Terms we use when we talk about POETRY

1. Terms we use when we talk about POETRY POETRY

2. What you should be able to do with these terms: Know the term Identify in a poem Discuss effect created

3. Types of Poetry Narrative: tells a story Dramatic: takes the form of a drama (play) Lyric: expresses the personal views or feelings of the poet * The first thing you should do after reading a poem is identify what type of poetry it is! This will help you analyze the poem correctly.

4. Parts of a Poem Poetic Structure: poet’s organization of words, lines, and images Stanza: a section of a poem consisting of a group of lines that form a unit (like a paragraph!) Refrain: a group of lines in a poem that are repeated regularly Couplet: two lines of a poem that are next to each other

5. Point of View Who is TALKING in the poem…or who the narrator is! 1st person: narrator is a part of the story, uses “I” and “my” 2nd person: speaking to the reader, uses “you” 3rd person: narrator is not a part of the story, uses no personal pronouns

6. Sound Devices Poets use a concentrated blend of sound and imagery to create an emotional response. These are ways SOUNDS are created! Alliteration: repetition of the initial sounds (usually consonants) of words. Ex: She sells seashells Assonance: similar vowel sounds, but with different end consonants, thus a vowel rhyme. Ex: dateand fade. Consonance: repetition of the same end consonants of words. Ex: boatand night Onomatopoeia:formation or use of words which imitate sounds. Ex: Shhhh! Rhyme: close similarity of sound. Ex: Big wig Rhyme Scheme: pattern of rhyme in a poem Free Verse: poetry without a fixed pattern of meter and rhyme Rhythm: pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

7. Literary Devices Poets use a concentrated blend of sound and imagery to create an emotional response. These are ways IMAGES are created! Mood: the emotional atmosphere in a literary work Tone: speaker or writer’s attitude toward the subject Voice: a writer’s distinctive use of language Theme: central message/the idea the author wishes to convey about a subject (not just one word!) Imagery: figurative language that appeals to the senses Hyperbole: exaggeration for effect Allusion: a reference to a mythological, literary or historical person, place or thing

8. Diction: a writer’s choice of words Connotation (part of diction): feelings and attitudes associated with a word Denotation (part of diction): dictionary definition of a word Symbol: an object, person, place or action that not only has a meaning in itself but also stands for something larger than itself Anaphora: form of repetition in which the same word or group of words is repeated at the beginning of two or more consecutive lines Analogy: an extended comparison in which one thing, usually more familiar, is compared to something less familiar

9. TPCASST This is a device we use to ANALZE poetry Title: Make a prediction. What do you think the title means before you read the poem? Paraphrase: Translate the poem in your own words. What is the poem about? Rephrase difficult sections word-for-word. Connotation: Look beyond the literal meaning of key words and images to their associations. Attitude: What is the speaker’s attitude? (Tone) What is the author’s attitude? How does the author feel about the speaker, about other characters, about the subject? Shifts: Where do the shifts in tone, setting, voice, etc., occur? Look for time and place, key words, punctuation, stanza divisions, changes in length or rhyme, and sentence structure. What is the purpose of each shift? How do they contribute to effect and meaning? Title: Re-examine the title. What do you think it means now in the context of the poem? Theme: Think of the literal and metaphorical layers of the poem. Then determine the overall theme. The theme must be written in a complete sentence.