Intro to Poetry

2. Intro to Poetry

3. po·et·rynoun \ˈpō-ə-trēWhat is it? • writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm • In other words…carefully crafted writing that uses devices to create a response. • Poetry often focuses on “experiences” or “life”.

4. Poetic Terms/Devices to Know: • Simile • Metaphor • Personification • Hyperbole • Alliteration • Allusion • Onomatopoeia • Rhyme Scheme • Narrative poetry • Lyric poetry • Sonnet • Haiku • Free Verse • Stanza

5. Why Write Poetry? • One argument goes back to Aristotle, to his famous distinction between history and poetry. • History reports what happened, and is therefore subject to all the constraints and imperfections of actual life. No general is a perfect embodiment of courage in battle, steadfastness in adversity, far-sightedness in decision-making, etc. But poetry uses words in their fuller potential, and creates representations that are more complete and meaningful than nature can give us in the raw. • In other words…poetry allows us to go deeper.

6. Why Write Poetry? II • A second argument borrows the approach of the Postmodernists, who claim that what we experience of the world is with and through language.  • The claim is greatly exaggerated, since we all have experiences not readily conveyed in words — riding a bike, listening to music, etc. — and meaning is not finally anchored in mere words but in bodily physiology and social usage. But language undoubtedly does colour our perceptions and modify responses, which politicians and the media understand very well. • Words are not therefore neutral entities, but have intentions, associations, and histories of usage. • In other words…poetry allows us to express our experiences.

7. Why write Poetry? III • the ordinary language of everyday speech is a stunted, stripped down and abbreviated shadow of what poetry should achieve. • In other words…poetry is using words to their potential!

8. How do I write Poetry? • Watch good poets and read good poems. • Shayne Koyczan • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppwowTJg0mI • Saul Williams • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJHquOEChRg

9. How do I write Poetry? II • Just do it! • Writing activities: • Poem #3= Song Title poem. • 1. Choose a song title (ex. We are Never Getting Back Together) • 2. Choose a word that will start each line of the poem that goes well with the title. (We are Never Getting Back Together BECAUSE…) • 3. Write a series of lines that start with the word you chose in step 2. The song title will be the title of your poem.

10. More poetry writing … • Poem #4= “Forget it…you must be kidding…I can’t write a poem” poem • Writing activity- • 1. list off items in your wallet/purse. (gift card, debit card, quarter…) • 2. list off words to describe the items. (neglected gift card, battered gift card, valuable gift card…) • 3. link the items to an aspect of life “My love life is like a neglected gift card.”