HANDOUT IN CREATIVE WRITING

POETRY

WHAT IS POETRY?
po·et·ry ([ˈpōətrē] Noun
 Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and
rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature. (Oxford Dictionaries)
 Literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through
language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. (Britannica.com)
• The language of imagination expressed in verse. (Webster’s Dictionary)
• It can be defined as ‘literature in metrical form’ or a ‘composition forming rhythmic lines’.
• A poem follows a particular flow of rhythm and meter.
• Compared to prose, where there is no such restriction, and the content of a piece flows according to story, a poem may or
may not have a story, but definitely has a structured method of writing.

CHARACTERISTICS OF POETRY
1. It expresses creative thoughts in much briefer way than a short story and a novel.
2. It uses elements such as rhythm, imagery, verse and meter, and poetic devices.
3. It has musical quality.
4. It has structure
5. It is used to express intense personal emotions and experiences.
6. The content of a poem shows the universal truth and connotes a deeper meaning.
7. It does not use everyday language.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY
• Elements of poetry can be defined as a set of instruments used to create a poem. Many of these were created thousands of
years ago and have been linked to ancient story tellings. They help bring imagery and emotion to poetry, stories, and
dramas.

1. Stanza- A unit of lines grouped together.

• Similar to a paragraph in prose. A Stanza consists of two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a
poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme and are used
like paragraphs in a story.

• Some different types of stanzas are as follows:

 Couplets- stanzas of only two lines which usually rhyme.
• Tercets - stanzas of three lines. The three lines may or may not have the same end rhyme. If all three lines rhyme, this type
of tercet is called a triplet.
• Quatrain- stanzas of four lines which can be written in any rhyme scheme

2. Line and Meter- Line is the words in poetry. The verse is the line of a poem arranged in a metrical pattern. Stanza is referred as
the “unit of poetic lines”. There are different stanza forms.

Forms Number of lines 3. Rhyme Scheme

Couplet 2
Tercet 3 • The pattern in which end rhyme occurs.
Quatrain 4 • Rhymes are types of poems which have the the repetition of the same or
Quintet 5 similar sounds at the end of two or more words most often at the ends of
Sestet 6 lines.
Septet 7 • This technique makes the poem easy to remember and is therefore often
Octave 8 used in Nursery Rhymes.

Types of Quatrains
A. Alternating Quatrain- a four line stanza rhyming "abab." From W.H. Auden's "Leap Before You Look“
The sense of danger must not disappear: a
The way is certainly both short and steep, b
However gradual it looks from here;a
Look if you like, but you will have to leap. b
B. Envelope Stanza- a quatrain with the rhyme scheme "abba", such that lines 2 and 3 are enclosed between the rhymes
of lines 1 and 4. Two of these stanzas make up the Italian Octave used in the Italian sonnet. This is from Auden's "Look Before You
Leap" The worried efforts of the busy heap, a
The dirt, the imprecision, and the beer b
Produce a few smart wisecracks every year;b
Laugh if you can, but you will have to leap.a

4. Rhythm-The pattern of beats or stresses in a poem. Poets use patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables to create a regular
rhythm.
5. Rhyme- The repetition of the same or similar sounds,usually in stressed syllables at the ends of lines, but sometimes within a line.
Alliteration- The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words
Example: Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers.

6. Imagery- Representation of the five senses: sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell. Creates mental images about a poem’s subject
7. Figures of Speech- Figures of speech are a special kind of imagery. They create pictures by making comparisons.

Diction- refers to language and word choice of the writer. It shows the level of formality of a text which helps in shaping the
perception and view of the readers. There are three levels of diction: formal, informal, and colloquial.
Formal Diction: Academic, scholarly language
Informal Diction: Conversational language
Colloquial Diction: Slang Language, captures regional dialect

8. Tone or Mood- refers to the writer's attitude towards the subject of a literary work as indicated in the work itself. One way to think
about tone in poetry is to consider the speaker's literal "tone of voice": just as with tone of voice, a poem's tone may indicate an
attitude of joy, sadness, solemnity, silliness, frustration, anger, puzzlement, etc.

9. Refrain- The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at certain intervals, usually at the end of each stanza. Similar to the chorus
in a song. The word 'Refrain' derives from the Old French word refraindre meaning to repeat.

10. Repetition- A word or phrase repeated within a line or stanza. Sometimes, repetition reinforces or even substitutes for meter (the
beat), the other chief controlling factor of poetry.

11. Theme- The theme of the poem talks about the central idea, the thought behind what the poet wants to convey. A theme can be
anything from a description about a person or thing, a thought or even a story. In short a theme stands for whatever the poem is
about.

12. Symbolism- A poem often conveys feelings, thoughts and ideas using symbols, this technique is known as symbolism.
poetry has developed over hundreds of years, certain symbolic meanings have attached themselves to such things as
colors, places, times, and animals. You cannot merely plug these meanings into a poem and expect to understand the poem
completely. Your own knowledge, associations, and experience are what will lead you to a deep and personal connection to
any poem.

