel Silverstein’s “The Acrobats has a dominant consonance /ng/ and
(z).

The Acrobats
I'll swing by my ankles
She'll cling to your knees.
As you hang by your nose,
From a high-up trapeze.
But just one thing please,
As we float throught the breeze,
Don’t sneeze.

5. CACOPHONY
Recall a day walking on a busy street, and you hear a combination of
different sounds that are inharmonious and a bit harsh, you hear cacophony sounds.
In literature or poetry, cacophony uses words that give an unmelodious sound to
achieve the desired outcome or create a different rhythmic effect to enhance the
listening experience. Lewis Carroll’s successful use of nonsensible words in the
“Jabberwocky” and Sylvia Plath’s “The Colossus” are examples of successful
cacophony.
The Jabberwocky
“Twas brilig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgabe.

The Colossus
I shall never get to put together entirely,
Pieced, glued, and properly jointed
Mule-bray, pig grunt and bawdy cackles
Proceed from your great lips
It's worse than a barnyard

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6. EUPHONY
Euphony is the opposite of cacophony. It is the use of vowels and consonant
sounds that blend and create a pleasant effect. The semi-vowels and vowels, when
combined with the consonants “I, m, n, f, and y” create euphonious sounds.
Examples are the nursery rhymes “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and Robert Frost's
“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep

7. ONOMATOPOEIA
Onomatopoeia is a sound device that is the careful use of words phonetically
mimics and resembles the sound of nature of the sound that the author intends to
describe. These include machine noises such as “honking, beep clanging”, or the
animal noises like the “cuckooing of Chickens” or the sounds of voice such as the
“shushing, giggling, whining, growling, hissing, whispering. Statements such as the
staircase crackled’, “he gulped down his chicken soup”, “the dogs angrily growled
when they see their enemies” are examples of the use onomatopoeia. The poem by
Gwendolyn Brooks “Cynthia in the Snow” strong onomatopoeia.
Cynthia in the Snow
(Gwendolyn Brooks)
It SHUSHES It hushes
The loudness in the road.
It flitter-twitters,
And laughs away from me.
It laughs a lovely whiteness,

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 And whitely whirls away,
To be Some otherwhere,
Still white as milk or shirts,
So beautiful it hurts.

Generally, the sound elements of poetry are used by authors and poets to
improve the reading experience of children and adolescents and relate more to the
texts.

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Module 3

ELEMENTS OF POETRY:
IMAGERY
Imagery is a technique used by authors, poets, and novelists to communicate feelings,
translate ideas and explore thoughts by creating images in the minds of the readers. It
1s a language used such as metaphorical and figurative. so that readers will pay
attention to words and expressions that capture their senses.
“Her lips tasted as sweet as honey.”
My words thrust like a dagger in my heart.”
Types of Imagery
Authors create images that appeal to the human senses, such as sight, feel, touch, smell,
and hear. These are called visual imagery, auditory, gustatory, tactile, olfactory, and
kinesthetic.

1. VISUAL IMAGERY
Visual imagery is a form of literary imagery which uses different visual and
descriptive elements that appeal to the readers’ see sense of sight. It includes different
shapes, colors, and patterns. The creative use of visual imagery makes the readers see
and imagine the setting, and the scenarios such as the size of the castle, the vastness of
the field, the greeneries, the beautiful sunset, the muddy roads, etc. Authors use
figurative language such as simile to provide a direct comparison, metaphors to
describe images, personification to see actions or construct mental images. William
Words worth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” uses the personification of the
dancing daffodils and simile to compare his loneliness to the cloud. These images create
an appeal to the readers’ sense of sight and allow the readers to see what the poet wants
the readers to see.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

(William Wordsworth)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high der vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze

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2. AUDITORY IMAGERY
Through the use of auditory imagery, the readers hear the sounds that the author
wants to convey. The use of music, the silence or harsh noise, the pleasant sounds are
used for the literary piece to appeal to the readers’ senses. The author may use
onomatopoeia to mimic the sounds of nature. They also use alliteration assonance, and
other sound devices to create a pleasant auditory experience while reading. In John
Keats’ “To Autumn, he personified autumn as a musician singing with background
surrounding and wildlife, which creates a perceptible sound.

