Free Verse Poetry Weve written EpicA long poem

Free Verse Poetry

We’ve written… • Epic-A long poem usually about adventures. • Lament-A poem with a sad mood. • Ballad-A poem with a sing-song quality usually with themes of love or happiness. • Haiku-A syllabic poem usually about a memorable image. • Sijo-A syllabic poem usually about a theme (central message). • Pantoum-(306 only) a fixed rhyme poem that uses a lot of repetition to build tension. • Limerick-(Last Year) A metric, fixed rhyme poem that is usually humorous.

Free Verse… • …does not follow a fixed meter (like Limericks), syllabic pattern (like haiku or sijo) or rhyme scheme (like Pantoum). • …uses line breaks to create meaning and build tension or add discovery (see the line break booklet for examples). • …is not haphazard, or in other words, it is not just a paragraph that is cut off in weird places. • …uses literary/poetic elements to be artful.

What literary elements can I use? • Alliteration-The repetition of beginning consonant sounds: The big bear broke into a bountiful bank. • Rhyme-words that share the same end sound: One foot two foot red foot blue foot. • Repetition-The repetition of lines or ideas: Reread “Not My Bones” with the repeating of lines “I am not my body/I am not my bones” • Simile/Metaphor-Comparisons between two things: “His journal was like a best friend, always there to talk to when he needed it. ” • Symbolism-Using something to represent something else: The dove flew down and landed on his cannon. (Doves are symbols of peace. ) • Allusion-Referencing another famous text: Think The Westing Game referencing “Who’s on First” skit. • Mood-Diction/word choice that makes a reader feel a certain way: “The weeping willows blew gently in the wind as the rain softly fell on and slipped from the branches. ”

You Can Write… • Free Verse Poems using poetic elements • Limerick-These are funny poems that follow a fixed form. • Pastoral- These poems celebrate rural (country) life. These were popular when cities started to build up during the Industrial Revolution. You can also write an anti-pastoral about cities if it makes sense for your topic. • Ode- These poems are formal and ceremonious, and usually celebrate a person or a public/state event (like a holiday). They are meant to honor a person or thing. • (304) Pantoum-See the classroom website for more info: