Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Lesson 1.3
Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Poetry
Contents
Introduction 1

Learning Objectives 2

Let’s Begin 2

Discover 4
Structure of Poetry 4
The Stanza 4
Types of Poetry 4
Structural Types of Poetry 5
Elements of Poetry 6
Comparison with Fiction and Creative Nonfiction 11

Wrap-Up 13

Try This! 13

Practice Your Writing Skills 14

Bibliography 17
Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Lesson 1.3

Conventions, Elements, and

Techniques of Poetry

Introduction
In a previous lesson, we learned that while creative nonfiction and poetry do not have
many elements in common, they do share the use of figurative language with each other.
Both use creative imagery to create new and deeper meanings with the words that they
use. In texts that use different kinds of figures of speech, the words you read don’t always
have a single meaning. That is how creative nonfiction can show readers an overarching
theme in what seems like mundane events in their lives and how poetry can say so much in
only a few stanzas. Aside from this, what are the other elements of poetry? How does it
compare to fiction? How else can our knowledge of poetry help us write creative
nonfiction?

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Learning Objectives DepEd Learning Competencies

In this lesson, you should be able to do the
following:
● Describe the major conventions,
elements, and techniques of
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do
the following:
● Identify dominant literary conventions of a
particular genre.
● Analyze and interpret the theme and
techniques used in a particular text

poetry. (HUMSS_CNF11/12-1b-d-4).
● Create samples of the different literary
● Compare and contrast with elements based on one’s experience (e.g.,
conventions, elements, and metaphor to describe an emotion)

techniques of fiction. (HUMSS_CNF11/12-1b-d-4).

Let’s Begin

A Brief Look at Poetry 10 minutes

Poetry has long been a familiar form of literature to many people, but how familiar are we
with its elements and the techniques it employs? Let’s use this sample poem to see for
ourselves.

Instructions
1. Read the poem below.
2. Recall the elements of poetry and identify them in the poem.
3. Analyze the poem and find its theme and any imagery it used.

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The Desolate Field

William Carlos Williams

Vast and grey, the sky

simulacrum:
is a simulacrum
(noun) an
to all but him whose days
insubstantial form
are vast and grey, and—
or semblance of
In the tall, dried grasses
something
a goat stirs
with nozzle searching the ground.
—my head is in the air
but who am I...?
And amazed my heart leaps
at the thought of love
vast and grey
yearning silently over me.

Guide Questions
1. What elements of poetry were you able to identify?
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2. What imagery and figurative language did the poem use?

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3. How did the poem use its imagery and figurative language to develop the overall
theme?
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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

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Discover
Let’s take a closer look at poetry and its elements. We’ll explore how they are used in poems
and how they can be emulated in creative nonfiction, as well as compare poetry’s elements
to those of the previous genre discussed, fiction.

How does familiarity with the elements and conventions

of poetry help in writing creative nonfiction?

Structure of Poetry
As discussed before, most poems structurally look nothing like works of fiction and creative
nonfiction. They are usually much shorter and are organized differently from prose works
like short stories and essays.

The Stanza
Poems are typically written with stanzas. A stanza is a series of poetic lines grouped
together and separated from other groups of lines using a skipped line. These stanzas can
then come in different lengths, ranging from as few as two lines to even eight or more.

Think of stanzas as akin to the paragraph in works of fiction or nonfiction. When lines are
grouped together in a stanza, that means these lines contribute to the main point of the
stanza, in the same way sentences in a paragraph discuss a particular main idea.

Types of Poetry
Poetry can also come in many different forms and types. Most of them use lines and
stanzas, but their general theme and topic may vary depending on the type.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

One example of a poetic type is lyric poetry. This type of poetry focuses on the thoughts
and emotions of the poet or the persona. Because of this, lyric poetry tends to be personal
and introspective.

Another type of poetry is narrative poetry, which is a kind of poetry that focuses on
storytelling. Poems written this way follow a plot and may have its elements, like rising
action, a climax, a conflict, and more. These poems might even have characters, just like in
prose texts, in order to move the plot.