To Autumn
(John Keats)

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay where are thev?

Think not of the thou hast thy music too,
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue,
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river shallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

3. GUSTATORY IMAGERY
Gustatory Imagery is poetic imagery that seeks the readers to savor the taste such as
the sourness, the saltiness, the sweetness, the spiciness of the described images.
Gustatory imagery appeals to the sense of taste of the readers. The gustatory imagery
allows the readers to recall their experiences while reading and use their sense of
memory to live to the experiences. William Carlos William’s “This Is Just to Say”
described the vivid taste of the plums.

This Is Just To Say

(William Carlos William)

I have eaten the plums

That were in the icebox
And which you were probably saving
For breakfast
Forgive me
They were delicious
So sweet
And so cold.

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4. TACTILE IMAGERY
Tactile imagery describes what the readers touch or feel when reading. Tactile
imagery appeals to the sense of touch of the readers. These include temperature such as
“the bitter cold” or “the stifling heat.” It also involves the use of texture, such as “the
rough surface” or “the soft hands.” The authors also allow the readers to experience
physical sensation. John Keats’s “To Autumn” contains words that make the readers
experience the warmth of summer, the roughness of the floor, and the softness of the
hair, as shown in the lines below.
To Autumn
(John Keats)

Until they. think warm days will never cease,

For summer has o’ er-brimm ’d they clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or in a half-reap ’d furrow sound asleep.

5. OLFACTORY IMAGERY
Olfactory imagery is the use of poetic imagery to allow the readers to smell. It includes
the use of fragrances such as the smell of a blooming flower, or the orders of a rotting
corpse, or the stink of a wet dog. Olfactory imagery appeals to the readers’ sense of
smell. H. W. Longfellow uses olfactory imagery to allow the readers to experience the
scent caused by rainfall by inhaling the scent of gale and the watered smoking soil.
Rain
(H.W. Longfellow)

They silently inhale

The cover-scented gale,
And the vapors that arise
From the well-watered smoking soil.

6. KINESTHETIC IMAGERY
Kinesthetic imagery is the use of imagery to allow the reader to feel the sense of motion.
It includes the sensation caused by the sudden jolt of a stopping a vehicle or the use of
sudden movements. Kinesthetic imagery is the cognitive creation of a sense of
movement that makes the readers feel the physical motion ‘when reading. The following
expressions contain kinesthetic imagery: “the beating of the heart”, “running of his hand
through her hair, the swaying to the tunes of the melody”, the trailing of fingers on the

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 pages of the book” and others. W. Wordsworth’s “I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud” shows,
the movement of the daffodils.
I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud
(W. Wordsworth)
Continuous as the stars the shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in springhtly dance.

7. ORGANIC IMAGERY
Organic imagery is the poetic use of words or expressions that make the reader feel
and experience different emotions. Using organic imagery, authors can communicate
internal sensations to the readers. These include the sense of hunger and thirst, love
and hate or fear, the despair, the hopelessness or pain. Organic imagery uses language
to make the readers relate to the physical experience written in the text. In Robert
Frost’s “Birches,” he communicated the feeling of exhaustion to the readers through his
careful use of organic imagery.

Birches
(Robert Frost)

So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.
It’s when I’m weary of consideration,
And life is too much like a pathless wood.

Ultimately, the use of imagery allows children to see the images described by the
authors and poets. This will help them activate their imagination and creativity and
develop their grasp of the content of the literature.

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Module 4

CATEGORIES OF CHILDREN AND

ADOLESCENT LITERATURE:
POETRY FOR CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS

Providing children opportunity to access a variety of reading materials it extremely

important for their development and success. Children’s literature supports students’
growth in emotional intelligence. Stories have the influence to ‘promote expressive and
moral advancement. Children’s literature offers a pathway for students to study about
their cultural tradition and the values of other people. Jt is vital for children to acquire
these values for personal and social development.

