The Elements of Poetry

*THE_ELEMENTS_OF_POETRY*

The basic elements of poetry include the speaker, content, theme, shape and form, mood or tone, imagery, diction, figurative language and sound-effect devices.

1. Speaker

The poem’s speaker is the person who is addressing the reader. Sometimes, the speaker is the poet, who addresses the reader directly or another person. The poet reveals the identity of the speaker in various ways. Choice of words, focus of attention and attitudes will indicate the age, perspective and identity of the speaker.

2. Content

Content is the subject of the poem. It answers the question “what?” What is the poem all about? What happens in the poem?

3. Theme

The theme of the poem is the meaning of the poem – the main idea that the poet is trying to communicate. The theme may be stated directly or it may be implied.

4. Shape_and_Form

Basically, the actual shape and form of poems can vary dramatically from poem to poem. In poetry, you will encounter two forms: structured and free verse. Structured poetry has predictable patterns of rhyme, rhythm, line-length and stanza construction. Some examples are the sonnet and the haiku. In free verse, the poet experiments with the form of the poem. The rhythm, number of syllables per line and stanza construction do not follow a pattern.

5. Mood_or_Tone

The mood or tone of a poem is the feeling that the poet creates and that the reader senses through the poet’s choice of words, rhythm, rhyme, style and structure. Poems may express many moods – humorous, sarcastic, joyous, angry or solemn.

6. Imagery

Imagery refers to the “pictures” which we perceive with our mind’s eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and through which we experience the “duplicate world” created by poetic language. Imagery evokes the meaning and truth of human experiences not in abstract terms, as in philosophy, but in more perceptible and tangible forms. This is a device by which the poet makes his meaning strong, clear and sure. The poet uses sound words and words of color and touch in addition to figures of speech. As well, concrete details that appeal to the reader’s senses are used to build up images.

7. Diction

Diction is the poet’s choice of words. The poet chooses each word carefully so that both its meaning and sound contribute to the tone and feeling of the poem. The poet must consider a word's denotation - its definition according to the dictionary and it’s connotation - the emotions, thoughts and ideas associated with and evoked by the word.

TYPES_OF_POETRY

Poetry can be classified into three types: narrative, lyric, and dramatic poetry.

NARRATIVE_POETRY

A long with dramatic and lyric verse, narrative poetry is one of the three main groups of poetry. It is a form of poem that tells a series of events using poetic devices such as rhythm, rhyme, compact language, and attention to sound. In other words, a narrative poem tells a story, but it does it with poetic flair. Many of the same elements that are found in a short story are also found in a narrative poem. Here are some elements of narrative poetry that are important:
1. character
2. setting
3. conflict
4. plot

KINDS_OF_NARRATIVE_POETRY

a. #Epic

An epic is a long unified narrative poem, recounting in dignified language the adventures of a warrior, a king or a god, the whole embodying the religious and philosophical beliefs, the moral code, customs, traditions, manners, attitudes, sciences, folklore and culture of the people or country from which it came. Characteristics of the classical epic include these:

The main character or protagonist is heroically larger than life, often the source and subject of legend or a national hero.
The deeds of the hero are presented without favoritism, revealing his failings as well as his virtues.

1. The action, often in battle, reveals the more-than-human-strength of the heroes as they engage in acts of heroism and courage.
2. The setting covers several nations, the whole world, or even the universe.
3. The episodes, even though they may be fictional, provide an explanation for some of the circumstances or events in the history of a nation or people.
4. The gods and lesser divinities play an active role in the outcome of actions.
5. All of the various adventures form an organic whole, where each event relates in some way to the central theme.

b. #Metrical_Romance

A metrical romance recounts the quest undertaken by a single knight in order to gain a lady’s favor. Frequently, its central interest is courtly love, together with tournaments fought and dragons and monsters slain for the damsel’s sake. It stresses the chivalric ideals of courage, loyalty, honor, mercifulness to an opponent, and exquisite and manners; and it delights in wonders and marvels.

c. #Metrical_Tale

A metrical tale is a simple, straightforward story in verse.

d. #Ballad

A ballad is a narrative poem which is meant to be sung, usually composed in the ballad stanza. Although some ballads (literary ballad) are carefully crafted poems written by literate authors and meant to be read silently, the folk ballad (or popular ballad or traditional ballad) is derived from the oral tradition.

2. #LYRIC_POETRY

Lyric poetry is generally considered the most intense genre of poetry, the form that honors its musical origins. The term lyric comes from the Greek word for the lyre, a stringed instrument similar to a guitar and suitable for the accompaniment of a solitary singer. Like the concert of an impassioned singer, the lyric poem is a private, often visionary act of intelligence and emotion that becomes public through the music of language. It is also a highly concentrated poem of direct personal emotion, most often written in the first person. Moreover, lyric poetry is an artifact of language, capable of great beauty and excitement in its exploration of new perceptions.

#KINDS_OF_LYRIC_POETRY

a. #Ode

An ode is a dignified and elaborately structured lyric poem praising and glorifying an individual, commemorating an event, or describing nature intellectually rather than emotionally. Odes originally were songs performed to the accompaniment of a musical instrument.

b. #Elegy

An elegy is a lyric poem, written in elegiac couplets, that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died. This type of work stemmed out of a Greek word known as elegus, a song of mourning or lamentation that is accompanied by the lyre.

c. #Sonnet

A sonnet is a short poem with fourteen lines, usually written in iambic pentameter. There are many rhyming patterns for sonnets. The Italian or Petrarchan has two stanzas: the first of eight lines is called octave and has the rhyme-scheme abba abba; the second of six lines is called the sestet and has the rhyme cdecde or cdcdcd. The Spenserian sonnet, developed by Edmund Spenser, has three quatrains and a heroic couplet, in iambic pentameter with rhymes ababbcbccdcdee. The English sonnet, developed by Shakespeare, has three quatrains and a heroic couplet, in iambic pentameter with rhymes ababcdcdefefgg.

d. #Song

A song is a lyric poem which is set to music. All songs have a strong beat created largely through the 3R’s: rhythm, rhyme, and repetition.

e. #Simple_Lyric

A simple lyric is a short poem expressing the poet’s thought, feeling, or emotion.

3. #DRAMATIC_POETRY

Dramatic poetry presents one or more characters speaking, usually to other characters, but sometimes to themselves or directly to the reader.

#KINDS_OF_DRAMATIC_POETRY

a. #Dramatic_Monologue

A dramatic monologue is a literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the story line, through a poem or a speech. This speech, where only one character speaks, is recited while other characters are present onstage. This monologue often comes during a climactic moment in a work and often reveals hidden truths about a character, their history and their relationships. Also it can further develop a character’s personality and also be used to create irony.

b. #Soliloquy

A soliloquy is the act of speaking while alone, especially when used as a theatrical device that allows a character’s thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience.