Forms of Poetry

1. Forms of Poetry I love poetry!

2. Sometimes poetry has no particular form or rhyme scheme; these types of poems are called free verse poems. • Traditionally, however, poems have a particular format and/ or rhyming pattern. The subject matter and form of a poem may put it in a particular category like ballad, epic, lyric, sonnet, ode, elegy, narrative, haiku etc.

3. Rhyme Scheme Rhyme Scheme- a pattern of rhyme in a poem. For instance, if there are 4 lines, or a quatrain, and the first and third lines rhyme, it has the pattern of a-b-a-b. If all four lines rhyme with each other, it has the rhyme scheme of a-a-a-a. If only the second and fourth lines rhyme, the pattern is a-b-c-b.

4. Rhyme Scheme Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though: He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up the snow. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.

5. The Sonnet: • A fourteen-line poem • Expresses author’s feelings • Has a particular end rhyme pattern (ABABCDCD…) • Usually ends in a rhymed couplet (two lines with end rhyme) • Shakespeare wrote over 100 sonnets

6. Lyric Poem Lyric Poem- a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings

7. The Ode: • It’s a lyric poem usually addressed to a particular person or thing. • It generally deals with one main idea and can be written as a song of praise or to celebrate an experience, thing or a person. Ode to a Fountain Pen: “Oh beloved pen of midnight black ink, How I love to roll you down my nose.”

8. Ode to My Thumb: “Delicious appendage on my left hand. You are my favorite finger, my most tasty dessert.” Ode to Dancing: “’Kick up your heels Wave your hands in the air. There’s nothing as joyful as dancing in pairs!”

9. Ode to My Teeth: Little white molars Striped with braces Help me make amusing faces

10. A ballad is a songlike poem that tells a story, often a sad story of betrayal, death, or loss. • Ballads usually have a regular, steady rhythm, a simple rhyme pattern, and a refrain, or a repeated part of a poem, all of which make them easy to memorize. • Usually follows a-b-c-b rhyme scheme. • Historically ballads were passed down orally from person to person rather than in writing. Steady rhythm, simple rhyme pattern, and refrain. That’s easy!!

11. Narrative Poem: Tells a story Elegy: A poem written for someone who has died, often a tribute. Most are written in formal writing and a serious tone. Couplets: two rhyming lines of poetry that are consecutive. Haiku: consists of 17 unrhymed syllables, organized into three lines, and doesn’t rhyme: Line 1: 5 syllables Line 2: 7 syllables Line 3: 5 syllables Most describe nature, a moment of beauty which keeps you thinking or feeling.

12. Limerick: an amusing verse of five lines: Lines 1, 2, and 5 ryhme and lines 3 and 4 rhyme. Line 5 refers to line 1 Lines 3 and 4 are usually shorter than the other lines. The rhyming pattern is AABBA EX: There once was a musical king Who suddenly started to sing. The birds of the sky All started to fly Right over that talented king

13. Concrete Poem: a poem that creates a picture Acrostic poem: a poem that is vertical and spells out a word and usually describes that word. Ex: A: antsy M: merry Y: young

14. An epic is a long narrative poem about the many deeds of a great hero. • Closely connected to a particular culture. The hero of an epic embodies the important values of the society he comes from. • Essentially, an epic is a long story about the quests of a hero. • Think Hercules, and Shrek in poetic form.