Poetry Notes Junior English Poetry is created when

Poetry Notes Junior English

Poetry is created when a person carefully selects and arranges words to express ideas and feelings. Words need to : ü Sound right ü Have the right meaning ü Be arranged appropriately to convey the exact meaning

The sounds of words

Alliteration Definition: Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other § Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore § Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Assonance Definition: Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other § "I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless. " - "With Love" by Thin Lizzy § “Strips of tinfoil winking like people” - The Bee Meeting by Sylvia Plath

Consonance Definition: Repeated consonant sounds at the ending of words placed near each other § Read/Add § Torn/Burn § Heaven/Given

Onomatopoeia Definition: Words that mimic their meaning in sound. v Cuckoo v Sizzle v Drip v Drizzle v Hiss v Murmur

Repetition Definition: The return of a word, phrase, stanza, form, or any effect in any form of literature. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the King's horses and all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again

Rhyme Definition: A correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words. (final vowel sound and everything after it) Variations: Slant rhyme-when only the final consonant sounds are the same EX: soul, oil, foul; taut, sat, knit Near rhyme-final vowel sounds are the same but final consonant is slightly different EX: fine, rhyme; poem, goin’

Rhythm Definition: The alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language. v. Words with more than one syllable always have a “stressed” and “unstressed” syllable v Example: Apple is pronounced AP-pull, not ap-PULL v. Can you hear the rhythm in this sentence? v My mother ate an apple and my father ate a pear. v my MOTH-er ATE an AP-ple AND my FATH-er ATE a PEAR.

Meter Definition: An established rhythmic pattern is called a meter. There are many different types of meter in poetry. v Dactyl: DUH-duh, as in “honestly” v Anapest: duh-DUH, as in “but of course” v Iambic: Duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH……. as in “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships”

The meaning of words

Allusion Definition: A reference to a place, person, or something that happened. This can be real or imaginary and may refer to anything, including paintings, opera, folk lore, mythical figures, or religious manuscripts. v “I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s. ” (Alludes to the story Pinocchio) v “He was a real Romeo with the ladies. ” (Alludes to the character Romeo from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet) v “This place is like a Garden of Eden. ” (Alludes to the Garden of Eden from the Bible)

Analogy Definition: A comparison, usually something unfamiliar with something familiar Ex: Life is like a box of chocolates-you never know what you’re gonna get!

Cliché Definition: Any figure of speech that was once clever and original but has become overused and outdated Ex: Busy as a bee; easy as pie; best thing since sliced bread

Connotation Definition: Connotation is the associations and attitudes called up by a word, as opposed to its denotation or straight, literal definition. v Aroma and odor both refer to scent but have different connotations v Aroma usually means a good scent v Odor usually means a bad scent

Denotation Definition: Denotation is the literal definition of a word; its stripped-down meaning devoid of connotation. v Aroma: a distinctive, typically pleasant smell. v Odor: a distinctive smell, esp. an unpleasant one.

Euphemism Definition: an understatement used to lessen the effect of a statement; substituting for something that might be offensive or hurtful EX: Saying that someone “passed away” or “is at rest”

Hyperbole Definition: an extreme exaggeration EX: He weighs a ton. It must be a million degrees in this room! I’m starving!

Irony Definition: There are many types of irony, but, in general, irony is the use of words where the meaning is the opposite of their usual meaning or what is expected to happen. v A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets. v At a ceremony celebrating the rehabilitation of seals after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, at an average cost of $80, 000 per seal, two seals were released back into the wild only to be eaten within a minute by a killer whale. (That was a morbid example. Sorry. )

Irony: Sarcasm Definition: Sarcasm is considered a heavy, mocking tone that is usually meant to taunt or cut someone down. It is abundant in poetry. v I’m trying to imagine you with a personality. v Well, this day was a total waste of makeup. v (When something bad happens) That's just what I need, great! Terrific! v (When someone does something wrong) Very good, well done, nice!

Metaphor Definition: A comparison of two unlike things that does not use like, as, or seems. Metaphors usually use a form of the verb “to be. ” (is, are, was, were, am, been, etc) v America is a melting pot v Your voice was music to my ears v Sometimes, I am a chicken v My bedroom is a disaster area

Paradox Definition: a statement in which a seeming contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth Ex: The faster I go, the further behind I get. A wise fool.

Personification Definition: Inanimate objects taking on human characteristics. The black hole awoke, He stretched his mouth with a mighty roar, As he beckoned all the stars, The black hole started to erode, Is this the end. . . ? The sun says, 'Leave the stars alone and, Pick on someone your own size, Oh yeah, I almost forgot, leave my solar system and never come back!‘ ~Planet Space

Pun Definition: Word play in which words with totally different meanings have similar or identical sounds. Ex: Like a firefly in the rain, I am de-lighted.

Simile Definition: A comparison between two unlike things using the connective words like, as, or seems. v I am as happy as a clam v This classroom is as cold as ice v My job is like a dream v My best friend and I are like two peas in a pod

Symbol Definition: Using an object or word to represent an abstract idea. v Sunshine symbolizing/representing happiness v Rain symbolizing/representing sorrow v Storm clouds symbolizing/representing despair

Synecdoche Definition: When a certain part of something represents the whole. Ex: All hands on deck! I got a new set of wheels.

arranging the words

Point of View The vantage point of the speaker. Also referred to as the persona 1 st Person- From the speaker’s perspective; uses “I” 3 rd Person limited- Speaker is not part of the story, but tells about other characters through limited perceptions of one person. 3 rd person omniscient- Speaker is not a part of the story, but is able to know and describe everything.

Line Generally the line is printed as one single line on a page, however it may extend to a second line that should be indented. When reading poetry, it is important to follow the punctuation for pauses, not the ends of the lines!

Verse One single line of a poem arranged in a metrical pattern

Stanza A division of a poem created by arranging the lines into a unit. (The “paragraph” of a poem) Stanza forms: the number of lines in a stanzaic unit 2 couplet 3 tercet 4 quatrain 5 quintet 6 sestet 7 septet 8 octave

Rhetorical Question A question solely for effect, which does not require an answer because it is usually obvious.

Form The arrangement or method used to convey the content Examples include: Free verse Ballad Haiku Couplet Limerick Ode

images of

Imagery Definition: Language that helps the reader form mental images of details of the poem. Imagery speaks to the senses of sight, hearing, smell, or touch. Can you imagine the place this poem is talking about? A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way

Tone Definition: The attitude a writer takes toward the reader, subject or a character. The tone can change throughout the poem and, at times, can be subjective. v "I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence: /Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, /I took the one less traveled by, /And that has made all the difference. “ ~ The Road Not Taken v Tone: Joyful or Sad? (sighing happily or sighing with regret? )