Various Elements, Techniques, and Literary Devices in Specific Forms and Poetry
Background Information for Learners
Poetry is a 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 (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
ELEMENTS
I. SOUND
Sound devices are resources used by poets to convey and reinforce the meaning or experience of poetry through the skillful use of sound.
A. Rhyme is the close similarity of sound as well as an exact correspondence; it includes the agreement of vowel sounds (Hat, cat and bat ; Cloud and allowed rhyme) and the repetition of consonant sounds. Usually, but not always, rhymes occur at the end of lines. Rhyme is the most common sound device in poetry.
The basic function of rhyme is to form units of sound and suggest units of sense.
Rhyming Patterns
◼ AABB – lines 1 & 2 rhyme and lines 3 & 4 rhyme
Ex. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
◼ ABAB – lines 1 & 3 rhyme and lines 2 & 4 rhyme
Ex. Shakespearean Sonnets
◼ ABBA – lines 1 & 4 rhyme and lines 2 & 3 rhyme
Ex. Sonnet VII by John Milton
◼ ABCB – lines 2 & 4 rhyme and lines 1 & 3 do not rhyme
Ex. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
B. Repetition is a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more memorable. It creates pattern, it increases rhythm and Strengthens feelings, ideas and mood in a poem.
1. Alliteration is the repetition of the first consonant sound in words.
Ex. Sheep should sleep in a shed
2. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sound, but start with different consonant sounds Ex. I made my way to the lake.
3. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words, as distinguished from alliteration where the initial sound is repeated. Ex. Mike likes his new bike 4. Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes to create a dramatic, or poetic effect such as, dogs “bark,” cats “purr,” thunder “booms,” rain “drips,” and the clock “ticks.”. Ex. I heard ding-dong so I knew someone is at the door.
II. Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed beats or the flow of the beat that gives it a musical beat. The rhythm of a poem can be analyzed through the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in the line, and the arrangement of syllables based on whether they are long or short, accented or unaccented
III. Imagery is the use of sensory details to make the audience feel as if they are present in the situation the author is sharing, allowing them to deeply feel the emotion being describe.
IV. Form. Poetry comes in a variety of forms. Some poems are extremely structured, following a certain rhyme scheme and syllable count, while others allow more creative freedom.
A. Lines and stanzas— Most poems are written in lines. The lines usually function as a natural pause to signal a break in the flow. Lines in poetry are similar to a sentence, except that writers are not obliged to use periods to end each line. A group of lines or a series of lines in a poem is called a stanza. These lines may vary depending on the type of poem being crafted. Stanzas separate ideas in a poem. They act like paragraphs.
1. Couplet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in two lines
2. Tercet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in three lines
3. Quatrain is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
4. Quintet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
5. Sestet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
6. Octave is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in four lines
B. ABC Poem. Each line of the poem begins with a letter of the alphabet, starting with A and moving in order through Z. Subject may be chosen by the author.
C. Acrostic. This is a form of poetry where the first or last letters of each line create a name, word, or phrase.
D. . Bio Poem. This is used to reveal information to the reader about the poet.
E. Cinquain . This is a 5-line poem that follows a specific format. There are various types of cinquains. Some are created with a number of words or syllables in mind. Another form is created using various parts of speech.
F. Concrete poem is written in a way that the words create the shape of the subject of the poem
G.. Diamante - is a 7-line poem that looks like a diamond. It does not have to rhyme. It can be used to describe one topic or two opposite topics.
H. Emotion Poem - is used to describe various emotions, good or bad, using descriptive language.
I. Free Verse poems do not follow any rules. Their creation is completely in the hands of the author. There is no right or wrong way to create these poems.
J. Haiku - This is a form of Japanese poetry that follows a specific syllable pattern. It's made up of 3 lines, consisting of 17 syllables in total. Haikus are usually about a specific part of nature.
K. Limerick - is a short, humorous poem that follows a determined rhyme scheme of AABBA. This five line poem also follows a syllable count.
L. Narrative - is a poem that tells the story of an event in the form of a poem.
M. Pantoum - is a poem that uses a lot of repetition. To create this poem, follow these steps.
• Write a quatrain (4 line stanza). Writing emotional lines usually works best.
• Take lines 2 and 4 of the first stanza and make them lines 1 and 3 of the second stanza.
• Take lines 2 and 4 of the second stanza and make them lines 1 and 3 of the third stanza.
• Continue your poem using this pattern.
