Poetry

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew

from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it learned
to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its
dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from
concrete when no one else ever cared.
The 3 Ts: Theme,
Tone and
Technique
1. Theme
.
Main idea or message of the
poem.

Check title of poem and first and last

few lines for clues
2. Tone
Feelings or attitude of the speaker of the
poem that come across through the words
that the poet chooses.

Check language of poem. Is it happy or sad? Do

the words sound harsh or smooth? Are the
images bright and colourful or depressing?
3. Technique
What ‘tools’ does the poet use
when writing the poem?

Imagery (Word pictures)

Imagery
⚫ Contrast
By using contrast the poet highlights the differences between two things.
E.g. ‘You grow up both and neither / belong everywhere and nowhere.’
⚫ Simile
A simile says that something is like or similar to something else.
It’s a comparison using like or as.
E.g. ‘He fought like a tiger, His skin felt as cold as ice’.
⚫ Metaphor
A metaphor says that something is something else
A metaphor is a comparison without using like or as
E.g. ‘Love is a battlefield’.
⚫ Personification
The attribution of human characteristics to a non-human thing
E.g. ‘Slowly, silently, now the moon/ Walks the night in her silver shoon: /
This way and that she peers and sees…’
⚫ Symbolism or Allegory
A type of image that stands for something else
E.g. ‘Two roads diverged in yellow wood / I took the one less travelled by’.
In this poem the roads in the wood symbolise life and the different
choices that people make.
3. Technique
The sounds of poetry: aural
images – the sounds the words make
when read aloud are also very effective.
Sounds
⚫ Repetition of words, whole lines, refrains or stanzas highlights key points
that the poet is making.
⚫ Rhythm
The beat or pace of a poem (fast, slow). Rhythm allows the poet to
emphasise key words.
⚫ Rhyme
The repetition of similar sounding words, often at the end of lines.
⚫ Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sound one after the other or closely
connected.
E.g. Around the ragged rock, the ragged rascal ran.
⚫ Assonance
The repetition of the same vowel sound.
⚫ Onomatopoeia
When the word used sounds like the noise it describes.
E.g. Bang! Boom! Clatter, rattle, hiss…..
Enjambment

⚫Enjambment (run-on lines) occurs when

there is no punctuation at the end of a line
or stanza (verse) requiring the reader to
move to the next line without pausing.
⚫Enjambment can add anticipation,
complexity and momentum to a poem.
The Poet X

⚫https://youtu.be/mrd1Yy32VBo (The Poet

X p. 76 “Spoken Word” 26.38)
⚫p.107 and p. 191
Writing and Performing Poetry

⚫https://youtu.be/ZgPWukdCyng
(Elizabeth Acevedo, 7 mins)
https://youtu.be/3YcB0bauwC8
(Writing – Simon Mole, 10 mins)
https://youtu.be/MJ22maeHCZw
(Performing - Simon Mole, 6 mins)
⚫12 Of The Best Slam Poetry Performances
To Leave You In Awe (bookriot.com)