WRITING POETRY

CREATIVE WRITING 12
DEFINITION OF POETRY

 Is a language arranged in lines. It attempts to re-create emotions and experiences like

other forms of creative writing. Poetry, however, is more condensed than prose. Because
poetry frequently does not include the kind of detail and explanation found in prose,
poetry tends to leave more to the reader’s imagination. Poetry also may require more
work on the reader’s part to unlock the meaning (Applebee, et at., 2000)
ELEMENTS OF POETRY

1. THEME- the central idea or message in a poem (or in other work of literature).
2. TONE- the attitude a writer takes toward a subject.
3. VOICE- a word people use to talk to the reader.
a. Lyric Poems- express the feelings of the writer.
b. Narrative Poem- tells a story.
4. STANZA- a group of lines that form a unit of poetry.
5. SOUND- one of the most important things poems do is play with sound.
6. RHYTHM- refers to the pattern or beat of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
7. FIGURES OF SPEECH- also called FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, a language that communicates
ideas beyond the literal meaning of the words.
ELEMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL POEMS

1. METER. Applebee, et al. (2000) defines meter as the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry.
The meter of a poem is like the beat of a song in that it establishes a predictable means of emphasis. Each unit
of meter is known as a foot, with each foot having one stressed and one or two unstressed syllables.
4 Basic Types of Metrical Feet
a. IAMB- an unstressed and followed by a stressed syllable
b. TROCHEE- a stressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
c. ANAPSET- two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable
d. DACTYL- a stressed syllable followed by the two unstressed syllable
Most Common Metrical Names
a. trimeter (terza rima)- a three foot line b. tetrameter (quatrains)- a four-foot line
b. pentameter (cinquains)- a five-foot line d. hexameter (sestet)- a six-foot line
ELEMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL POEMS

2. RHYME. According to Applebee, et al. (2000), words rhyme when the sound of their accented
vowels and all the succeeding sounds are identical as tether and together.
3. CAESURA- a strong pause within a line, and is often found alongside enjambment.
Other forms of Conventional Poems
a. Haiku- a very short Japanese poetry consisting of three lines of five, seven, five syllables
respectively.
b. Tanaga- a type of Filipino poem consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with same
rhyme at the end of each line.
c. Diona- another Filipino poem consisting of three lines of seven syllables each.
d. Sonnet- a poetic form which originated in Italy, consisting of fourteen lines that traditionally
follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure.
THE FREE VERSE

 Is poetry that does not contain regular patterns of rhyme and meter. The lines in free
verse often flow more naturally than do rhymed, metrical lines and thus achieve a rhythm
more like everyday human speech. Much of the poetry written in the 20 th century is free
verse.
TIPS IN WRITING POETRY

1. Know your goal

2. Avoid clichés
3. Avoid sentimentality
4. Use sensory images
5. Use metaphor and simile
6. Use concrete words instead of abstract words
7. Communicate theme
8. Subvert the ordinary
9. Rhyme with extreme caution
10. Revise, revise, revise
ACTIVTY

Compose one for each form of poetry:

a. Haiku, Tanaga, Diona, and Sonnet
b. Conventional poem consisting of not less than twelve stanzas
c. Free verse poem consisting of not less than twelve stanzas