Poetry is a genre of literature that utilizes an artistic use of sound devices and
figurative language to paint meaningful pictures and meaning. It evokes an emotional
response through the use of creative language and symbolism. Poets usually hide
meanings in words and images, so readers and students will develop critical thinking in
trying to feel the words and locate meaning using their human experience, Poetry is
vital for young readers since it helps them to enjoy reading through the use of rhythmic
patterns. Poetry reading motivates students to develop their literacy skills, enhance
their vocabulary by being exposed to new and unfamiliar words and build phonemic
awareness Ultimately, poetry develops children’s essential skills and makes them
potential strong readers and writers. Teaching poetry is necessary for every classroom
It aids students in understanding ideas and respects different perspectives.

The general characteristics of poetry include:

 creative way of writing and expressing and does not necessarily follow strict
grammatical structures;
 deliberate rhythmical patterns and metric structures (in traditional poetry);
 stronger visual characteristics with a deliberate line break,
 apparent use of sound devices,
 grouping of ideas into stanzas,
 a limited number of words,
 aesthetic appeal

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  creative expression of feelings, imaginations, and meaning and
 needs more reading and reflecting .

TYPES OF POETRY FOR CHILDREN AND

ADOLESCENTS

The types of poetry for children and adolescents include nursery rhymes, haiku,
limerick, narrative poems, calligram poems, kenning poems, free verse, and sonnets.

1. NURSERY RHYMES
Nursery rhymes are part of the oral traditions presented in short verses or bongs
that are often memorized or sung by children. They are mostly marked by rhymes and
rhythm but vary in style, tone, and theme. The popularity of nursery rhymes coincided
with the rise of popularity of children’s literature, especially during the 18 th and 19th
centuries. It is interchangeable with Mother Goose rhymes when the fairy tales of
Charles Perrault, a French author, were translated to English as the “Tales of Mother
Goose". A few of the famous Mother Goose nursery rhymes include the popular “Are You
Sleeping”, “Cock A Doodle Do", “Georgie Porgie”, “Itsy Busy Spider", “Little Boo-Peep",
“Mary Had a Little Lambs, “Ring A-Round Rosie”, etc.
Mary had a Little Lamb Ring a-Round Rosie
Mary had a little lamb, Ring-a-round the Rosie,
Its fleece was white as snow, yeah. A pocket full of posies.
Everywhere the child went, Ashes! Ashes!
The little lamb was sure to go, yeah. We all fall down!

He followed her to school one day, The cows in the meadows

And broke the teacher's rule. Eating buttercups
What a time did they have, A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
That day at school. We all jump up.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Little Bo-Peep
“The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
water spout.
And doesn’t know where to find
Down came the rain,
them;
and washed the spider out.
Leave them alone,
Out came the sun,
And they'll come home,
and dried up all the rain,
Wagging their tails behind them.
and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the
spout again”

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 Nursery rhymes are ubiquitous parts of children’s literature. They are
intended for pre-school children or those who are not yet attending schools to introduce
sounds and syllables in developing their listening or familiarization with words in a
creative way, learning the alphabet, and improving the children’s speaking skills,
Nursery rhymes are often illustrated, which allows better cognition among children.
Since behaviorism (B.F. Skinner) is an effective approach in language learning and
acquisition and in teaching nursery rhymes, teachers need to focus of repetition and
imitation by allowing the students to listen to the song and asking them to repeat. It
would be good to emphasize the proper syllabication and accurate articulation of the
sounds. Children may also include actions while singing to make learning more
enjoyable.

2. HAIKU
Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetry written in tight syllabic structures with
seventeen syllables in three lines. There are five syllables in the first line, seven syllables
in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. Haiku poems do not usually rhyme
and are written primarily in the present tense. Juxtaposition is usually the technique
used in writing Haiku embedded in the metaphor and personification.
The themes are mostly related to seasonal or natural phenomena.
Few examples of Haiku include Matsuo Basho’s “The Old Pond,” Kobayashi Issa’s “A
World of Dew,” Natsume Soseki's “Over the Wintry,” and Ravi Shankar's “Lines on a
Skull.”
The Old Pond A World of Dew
(Matsuo Basho) (Kobayashi Issa)

An old silent pond A world of dew,

A frog jumps into the pond And within every dewdrop
Splash! Silence again. A world of struggle.