• For your last stanza, go back to the first stanza of the poem. Make line 3 of the first stanza line 2 of your last. Make line 1 of the first stanza line 4 in your last.
N. Sonnet - is a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme. Each type of sonnet follows a different rhyming scheme.
N.1 English (Shakespearean) Sonnet
14 line poem
3 quatrains (4 line stanzas) followed by 1 couplet (2 line stanza)
Rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
N.2 Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet
14 line poem
1 octave (8 line stanza) followed by 1 sestet (6 line stanza)
Rhyming scheme of ABBAABBA CDCCDC (or CDECDE)
N.3 Spenserian Sonnet
14 line poem
3 quatrains followed by 1 couplet
Rhyming scheme of ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
O. Villanelle
5 tercets (3 line stanzas) with ABA rhyme scheme
Followed by 1 quatrain (4 line stanza) with ABAA rhyme scheme
The first and third lines of the tercet are alternately repeated as the last lines of the remaining stanzas.
P.. TANAGA- Haiku equivalent from the Philippines; consisting of four lines with each line equally having between seven and nine syllables. Mostly written in Tagalog Q. Senryu (also called human haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Senryu is usually written in the present tense and only references to some aspect of human nature or emotions.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES/DEVICES
- Techniques and devices are specific, deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An author's use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text
I. FIGURES OF SPEECH
Figures of speech are tools that writers use to create images, or “paint pictures,” in the mind.
1. LITERAL LANGUAGE—The actual, dictionary meaning of a word. Writers use literal language solely by their defined or primary meanings
2. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE- Language that goes beyond the normal meaning of the words used.
MOST COMMOM FIGURES OF SPEECH
A. Simile— It is a comparison between two distinctly different things and the comparison is indicated by the word as or like:
B. Metaphor— the use of a word which originally denotes one thing to refer to another with a similar quality. The comparison is implied, not expressed with the word as or like.
Personification-Personification gives human traits and feelings to things that are not human-like animals or objects.
C. Apostrophe - It is a direct address either to an absent person or to a non- human entity.
D. Hyperbole -Exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect.
E. Onomatopoeia - It is the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
F. Oxymoron- is the combination of two contradictory terms to produce a special effect.
G. Alliteration- refers to the appearance of the same initial consonant sound in two or more words, such as:
Assonance- It is the repetition of identical/ similar vowel sounds
H. Consonance: It is the repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words
I. Allusion - A figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened.. The reference can be direct or may be inferred, and can broaden the reader’s understanding.
J. Irony-Words are used to convey a meaning contrary to their literal meaning
Anaphora-- The deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect.
K. Metonymy- Metonymy is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated.
II.SYMBOLISM- Symbolism occurs when one thing stands for or represents something else. It is a reflection of our emotions written artistically to keep readers engaged as they embark on a journey inside a poet’s complex mind.
III. THEME- It is the lesson about life or statement about human nature that the poem expresses. This could be anything from a story to a thought that is being portrayed in the poem. IV.TONE - is the author's attitude towards the topic. V.MOOD-- The mood is the atmosphere of the story, it is the feeling the reader gets from a story. Mood is shown through the setting and the atmosphere. VI.DENSITY.It is what sets poetry apart from prose (normal speech patterns/ the way fiction and nonfiction books are written) Density is how much is said in how little of space. The ability to use metaphors, not conform to traditional grammar styles, and incorporate sounds and rhythms is unique to poetry. As you describe an image, you’re meant to use figurative language while still following a certain sound and rhythm to make a reader feel a certain way.
VII.LINE BREAKS, WHITE SPACES AND ENJABMENT
Line breaks—Line break is the place at which a poet chooses to break a line which is extremely important to the meaning and strength of a particular line and to the poem’s overall integrity. A poet might choose, for example, to break lines in certain places to preserve the correct meter or to create rhyme. Poets may even break lines in the middle of a word to tease a reader into going to the next line. A thought can go from one verse, or stanza, to another
White Spaces—White space appears to the right or left of the poem, or both if the poem is in the center of the page. White space may depend on the choice of the poet to create dramatic effect or to achieve the intended meaning.. There are no rules for placing line breaks 5 and white space. The “right” way lies in the poet’s heart— the intended meaning or effect
Enjabment-(in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza
Learning Competency:
MELC: Identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices in specific forms of poetry (S1Q1)
CG: HUMSS_CW/MP11/12c-f-6
