Elements of Poetry Elements of Poetry

Elements

Elements Of
Of Poetry
Poetry
FORM
SOUND DEVISES
IMAGERY
MOOD/TONE
THEME
Poetry:
Poetry is a form of writing that uses not only words,
But also form,
Patterns of sound,
Imagery,
And figurative language
To convey the message.
Any Poem will include some or all of these elements.
FORM:
• A poem’s form is its What is the purpose of the first
appearance. Poems are stanza of “The Highwayman”?
divided into lines. Many
poems, especially longer ones, The wind was a torrent of darkness,
may also be divided into among the gusty trees.
groups of lines called stanzas. The moon was a ghostly galleon
tossed upon cloudy seas.
• Stanzas function like The road was a ribbon of moonlight
paragraphs in a story. Each over the purple moor,
one contains a single idea or And the highwayman came riding -
takes the idea one step Riding – riding –
further. The highwayman came riding up to
the old inn door.

Sets the scene

SOUND Devises
Some poems use techniques of sound

such as rhythm, rhyme, and
alliteration.
Rhythm:
• The pattern of beats or Try beating out the rhythm
stresses in a poem. with a finger as you read
these lines.
Poets use patterns of
stressed and unstressed She was a child and I was a child,
syllables to create a In this kingdom by the sea;
regular rhythm. But we loved with a love that was
more than love –
I and my Annabel Lee;
RHYME:
The repetition of the same or similar sounds,

usually in stressed syllables at the ends of
lines, but sometimes within a line.
There are strange things done in the

midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
Rhyme Scheme
The rhyming pattern that is created at
the end of lines of poetry.
Mary had a little lamb, A

Its fleece as white as snow. B
And everywhere that Mary went, C
The lamb was sure to go. B
If the poem does not have a rhyme

scheme it is considered to be a
free verse poem.
ALLITERATION:
The repetition of consonant sounds at the
beginnings of words.
Seven silver swans swam silently seaward.
Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers.

Onomatopoeia
Words that are used to represent

particular sounds.
Crash Boom
Bang Zip
Repetition
The repeating of a particular sound
devise to create an effect.
To create emphasis, a poet may repeat

words or lines within the poem.
IMAGERY
Poets use words that Which senses does the
appeal to the reader’s following stanza appeal
senses of sight, to?
sound, touch, taste,
and smell. Back, he spurred like a madman,
shouting curses to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind
him and his rapier brandished high.
Sight?
Sound?
FIGURES OF SPEECH:
Figures of speech are a special kind of

imagery.
They create pictures by making

comparisons.
SIMILE
A comparison using like or as.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s

fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
METAPHOR:
Describes one thing as if it were

another.
The moon was a ghostly galleon

tossed upon cloudy seas.
Extended Metaphor
A metaphor that extends throughout

the entire poem instead of just a few
lines of the poem.
Mother to Son
By: Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystalstair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor –
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the stops
‘Cause you finds it kinder hard.
don’t you fall now –
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’, and life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
PERSONIFICATION:
Gives human characteristics to something

nonhuman.
…and the stars o’erhead

were dancing heel and toe…
In “The Highwayman,” images create a
picture of Tim.
Which figures are used to describe his eyes

and his hair?
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like

moldy hay,
eyes : hollows of madness : Metaphor

hair : moldy hay : Simile
Which figures are used to
describe the following?
• My love is like a • Simile
rose.
• Our love bloomed in

the garden. • Personification
• The rose tipped its

head as we passed • Personification
by.
Mood/Tone
The feelings the author’s word choices

give the poem.
The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
THEME:
The theme of a poem is its central or
main idea.
To identify a poem’s theme, ask

yourself what ideas or insights about
life or human nature you have found in
the poem.

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Elements

Sets the scene

Some poems use techniques of sound

The repetition of the same or similar sounds,

There are strange things done in the

Mary had a little lamb, A

If the poem does not have a rhyme

Seven silver swans swam silently seaward.

Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers.

Words that are used to represent

To create emphasis, a poet may repeat

Figures of speech are a special kind of

They create pictures by making

Talk of your cold! through the parka’s

Describes one thing as if it were

The moon was a ghostly galleon

A metaphor that extends throughout

Gives human characteristics to something

…and the stars o’erhead

Which figures are used to describe his eyes

His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like

eyes : hollows of madness : Metaphor

• Our love bloomed in

• The rose tipped its

The feelings the author’s word choices

The only other sounds the sweep

To identify a poem’s theme, ask

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