The third type of poetry is descriptive poetry. This type of poetry usually employs rich
imagery to describe the world around the poet or persona. It is similar to lyric poetry except
that the focus of descriptive poetry is on the things outside of the narrator instead of their
emotions and thoughts.

Structural Types of Poetry

Aside from these types of poetry, poems can also follow specific structural types. These
structural types usually follow different rules and conventions on the length of the poem,
number of lines per stanza, the number of syllables per line, the rhyme scheme of the
overall poem, the specific topic of the poem, and more.

An example of a poetry form that has a specific structure is the haiku, a Japanese style that
only has one stanza composed of three lines, with the first and last line having five syllables
and the second having seven.

One structural type that has more specific rules is the Shakespearean form of poetry.
These poems have three stanzas with four lines each and the fourth stanza with only two
lines. The first three stanzas have an alternating rhyming scheme, while the two lines of the
fourth stanza rhyme with each other.

Some structural types are more focused on the topic of the poem, like the elegy, for
example. An elegy doesn’t have to follow any specific structural conventions, but it should
talk about a particular subject: death. To elaborate, it should be a poem that reflects on
death or someone who died. Its simple rule is that it should be separated into three parts:

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

an expression of grief, followed by praises for the person who passed away, and then a
consolation.

These are just a few examples of the different structural types of poetry. In this regard, it is
similar to creative nonfiction because creative nonfiction is more than just memoirs and
essays. Just as there are many forms and types of poetry, there are also many types of
creative nonfiction like an autobiography, a blog, and more.

Elements of Poetry
Since we are jumping off a discussion on the structure of poetry, let us first discuss the
elements of poetry that are closely related to structure.

First, there is rhythm and meter. Rhythm is how the syllables in a line of poetry are
stressed and unstressed. Everyday speech has rhythm, but there is a conscious choice to
arrange and highlight particular rhythms and rhythm patterns to create a meter in poetry.
Meter refers to specific syllabic patterns in the rhythm of a line of poetry.

Poetry is often also concerned with rhyme. As mentioned earlier, some structural types of
poetry have rhyme schemes.

Rhyme is made when two words have similar sounds, like in words cat and pat. When the
last words of two lines in poetry rhyme, this is called end rhyme. When the rhyming
happens between two words within the same line, this is called internal rhyme. Slant or
approximate rhyme occurs when there is only a suggestion of a rhyme and not an exact
one, as in words trait and write.

A rhyme scheme is the larger pattern of rhyming in a poem. Rhyme schemes are usually
indicated by a letter pattern where a letter represents a rhyme, as in ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
for Shakespearean poems. Different structures of poems generally have different rhyme
schemes, and the rhyming indicated in these patterns is usually end rhymes. However,
some structural types also pay attention to the internal or slant rhymes that can be found in
the poem.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Aside from the various kinds of rhyming, poets may also use other sound patterns like
assonance, consonance, and alliteration. Assonance is when vowel sounds are repeated,
usually two or more times in short succession. For example, dream team or ground and
pound. Consonance, on the other hand, is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same
way as assonance. For example, odds and ends, or it’s about time. Alliteration is the repetition
of starting consonant sounds in consecutive or nearby words. For instance, quick question or
Silver Surfer. Some combinations of words can be a mix of any of these three.

Check Your Progress

Why do you think rhyme and rhythm are important elements in
poetry but are not as important in fiction and creative nonfiction?
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In poetry, the voice of the poem is also important. The voice here refers to the speaker and
the tone of the poem.

