CREATIVE NONFICTION
Poetry- is a means of sharing experiences, telling a story, or expressing feelings or ideas through the use of language in a
particular way. As opposed to prose writing, poetry in written form has a distinct structure and words may form patterns
of sound, verse or thought.
Approaches of Poems:
1. Narrative poem – It is a poem that tells a story; its structure resembles the plot line of a story the introduction of
conflict and characters, rising action, climax and the denouement. The most common types of narrative poetry are
ballad and epic.
a. Ballad. It is a narrative poem that has a musical rhythm and can be sung. A ballad is usually organized into
quatrains or cinquains, has a simple rhythm structure, and tells the tales of ordinary people.
Example: Excerpt from “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
b. Epic. It is a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero.
Examples of epic include Iliad by Homer,
2. Lyric Poetry. It is any poem with one speaker (not necessarily the poet) who expresses strong thoughts and feelings.
Most poems, especially modern ones, are lyric poems. Below are some types of lyric poetry.
a. Ode. An ode is a lyric poem that praises an individual, an idea or an event. The length is usually moderate, the
subject is serious, the style is elevated and the stanza pattern is elaborate. In Ancient Greece, odes were originally
accompanied by music. In fact, the word “ode” comes from the Greek word aeidein, which means to sing or to dance.
Example: “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Scatter, as from an unextinguish’d hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawaken’d earth
The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
b. Elegy. An elegy is written with a purpose to “mourn the dead”. It usually begins by reminiscing about the dead
person, then weeps the reason for of death, and then resolves the grief by concluding that death leads to immortality. It
has no set stanza or metrical pattern. It often uses "apostrophe" as a literary technique.
Example: Excerpt from Walt Whitman’s “O Captain, My Captain,”
(written following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln)
O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
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;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
c. Sonnet. It is a lyric poem consisting of 14 lines and, in the English version, is usually written in iambic
pentameter. The three basic kinds of sonnets are:
Italian/Petrarchan sonnet is named after Petrarch, an Italian Renaissance poet. The Petrarchan sonnet consists
of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). It tends to divide the thought into two parts (argument and
conclusion). The rhyming pattern is ABBA ABBA CDECDE, or some accepted sestet such as CDCCDC, CDDCDE or
CDCDCD
When I consider how my light is spent, A
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, B
And that one talent which is death to hide B
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent A
To serve therewith my Maker, and present A
My true account, lest He returning chide; B
“Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?” B
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent A
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need C
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Either man’s work or His own gifts. Who best D
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state E
Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed, C
And post o’er land and ocean without rest; D
They also serve who only stand and wait.” E
- When I Consider How My Light is Spent” by John Milton
Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains (four lines each) and a concluding couplet (two lines). The
final couplet is the summary. The rhyming pattern is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Two households, both alike in dignity, A
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, B
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, A
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. B
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes C
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; D
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows C
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife. D
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love, E
And the continuance of their parents’ rage, F
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove, E
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; F
The which if you with patient ears attend, G
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. G
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
3. Descriptive Poetry. It is a poem that describes the world that surrounds the speaker. It uses elaborate imagery and
adjectives. While emotional, it is more "outward-focused" than lyric poetry, which is more personal and introspective.
Example: Excerpt from William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;
Other Forms
Chant. Dating to prehistoric time, hence one of the earliest forms of poetry, chant is a poem of no fixed form, but in
which one or more lines are repeated over and over. It is usually meant to be spoken aloud.
We look to the stars.
We look to the seas.
We look to the earth.
We long to be free.
We walk past shores.
We walk past trees.
We walk past mountains.
We long to be free.
Comic Verse. It is a poem that involves humor and makes sense.
Free verse. It is a poetry that does not conform to particular schemes or patterns of rhyme, meter or form because it
doesn’t follow strict rules it has flexibility. Its rhythm is created by the natural flow of the poet’s thoughts and
emotions.
The Dying Lover
by Gustave Kahn
So long as the child preferred to me such and such a
player of the flute or singer to the zither,
little I cared
that she loved such and such a player of the flute or
scratcher of the zither.
By the cross-roads I have fallen struck, struck by the
thrust of a sword.
Whose? player of flute or scratcher of zither?
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How long the night is to be so slow in dying.
Nursery rhyme. Usually having regular rhymes, strong rhythms and repetition, it could be described as jingles for
children, forming part of the oral tradition of many countries.
Riddle. It indirectly describes a person, place, thing or idea and can be any length and usually has a rhyming scheme.
Song lyric. It is a poem that has been set to music. The word ‘lyric’ comes from the Greek word lyre, a kind of harp
that was often used to accompany songs.
Drama
A drama is a composition in either verse or prose presenting a story through pantomime or dialogue. It contains
conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front of the audience on the stage. The person who writes
drama for stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or “playwright.” The term “drama” is also used for the type of play
written for theater, television, radio, and film.
There are four distinct types of drama:
A. Comedy. A comedy is a type of dramatic presentation which intends to make the audience laugh through well-
composed humorous elements. The story may be about real-life characters, funny experiences in life, or any type of fun
provoking situation. It may be sarcastic and raunchy, light in tone and has happy endings. Since provoking laughter is not
an easy task, comedy writers require high level of intellect and perceptive faculties to attain the desired end for a
comedic presentation.
B. Tragedy. One of the oldest forms of drama, tragedy exposes the plight and suffering of humans to the audience.
Common tragic themes include ruins of a dynasty, downfall of man, emotional betrayals, moral setback, personal loss,
death, and denials. A tragedy when composed and enacted well can touch the audience deeply. These rarely have happy
endings.
C. Melodrama. This type of drama uses a technique marked by surge of feelings since melodrama highlights
exaggeration of emotions. The technique intends to make the character and the plot more appealing to the audience
although it can sometimes fail to derive applause, because excessive display of emotions can become monotonous.
the good and evil aspects of the characters involved.
D. Musical drama. In a musical drama, the story is told through acting and dialogue, as well as through dance and
music,as well. The story may be comedic, though it may also involve serious subjects.
CREATIVE NONFICTION
Activity 1
Determine the structure applied in the poems below.
Poem Selection
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; _____
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; _____
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; _____
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. _____
I have seen roses damask’s, red and white, _____
But no such roses see I in her cheeks; _____
And in some perfumes is there more delight _____
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. _____
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know _____
That music hath a far more pleasing sound; _____
I grant I never saw a goddess go; _____
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: _____
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare _____
As any she belied with false compare. _____
1. What stanzas can be seen in the poem? ________________________________
2. What is the rhyme scheme/pattern of the poem? ________________________
Use the lines on the right side of each line in the stanza.
3. What specific type of poetry is used in the poem? _______________________