Over the Windtry Lines on a Skull

(Natsume Soseki) (Ravi Shankar)

Over the Wintry Life’s little, our heads sad

Forest, winds howl in rage Redeemed and wasting clay
With no leaves to blow. this chance. Be of use.

Since haiku is a short form of poetry, it is ideal to use haiku in the first to third
grade, especially in emphasizing syllabication. Not only that reading haiku allows the
students to be exposed to a short and less complicated form of poetry, it also helps them
exercise creativity and practice the use of language in writing short poetry. Exposing
children to haiku will also give them a good perspective on other cultures, especially
that of the Japanese. In teaching haiku, it would be good to allow students to describe

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 nature creatively by asking questions such as “What feeling does green give you?”, then
allow students to describe their feelings in three lines, using the haiku structure.

3. LIMERICK
Limerick can be traced back to the early 17" century as preserved folk songs whose
popularity increased during the 18" century. It was popularized by the British poet
Edward Lear who is considered the father of limerick. He featured seventy-two
limericks in his published book “The Book of Nonsense.”
Limerick is a humorous type of short poem; it seeks to entertain readers. It has five
lines with the rhyming scheme “aabba.” The dominant meter for limerick is anapestic
with metrical fee in the third and fourth lines “da dum da da dum.” The first, second, and
fifth lines have three anapests “da dum da da dum da da dum,” They also contain seven
to ten syllables with the expected verbal rhythm.
Examples of Limerick include “There was a Ying Lady of Station” by Lewis Caroll,
“There Was an Old Man with Beard” by Edward Lear, “There Was a Small Boy of
Quebec” by Rudyard Kipling, and “Langford Reed Saved the Limerick Verse” by George
Bernard Shaw.
There Was a Young Lady of Station There Was a Small Boy of Quebec
(Lewis Caroll) (Rudyard Kipling)

There was a young lady of station
“I love man” was her sole exclamation
But when me cried, “You flatter”
Shee replied, “Oh! No matter!
Isle of Man is the true explanation.
There was a small boy Quebec,
Who was buried in snow to his neck;
When they saud, “Are you frizz?”
He replied, “Yes, I is –
But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.

There Was an Old Man with a Beard
(Edward Lear)
There was an Old Man with a beard
Who said, “It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Lacks and a Wren
Have all built their nests in my beard!”
Langford Reed Saved the Limereck
Verse
(Rudyard Kipling)
Langford Reed saved the limerick verse
From being taken away in a hearse.
He made it so clean
Now it’s fit for a queen,
Re-established for better or worse.

A limerick is a good material in teaching grade-school students about rhymes,

meter, and rhythm. Since it does not require heavy loadings on figurative language, it
would be an appropriate material for training students to write poems. When training
students to write a limerick, teachers need to ask the students to tell a story that is

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 absurd or humorous. In telling the story, the portrayed character is expected to be
mentioned in the first line. A punch or twist is a popular method in ending the poem.

4. CALLIGRAM POEMS

A calligram is a type of poem created not only to be read and spoken, but also
viewed and admired. The term calligram was invented by Guillaume Apollinaire in
1918, anchored on Greek words “calli” or beautiful, and “gram” means “something
written.” Calligrams are poems that use creative arrangement of words to create a
visual impact. The verses are designed in different shapes and forms that manifest the
message of the poem. This unique feature of the calligram makes this type of poem
appealing and popular among adolescents. It helps students to be creative in the use of
words, rhythmic patterns, and figurative language. It helps students in learning new
words. It gives them more fun and engaging experience, and allows them to process
information and understand meaning easily. Examples of Calligram are “East Wings’ by
George Herbert and “The Mouse’s Tale” by Lewis Carroll.