Speaker is simply the narrator of the poem. Note that even though a poem might be
written in the first person, that doesn’t necessarily mean the narrator is automatically the
poet. The speaker of the poem could be a persona, a different person from the poet. This is
similar to how fiction has a character narrate a story in the first person. Tone is the
speaker’s implied attitude toward its subject. It is an observation we make based on the
details of a poem's language, such as the use of meter and rhyme, the inclusion of certain
kinds of details and exclusion of others, the choice of words and sentence patterns, and of
imagery and figurative language. Some possible tones are praise, cynicism, fear, disinterest,
amazement, disgust, passion, disappointment, and more. Tone has a lot to do with
meaning. For example, the description of a person would vary greatly depending on how the
poet or the persona sees the person.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Poetry shares tone with fiction and creative nonfiction, as it also describes how the topic or
theme is viewed in these genres. In fiction, it might give hints on how the characters or the
narrator feels about certain people, places, or the overall theme of the story. In creative
nonfiction, the tone could convey how the author feels about particular events in his or her
life.

Writing Tip
It is important to keep the tone consistent in any literary work.
Always be mindful of the tone you want to express in your writing
and establish it early to help you choose your words and imagery.

A big part of establishing tone is your choice of words and imagery. Aside from that, these
also help you establish the theme of your poem when writing. So, diction, imagery, figures
of speech, symbolism, and allegory are all important elements of poetry.

Diction simply refers to word choice and is closely tied to imagery and figures of speech
because you choose words based on the sensory, emotional, or intellectual effect that they
can achieve. Your choices should match the tone and theme you are going for. For example,
your choice of words can affect how the persona in a poem travels. Simply walking is
different from if you describe his or her movement as wandering about or sauntering. Each
word suggests a different attitude, image, or connection. As a poet, you should explore the
possibilities with your word choices. Find ways to broaden the meaning of other words and
connect them to other words and images. For example, putting words in contexts different
from their usual creates metaphors because the word suggests one meaning and the
context another.

Word choices create images, which are what we perceive with our senses or understand
with our minds. Imagery refers to related but not necessarily the same details. When images
connect to these similar details that present your readers with a different idea or feeling
from what the images describe, they become metaphorical or symbolic. For example, one of
the most commonly used images in poetry and even some prose works and songs is the

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

rose. The rose is, of course, a red flower with thorns on its stem. More than that, it has also
become a symbol for beauty and loveliness because of its appearance, but also for pain and
even treachery because of its thorns. This jump from the literal image to its symbolic
counterpart comes from interpretation and analysis.

Symbolism and allegory is the widespread or extended use of metaphor. When we use a
single metaphor to frame an entire poem or even story, we have begun using allegory. If the
poet uses a metaphor that has often been used in a particular way, like the rose example
from earlier, then that is symbolism. However, symbolism can also refer to any use of an
object, person, or place that represents something beyond itself. The symbolic
representation always depends on interpretation and, therefore, must be read in context.

Let’s take a look at the poem below to identify the elements of poetry present.

O Captain! My Captain!
Walt Whitman

exulting:
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
(verb)
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
extremely
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
rejoicing
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red, bugle:
Where on the deck my Captain lies, (noun) a
Fallen cold and dead. trumpet-like
brass
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; instrument
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
trills:
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
(verb) plays
Here Captain! dear father!
or makes a
This arm beneath your head!

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

It is some dream that on the deck, musical

You've fallen cold and dead. sound

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

The poem shows the persona mourning the death of his captain despite their triumphant
return from a long voyage. Note the word choice in each stanza that is able to create a sort
of dissonance between the cheers and greetings of the townspeople who are happy to see
the returning ship, not knowing that the crew is in mourning after having lost their captain
during the voyage. The first half of the first two stanzas show ignorant celebration as seen in
words like exulting to demonstrate the act of celebrating, and bouquets and wreaths, which
can symbolize celebration. The second half of these same stanzas show what only the
persona and his crew know: that their successful mission comes at the cost of their beloved
captain. Their despondent mood is highlighted by the repetition of the words “fallen cold
and dead.” It is only in the third stanza that this alternating trend is changed because the
entire stanza is dedicated to their fallen captain.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Check Your Progress

What imagery and/or symbolisms can you spot in the poem that
adds to the overall meaning and theme of the poem? You may
discuss your answers with a partner or group.
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Comparison with Fiction and Creative Nonfiction

Now that we’ve had a more in-depth look at poetry, let us see how it compares to fiction, the
previous genre explored, and creative nonfiction, the primary genre of this course.