Examples:
• Sleep is often related to death.
• Dreams are linked to the future or fate.
• Seasons often represent ages: spring--youth, summer- prime of life, autumn--middle age, winter--old age or death.

TYPES OF POETRY/POETRY GENRE

I. Lyrical Poetry- expresses Personal thoughts and emotions.
is a short poem which has the characteristics of a song
It pertains to a single mood or feeling and is more personal in
nature. Sonnet, Elegy, and Ode are types of Lyrical Poetry.

a. Sonnet- the name sonnet derives from Italian word

sonneto which means little song .It is a relatively short
poem consisting of merely fourteen lines. It is known to
follow a strict pattern of rhyme. It is classified into
Petrarchan, Shakespearean, Spenserian and Miltonic
sonnets.

b. Elegy- This is a lyric poem which expresses lament

and mourning of the dead, feeling of grief and
melancholy. The theme of this poem is death

c. Ode- This is a poem of nobeling feeling, expressed with dignity and praises for some persons, objects, events or ideas. It is
exalted in tone and formal in structure and content.

II. Narrative Poetry- types of poem that narrates a story through the use of poetic diction either real or imaginary.
Narrative poem has special appeal. This form of poetry describes events in a vivid way, using some of the elements as short stories,
plot characters and dialogue.

a. Epic- This is a long and narrative poem that normally tells a story about a hero or an adventure.
Epics can be oral stories or can be poems in written form.
1. Popular or ancient poetry is usually without definite author and slow in the development.
2. Modern epic poetry has a definite author.
5 Greatest examples of EPIC POEMS
 • Beowulf by Anonymous - This is an Old English language heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship, dating as recorded
in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between the 8th to the 11th century and relates events described as having occurred in
what is now Denmark and Sweden.
• Metamorphoses by Ovid - This is a narrative poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world.
• The Odyssey by Homer - The poem is, in part, a sequel to Homer’s Iliad and mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus
and his long journey home to Ithaca following the fall of Troy.
• Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous - This is an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known
works of literary fiction.
• The Iliad by Homer - oldest extant work of literature in the ancient Greek language, making it the first work of European
literature.

b. Ballad- It also tell a story, like epic poems however, ballad poetry is often based on a legend or a folk tale. Most ballads are written
in four- six stanzas and has a regular rhythms and rhyme schemes. A ballad often features a refrain-a regular repeated line or group
of lines.

c. Social poem- This is either purely comic or tragic and pictures the life of today. It may aim to bring changes in social conditions.

III. Dramatic Poetry- has elements related closely to the drama. It uses a dramatic technique and may unfold a story. It emphasize
the character rather than the narrative.

a. Dramatic monologue- This is a combination of drama and poetry. It presents some line or speech of single character in
a particular but complicated situation and sometimes in a dilemma

b. Soliloquy ( /səˈliləkwē/)- The speaker of the poem or the character in a play delivers a passage.
The thoughts and emotions are heard by the author and the audience as well.

Difference between Monologue and soliloquy: Monologue means a long and typically tedious speech by one
person during a conversation, while soliloquy means the act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or
regardless of any hearers.

c. Oration- This Is a formal address elevated in tone and usually delivered on some notable occasion.

d. Character Sketch- This is a poem which the writer is concerned less with the elements of story. He presents his
observations and comments to a particular individual.

SPECIAL TYPESOF POEMS

a. Haiku- Special type of poetry which originated from Japan.

• It’s the shortest type of poem and, often, the most difficult to understand.
• It consists of three lines that generally do not rhyme. The lines should have five, seven, and five syllables in them.
• The best-knownJapanese haiku is Bashō's "old pond":

b. Cinquain- This is five-line poem which also originated in Japan.

• There are many different variations of cinquain including American Cinquains, didactic cinquains, reverse cinquains,
butterfly cinquains and crown cinquains.

c. Free Verse- A loosest type of poem. It can consists as many lines as the writer wants and either rhyme or not and has no fixed
metrical pattern. This type of poem openly called as “Poem with no rules.”

d. Name poem- A special type of poetry belong to descriptive poetry that use an adjective to describe a person that begins with
each letter of that person's name.
Example:
TAYLOR

Taylor likes each sentiment to be

Appropriate to its own time and place.
Years may roll like waves across her shore,
Leaving none of what there was before,
Obliterating every sign of grace.
Reason not, says Taylor, with the sea!

d. Experimental Texts
1. Typography (Concrete Poetry/Shape Poetry)- Concrete poetry is a poem whose layout or typography implies a
subject of the poem. An example is Swan and Shadow by John Hollander and the Tree Poem
2. Prose Poem- it is a kind of poetry that is written in paragraphs which contains language play, images, and with
instances of poetic meter.
3. Performance Poetry/ Spoken-Word Poetry- it is being recited in front of the audience in public spaces. It uses
vernacular language and appealing oral elements like music, recordings, and other elements of signification.