The Art of Poetry

1. The Art of Poetry By Mary Emeji www.maryemeji.ning.com

2. Scope of presentation • Poetry is a wide topic, a subject on its own. • Presentation is narrowed to the essence of poetry as an art. An art is something you see, perceive and feel; an imaginative and expressive piece of work.

3. My Books: • The Bond Of Love (2009) – A collection of poems on love, friendship, commitments, marriage, and true happiness. • The Love Of God (2010) – A collection of inspirational poems on God’s endless love for all mankind. Available at www.maryemeji.ning.com, Amazon and other online retailers, and local shops.

4. Introduction • Poetry is a unique piece of literary art, which is well-known for its deep meaning, symbolism, stylistic diction, rhythm and rhyme. • Coined from the Latin word ‘poeta’ meaning poet. • A branch of Literature (meaning an acquiescence with letters or words). Literature comprises of poetry, prose and drama.

5. Introduction - 2 • Poetry is used on its own, or in hymns, song lyrics, prose (novels and stories), and drama (movies or plays). • Nowadays, poetry is most commonly used in greeting cards and picture frames.

6. Origin of poetry • Poetry dates back to the pre-historic societies, about 1700-1200 BC; when poetic phrases were written on stone tablets to aid memorisation and oral transmission. • The first recognised poem in that ancient age was from Mesopotamia; a poem titled He who saw the deep. This was a poem about the rule of the then King Gilgamesh. It was written on clay tablets which may still be found in some museums today.

7. Origin (continued) • However, for our purpose, the most popular legendary poet is our beloved William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616). • Every student of English Literature must have read some piece of a Shakespearean poem or prose. • Poetic works: The Sonnets, Venus and Adonis, A Lover’s Complaint, The Passionate Pilgrim, e.t.c. Other popular books include Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice and the well-known Romeo and Juliet, e.t.c.

8. Forms of poetry • The form of a poem depends on the structure of the lines and stanzas of the poem. • The most common forms are couplet, tercet, quatrain, quintrain, cestet and octet. • An example of a quintrain is in the following extract from a Shakespearean love sonnet (in Romeo and Juliet): Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs,Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes,Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears.What is it else? A madness most discreet;A choking gall and a preserving sweet.

9. Purpose of poetry • To describe a factual or imaginative idea, or to narrate an abstract scenario. • Poetry sheds light on a perception, a feeling or a view of an abstract or actual theme; for instance love, life, joy, sadness, e.t.c. • Poetry conveys the reader into the psychological realm of that theme; as the printed words come to life in the reader’s imagination.

10. The essence of poetry • Poetry entails imaginative writing using discreet language and grammatical words, which when combined with its underlying meaning, sound and form, evokes emotional and intellectual response from the reader.

11. The essence of poetry - 2 • Like an art, poetry portrays a visual theme to be seen and felt by the reader, in order to achieve an emotional response from the reader. The lines and stanzas of a poem should tell a creative story. • Thus, poetry explores the nature and geography of the human composition, particularly the mind.

12. The essence of poetry - 3 • When writing, a poet prudently selects words, with careful consideration of the meaning, emotive qualities and musical value of each word. This is in order to ascertain the potential feeling and impact of the word on its reader. • The chain of communication between the writer and the reader is only complete when the reader has fully perceived the ambience of the poetic theme.

13. The essence of poetry - 4 • In essence, poetry creates a picture of an imaginative scenario to be seen though the sound and meaning of the words, in co-ordination with the lines and stanzas of the poem.

14. How is this done? • Poetry achieves a sensory response from the reader through its unique elements. • These are: • Form • Rhythm • Rhyme • Diction • Symbolism

15. Elements of poetry • Form: The interaction of the lines and stanzas in the poem. Lines can separate, compare or contrast the thoughts expressed in the poem. A new line or stanza may connote a change in the mood or feelings of the persona. • Rhythm: The coordinative intonation of the lines of a poem; a combination of the varying pitch of the words. Simply put, rhythm is the natural rise and fall of the voice when words are spoken or read.

16. Elements of poetry - 2 • Rhyme: The sequence of repetitive sounds in two or more words. For instance: eternity and entirety, clock and duck, peace and piece, e.t.c. • The most popular patterns of rhyme are AABB, ABAB, ABBA, and AAAA. A poem can also be a ‘free verse’. Example of the AABB rhyme pattern: Way up above the trees and the seas, Above the highest mountains and hills, I see the wide sky of white and blue In radiant appearance, fascinating my view. (excerpt from ‘The Sky Beyond’ (The Love of God)

17. Elements of poetry - 3 • Diction: The manner in which the language is used; a conjunction of the underlying meaning of the words and the sound of the words. This creates a visual effect in the mind of the reader.

18. Elements of poetry - 4 • Symbolism: The use of an abstract thing to convey a deep meaning. In this way, poetry often connects with nature. • For instance: an excerpt from ‘I choose to be happy’(The Bond Of Love): Amidst this ocean of uncertainties, Amongst this river of anxieties, Along this stream of impossibilities, I choose to be happy; For I have risen utmostly high Above the raging waters Of glaring obstacles.

19. The impact on the reader • Through these elements; poetry leaves an emotional impact on the reader’s mind when they have fully perceived the ambience of the poem. • These could be emotions of joy, sorrow, love, wonder, or simply bewilderment!

20. The impact (continued) Views of some legendary poets: • Dylan Thomas - “Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing.” • William Wordsworth - “The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” • Emily Dickinson - “If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry!”

21. Criticisms • There are often criticisms as to why some poems are so ambiguous and difficult to understand. • The answer is clear: It is the ambiguity that makes the reader attentively read and feel each word, in order to decipher the underlying theme of the poem. If poetic words were simply everyday words, then poetry would be less valued and perhaps boring or monotonous.

22. An example • If I were to describe PEACE as “A feeling of perfect calm inside you.” • What would be your emotional response? • Perhaps a smile to say “Yeh, I know that already.”

23. An alternative example On the other hand, if I were to describe PEACE in these words: It’s the serenity, The tranquillity I find in this vicinity Within my visibility, And in the profundity Of my mortality. You would stop and think, and perhaps feel the peace in the poetic words.

24. Conclusion • Poetry is a beautiful and priceless art, spanning from generation to generation. • It captures the human mind with its aesthetic and emotive beauty. It conveys the reader into an imaginative realm where they will experience the feelings of the theme of the poem.

25. Conclusion - 2 • Poetry portrays the power of words. Poetry gives life to the printed words through its unique elements of form, rhythm, rhyme, diction and symbolism. • Poetry is simply priceless. This is why love poems have become a widely used medium for expressing deep feelings. As we all know, special words said from the heart are precious and last forever in the reader’s mind.

26. Recommended Poets • William Shakespeare • Claude Mckay • T.S. Elliot • William Wordsworth • W.B. Yeats • Emily Dickinson • Mary Emeji – ‘The Bond Of Love’ and ‘The Love Of God’ www.maryemeji.ning.com

27. Quote: Poetry tugs at the heartstrings, Instigating an outburst of powerful emotions, Of love, sadness, bewilderment or joyful rings; A pirouette of the senses in upward and downward motions, Reaching its peak in ecstatic chimes and dings! Mary Emeji