Table 1. Comparing poetry with fiction and creative nonfiction

Poetry Fiction Creative Nonfiction

Lines of poetry are divided
by stanzas. These lines
often have the same main
idea.
Sentences are put together
in paragraphs. Paragraphs
have different main ideas,
but all support the main
theme.
Same as fiction, but
different forms of prose in
both genres might not use
conventional paragraphs.

Poetry can come in There are also different There are also different
different types, like lyric types of fiction, like the types of creative nonfiction,
poetry or narrative poetry. short story or the novel. like memoir or
autobiography.

While there is such a thing
as free-form poetry, poems
may be written with specific
structures that dictate
rhyming, number of
There are types of prose
that limit word count or the
topics discussed, but
generally, fiction is not that
Similar to fiction, some
types of creative nonfiction
dictate word count, the
formality of language, and
more, but are also not as

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres
syllables, number of lines
per stanza, and more.
The speaker of the poem,
often referred to as the
persona, is not necessarily
the poet himself or herself.
Tone in poetry is
established by the choice of
words and imagery used in
a poem.
Poetry makes heavy use of
imagery and figures of
speech to support the
theme of the poem and
help establish tone.
Many poems are written
around a particular
symbolism or allegory,
and it can be an effective
way of maintaining the
theme.
1.3. Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Poetry
concerned with the physical
structure of sentences.
Fiction pieces can have
many narrators, from
characters speaking in the
first person to an
unspecified third person.
Like poetry, fiction is also
concerned with tone, and it
is also established by
vocabulary and imagery.
Fiction can also make use of
imagery and figures of
speech, such as
descriptions or character
dialogue.
Fiction can also have
symbolism and allegories,
usually to establish the
theme or to be used in
foreshadowing.
concerned with structure
as poetry.
Most of the time, creative
nonfiction pieces are
narrated in the first person
and in the point of view of
the author.
Tone is also important in
creative nonfiction, as it
shows what the author feels
about the topic he or she is
discussing.
Creative nonfiction uses
imagery and figures of
speech to help establish the
theme or in descriptions,
among others.
Symbolism and allegory
are also useful in creative
nonfiction to establish the
theme and set the mood,
among others.
12
Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Wrap-Up
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● Poems are divided into stanzas or groups of lines. The number of lines can vary. It
has many types, like lyric poetry and descriptive poetry, and even structural types,
like haiku or elegy.
● Rhythm is how the syllables are stressed and unstressed, while meter refers to
specific syllabic patterns in the rhythm of a line of poetry.
● A rhyme scheme in poetry is a long pattern of rhyming found in poems.
● Speaker is the persona narrating the poem, and he or she sets the tone.
● Imagery, figures of speech, symbolism, and allegory help set the tone and
establish a theme.
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Try This!
A. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct. Otherwise, rewrite the underlined
word to make it true.

________________ 1. The speaker of a poem is always the author.

________________ 2. Word choice helps establish a poem’s tone.

________________ 3. A stanza consists of poetic lines.

________________ 4. Figures of speech are avoided in poetry.

________________ 5. Rhyme and rhythm matter more in poetry than in fiction.

B. Fill in the Blanks. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. Your word choice in a poem is also called ____________.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

2. The speaker in a poem can also be called the ____________.

3. The syllabic patterns in a line of poetry are called ____________.

4. Two lines that both end in words with similar sounds are lines
that ____________.

5. Poetry that doesn’t follow any strict structures is called

____________.

Practice Your Writing Skills

To practice your ability to master an element of poetry, write a lyric poem that follows the
Shakespearean structure as described in the Discover section. Remember to exercise
proper use of speaker and tone.

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Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

Suggested Rubric for Grading

The rubric below is a suggested one. Your teacher may modify the rubric based on your
needs. Consult your teacher for the final rubric.

Performance Levels

1 2 3 Suggested
Criteria Score
Beginning Proficient Advanced Weight
Proficiency Proficiency

Usage of The elements The elements The elements

indicated in the indicated in the indicated in the
Elements ×3
prompt are vaguely prompt are correctly prompt are clearly
or incorrectly used. used. and correctly used.

Completion of The requirements One or two All of the

asked for in the requirements asked requirements asked
Content ×2
prompt are barely for in the prompt are for in the prompt are
present. missing. followed.

Grammar and There are five or There are two to four There is one or no
more mistakes in mistakes in grammar mistake in grammar
Language ×1
grammar and and spelling. and spelling.
spelling.

Total Possible Score 18

Teacher’s Feedback
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Bibliography
“Elements of Poetry.” Literacy Ideas. Accessed April 6, 2021.
https://www.literacyideas.com/elements-of-poetry.

Elements: Poetry. Accessed March 5, 2021.

https://org.coloradomesa.edu/~blaga/Theory/poetry_elements.html.

Jacksonville, Florida State College at. “Elements of Poetry.” Lumen. Accessed April 6, 2021.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-literatureforhumanities/chapter/elements-
of-poetry/.

Lesson 3: Elements of Fiction. Lumen. Accessed March 5, 2021.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-distanceminnesota-creativewriting/chapter/les
son-3-elements-of-a-fiction/.

2.2: Elements of Creative Nonfiction. Humanities LibreTexts. Libretexts, July 1, 2020.

https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical
_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/02%3A_About_Creative_Nonfiction
/2.02%3A_Elements_of_Creative_Nonfiction.

1.3. Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Poetry 17

 Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres

1.3. Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Poetry

Let’s Begin
1. What elements of poetry were you able to identify?
Answers may vary. I saw that the poem was divided into lines, although it seemed
only to have one long stanza. There were a few figures of speech as well, like “my
heart leaps.”
2. What imagery and figurative language did the poem use?
Answers may vary. The vast and grey sky is outright stated as a simulacrum of the
persona’s days, vast and grey. There is also the goat searching for something on the
ground, representing a search for meaning or purpose. Then, the heart that leaps
upon the realization that love is not too far away shows that there is hope even in
the vast and grey days ahead.
3. How did the poem use its imagery and figurative language to develop the overall
theme?
Answers may vary. The theme seems to be that hope is never lost, even in
someone’s worst days. The imagery of the vast and grey sky, the desolate field in the
title, and the persona’s days show a kind of hopelessness. However, the persona
keeps his head in the air and realizes that there will always be love waiting for him.

Check Your Progress

1. Why do you think rhyme and rhythm are important elements in poetry but are not
as important in fiction and creative nonfiction?
Answers may vary. Since fiction and creative nonfiction are often written in
prose, there isn’t much importance in making sure the lines or sentences are
musical, unlike poetry.
2. What imagery and/or symbolisms can you spot in the poem that adds to the
overall meaning and theme of the poem? You may discuss your answers with a
partner or group.
Answers may vary. I noticed that the vessel or their ship could also be
representative of their fallen captain. It is also described as triumphant but grim
and daring. The persona also mentions that it was anchored when they arrived at

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 Unit 1: Introduction to Literary Genres
the port because its voyage was done. This could mirror the captain, who,
although he returned triumphantly, is also finished with his voyage because he has
died.

Try This!
A. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct. Otherwise, rewrite the underlined
word to make it true.

sometimes/not always 1. The speaker of a poem is always the author.

true 2. Word choice helps establish a poem’s tone.

true 3. A stanza consists of poetic lines.

used 4. Figures of speech are avoided in poetry.

true 5. Rhyme and rhythm matter more in poetry than in fiction.

B. Fill in the Blanks. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. Your word choice in a poem is also called diction.

2. The speaker in a poem can also be called the persona.

3. The syllabic patterns in a line of poetry are called meter.

4. Two lines that both end in words with similar sounds are lines
that rhyme.

5. Poetry that doesn’t follow any strict structures is called free

form/free verse.

1.3. Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Poetry 19