The Mouse’s Tale

Calligram poems link visual and literary art. Exposing the students to calligram
poems motivates them to weave together their skills on both words and visual designs.
In the process, their creativity will be unlocked. To write a calligram poem, students can
choose a topic or theme and list all words that are associated with the theme. Then, try
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 to pair words that rhyme and arrange the words to form an image that is related to the
topic. Although calligrams are designed to illustrate the message, they can be
purposively designed to show contradiction of the image created and the text. Writing a
calligram would be good for the students to hone their creative and critical thinking
skills.

5. NARRATIVE POEMS
A narrative poem is a type of poem that narrates a story. Like a story, it contains a
beginning. It is a story told by a narrator. It features the elements of a story that includes
characters, conflict, plot, and theme. It is written in verse and contains meter and
rhyme; although some narrative poems are written in blank verse, the traditional
narrative poem uses the ABCB rhyme scheme. It also includes poetic elements such as
figurative language. Narrative poems are design to be read aloud and with emotion.
Examples of narrative poems include “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “No
Prince Needed” by Jennifer Betts.
Excerpt of The Raven
(Edgar Allan Poe)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“Tis some visitor,”’ I muttered, “‘tapping at my chamber door
Only this and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought it ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; — vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow— for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore
Nameless here for evermore.

No Prince Needed
(Jennifer Betts)

Princes Eva waited so long.

She wondered if the fairy had been wrong.
Trapped in the castle was she.
How could this be.
The witch cackled he’Il never come.
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 The prince is a bum.
Princess Eva just sighed sadly.
Maybe she didn’t want this so badly.
Looking out the window.
She was tired of being in limbo.
When the witch went to sleep.
The princess decided to creep.
Right down the stairs.
Who cares?
She thought with a smile.
I'm leaving this castle, princess style.
Who needs a prince? She thought.
I've just got to rely on me.

Narrative poems are great pieces to reinforce students’ understanding of the

elements of a story in poetry. This exposes students to poetry and enhances their
creativity, vocabulary command, and writing skills. Narrative poems also serve as good
materials for dramatic performances.

6. KENNING POEMS
Kenning poems are children’s literature originally from the Old Norse verse. A
kenning poem features poetic compounds or the combination of two words to form a
poetic expression that points to a thing or a person. A few of these poetic compounds
used in our daily speeches are “ankle biter,” “bookworm,” “brown noser,” etc. The
compounds of kenning poems are associated with the attributes of the original nouns or
related to the metaphorical meaning of the words’ thus a kenning poem is referred to as
“compressed metaphor.” Kenning poems contain two words that are joined by a
hyphen. The two words are usually a combination of noun and noun or noun and verb.
Kenning’s poems generally describe an object in detail, the characteristics of which is
similar to riddles.
Bone Dreams
The Seafarer
(Seamus Heaney)
(Ezra Pound)

May I for my own self song’s truth reckon, “… and its yellowing, ribbed
Journey’s jargon, how I in harsh days Impression in the grass —
Hardship endured oft. -a small ship-burial.
Bitter breast-cares have I abided, As dead as stone,
Known on my keel many a care’s hold; flint-find, nugget
And dire sea-surge, and there I oft spent. of chalk,
I touch it again,
That he on dry land loveliest liveth, I wind it in
List how I, care-wretched, on ice-cold sea,
Weathered the winter, wretched outcast the sling of mind
Deprived of my kinsmen; to pitch it at England
Over the whale’s acre, would wander wide and follow its drop
Eager and ready, the crying lone-flyer, to strange fields …
Whets for the whale-path the heart irresistibly.” bone-house:
a skeleton

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 Bone Dreams The Oven Bird
(Seamus Heaney) (Robert Frost)

“Listen, I will tell the best of versions, “There is a singer everyone has heard,
What came to me in the middle of the night, Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,
When Voice-bearers dwelled in the rest. Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again,
It seemed to me that I saw a more wonderful three… He says that leaves are old and that for flowers
That beacon was entirely… likewise there were five Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.
Upon the cross-bean. All those fair thorough creation, He says the early petal-fall is past
Wondrous was victory-tree, and I stained with sins, When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers
Kenning poems feature the unique use of words to
Ondescribe
sunny days ana moment
alternative, richer
overcast...”
Wounded with guilts. . .”
meanings. It makes a language more animated broader vocabulary. To train students to
write kenning poems: asking them to think of a series of kennings about a particular
them into a piece of poetry.

