Elements of Poetry Mr诗歌元素先生. Harris English Class.pptVIP

Example of Free Verse The lunatic is carried at last to the asylum a confirmed case, He will never sleep any more as he did it in the cot in his mother’s bedroom; The dour printer with gray head and gaunt jaws works at his case, He turns is quid of tobacco, his eyes blurred with the manuscript; The malformed limbs are tied to the anatomist’s table, What is removed drops horribly in the pail; The quadroon girl is sold at the stand….the drunkard nods by the barroom stove… Excerpt from “Song of Myself” (section 15) Walt Whitman Elements of Poetry Elements of Poetry What is poetry? Poetry is not prose. Prose is the ordinary language people use in speaking or writing. Poetry is a form of literary expression that captures intense experiences or creative perceptions of the world in a musical language. Basically, if prose is like talking, poetry is like singing. By looking at the set up of a poem, you can see the difference between prose and poetry. Distinguishing Characteristics of Poetry Unlike prose which has a narrator, poetry has a speaker. A speaker, or voice, talks to the reader. The speaker is not necessarily the poet. It can also be a fictional person, an animal or even a thing Example But believe me, son. I want to be what I used to be when I was like you. from “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara Distinguishing Characteristics of Poetry Poetry is also formatted differently from prose. A line is a word or row of words that may or may not form a complete sentence. A stanza is a group of lines forming a unit. The stanzas in a poem are separated by a space. Example Open it. Go ahead, it won’t bite. Well…maybe a little. from “The First Book” by Rita Dove Figures of Speech A figure of speech is a word or expression that is not meant to be read literally. A simile is a figure of speech using a word such as like or as to compare seemingly unlike things. Example Does it stink like rotten meat? from “Harlem” by Langston Hughes Figures of Speech A metaphor also comp