Today we are going to: Learn about poetic techniques and their effects on the reader.

1. Today we are going to: Learn about poetic techniques and their effects on the reader. Write a poem to be entered into Young Writers Competition ‘The Power of Poetry’.

2. 1914 War broke: and now the Winter of the worldWith perishing great darkness closes in.The foul tornado, centred at Berlin,Is over all the width of Europe whirled,Rending the sails of progress. Rent or furledAre all Art's ensigns. Verse wails. Now beginFamines of thought and feeling. Love's wine's thin.The grain of human Autumn rots, down-hurled.For after Spring had bloomed in early Greece,And Summer blazed her glory out with Rome,An Autumn softly fell, a harvest home,A slow grand age, and rich with all increase.But now, for us, wild Winter, and the needOf sowings for new Spring, and blood for seed. Wilfred Owen What is tone? The attitude of the writer to the subject matter. The tone can change throughout the poem. E.g. You could write a love poem with playful, happy and excited emotions. What is the tone of this poem? It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand all of the words: what feelings or emotions do you think you can hear?

3. What is imagery? Creating a picture using only words. • Use your senses (smell, taste, touch and hear). • I could hear her heart beating like a drum. • Think about your choice of verbs. This adds energy and movement to your work • Racing into the arms of the one you love … • Use colours • Her ruby-red lipstick gave my heart a sudden warmth. • Most importantly, use your imagination!

4. What is symbolism? A person, place, action, word or object (by association, resemblance or convention) which represents something other than itself. Examples: • Black symbolises death • A broken mirror - bad luck • Lion - danger • Red rose - love • Ferrari - wealth

5. Choosing a theme What is important to you?

6. Example poem 2- How has the writer used symbolism? What is the tone used when writing the poem? How did the poem make you feel? What poetry techniques have been used? Wild Asters In the spring I asked the daisies If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies Always knew. Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows, And of all the stupid asters Not one knows. by Sara Teasdale (1844-1933) Example poem 1 - Identify where imagery has been used, what tones does the poem show? What other poetry techniques have been used? Daffodils (extract)  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; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

7. Tone - Fearful/Sad Here is an example of a poem for the competition using different poetry techniques. Bully Like a timid mouse, quaking and cowering, Waiting for the inevitable … The vicious words, The cruel taunts, Watch my face crumple and tears erupt, Pulse racing, heart thumping Willing the courage that never comes, Waiting for Mouse to evolve into Lion For Mouse to see red and to fight back, But no, Mouse flees, back to the mousehole. Bully wins again. Key Simile Image of fear Metaphor Symbol of fear Symbol of courage

8. HOMEWORK • Write your own poem, on a theme of your choice, to enter into the competition. • Remember: TONE, IMAGERY, SYMBOLISM. • It can rhyme, but doesn’t have to! • It MUST be 30 lines or less. • DUE – Friday 18th October by 3pm!