7. FREE VERSE
Free verse poems are free in form translated from the French word “verse libre.”
Among the poets who started free verse are Walt Whitman who wrote poems with
irregular meters Whitman’s poetic style became a standard in the 20" century. Free
verse poems do not follow specific rhythmic patterns OF rhyme schemes. Regular
pauses and irregular line length can be observed in free verse poems. Although there
are no specific rules followed in writing free verse, it still uses literary devices such as
alliteration, assonance, internal rhyme, repetition, and metaphor.
Examples of free verse include Kelly Roper’s “Am I Not Good Enough?,” Carl
Sandburg’s “Fog,” and Walt Whitman’s “After the Sea-Ship.”
Endless Self-Doubt Fog Fog
(Kelty Roper) (Carl Sandburg)

“Am I good enough? “The fog comes

I’m not really sure. on little cat feet.
In fact, I’m sure I’m probably not.
What made me think I could write this poem? It sits looking
Everyone will laugh at it when they read it, Over harbor and city
Or worse, they will be silent and hold their criticism in. On silent haunches
Or worse yet, they'll say exactly what they think and I'll be crushed. And then moves on.”
Or worst of all, they'll tell me it's great but not mean it.
And even if they truly loveit, I’ll still wonder if it’s good enough.”

After the Sea-Ship

(Walt Whitman)

“AFTER the Sea-Ship--after the whistling winds;

After the white-gray sails, taut to their spars and ropes,
Belo, a myriad, myriad waves, hastening, lifting up their necks,
Tending in ceaseless flow toward the track of the ship:
Waves of the ocean, bubbling and gurgling, blithely prying,
17 Waves, undulating waves--liquid, uneven, emulous waves,
Toward that whirling current, laughing and buoyant, with curves,
Where the great Vessel, sailing and tacking, displaced the surface;”
 Writing free verse gives students more freedom to structure their poems and
choose their words and more opportunity in conveying their message. In short, it allows
students to think and imagine freely. Further, it allows the students to practice using
poetic devices and patterned elements of sounds, choices of words, phrases, and
sentences. Techniques in teaching free verse include oral reading, analyzing sound
devices, imagery and themes, and free verse writing.

8. SONNET
Originated in Italy in the 13 century by the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch and
popularized by English poets Shakespeare, Milton, and Donne. Sonnet poems are one of
the eldest and most traditional types of creative writing. The main types are the
Petrarchan, the Shakespearean, and the Spencerian sonnets. Sonnet poems consist of
fourteen lines, a combination of octave or two quatrains of 8 lines, and a sestet or a
stanza of six lines. The fourteen lines consist of iambic pentameter, with ten syllables
per line intricately linked to the rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme is “abab, cdcd, efef,
gg.” The final part of a sonnet is two lines long called the couplet, which is rhymed “gg.”
Death Not Be Proud
(John Donne)

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasures; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote her Name How do I Love Thee (Sonnet 43)
(Edmund Spenser) (Elizabeth Barrette Browning)

One dav I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey,
“Vain man,” said she, “that dost in vain assay,
A mortal thing so to immortalize;
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How I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet night, by sun and candle-night.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wiped out likewise.”
“Not so,” (quod 1) “let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your vertues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write vour glorious name:
Where when as death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.”

Shall I Compare Thee to the Summers Day (Sonnet 18)

(William Shakespeare)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperature.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand rest in his shade,

Sonnets are good material for teaching adolescents because of their poetic nature
and style in writing. Properly grasping the meaning requires significant intellectual
deftness, which allows students to think outside the box and read between the lines. It
can help adolescents to prepare for life and explore the complicated human experience.
Further, sonnets express deep emotions with themes including faith, love, desires,
suffering, and hope. Reading and writing sonnets will develop students’ poetic
inclinations and abilities in writing.

The seven types of poetry including nursery rhymes, haiku, sonnet, limerick,
kenning, free verse, narrative, and calligram are suitable materials for teaching children
and adolescents about literature, specifically poetry.

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