Ms.

Mulchan

Introduction to CSEC Poetry

Literature in verse form (a
controlled arrangement of
lines and stanzas)

Uses language to express

layers of meaning
Know the parts of the poem
Types of Poetry
• A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines that can have any of a number of
formal rhyme schemes. There are usually ten syllables per
line. Free verse is poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular met
er. It relies on imagery, alliteration, etc. to convey meaning.
• A limerick is a five‐line poem with a specific rhyme and meter. The rh
yme scheme is AABBA. The first, second and fifth lines have three fee
t each with the following stressed (S) and unstressed (U) syllables: US
UUSUUS. The third and fourth lines have two feet each with the follo
wing stressed (S) and unstressed (U) syllables: USUUS.
• Haiku is Japanese form of poetry usually reflecting on nature and feeli
ngs. There are three lines in a Haiku. The first has five syllables, the se
cond seven syllables, and the third has five syllables.
• In Acrostic poems, the first letters of each line are aligned vertically
to form a word. In most cases the word spelled by the first letters is t
he subject of the poem.
• A Cinquain has five lines. Line 1: Title (noun) ‐ 1 word; Line 2: Des
cription ‐ 2 words; Line 3: Action ‐ 3 words; Line 4: Feeling (phrase) ‐
4 words; Line 5: Title (synonym for the title) ‐ 1 word.
Rhyming Scheme
• The rhyme scheme of a poem means the pattern of the rhymes. In lab
eling a rhyme scheme, each line is assigned a letter. Lines that rhyme
get the same letter. For example, in a quatrain (a four‐line stanza), if t
he first two lines rhyme, and the last two lines rhyme, the rhyme sche
me is AABB. If the first and third lines rhyme and the second and four
th lines rhyme, the rhyme scheme is ABAB. Sometimes there are line
s in a poem that don’t rhyme with any other lines. In a quatrain in whi
ch the second and fourth lines rhyme, but the first and third don’t rh
yme with anything, the rhyme scheme is ABCB.
 Mood
The emotional quality of a literary work.

Mood is determined by setting, subject matter, and tone.

SAMPLE MOOD WORDS:
Cheerful, gloomy, bleak, eerie, tense, calm, ominous, uncertain, miserable
 Tone
An author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter.
We can figure out tone by an author’s word choice, punctuation, sentence structure,
and figures of speech.
SAMPLE TONE WORDS:
sympathetic, serious, ironic, sad, bitter, humorous, angry, apologetic, critical,
proud
Analysing a poem
• STEP 1
• Read the poem once silently to yourself slowly. The first time
you read through a poem, record any “gut reactions” you have to
the poem: any emotional connections you have with what the
author is saying, reminders of personal detailed experiences,
things you like or dislike, etc. Think in terms of, “How do I feel
about this? Why? Why not?” These reactions can help you focus
on the type of response the poet is looking for in a reader.
STEP 2

• Read the poem again and find the literal meaning of the poem. The
literal meaning is the most straightforward version of the poem and
does not refer to any poetic devices. Translate the poem into
conversational English. How would you tell the poem’s story to a
friend? Think in terms of, “What’s the most common dictionary
definition of this word or phrase?” This can be a difficult step, but
remember that all good poetry, even when it seems incredibly
inaccessible, is still based on words that carry literal meaning.
STEP 3
• Re-read the poem to find the connotative meaning of the
poem. Take several keywords or phrases from the poem and consider
the kinds of connotations they carry. Think in terms of, “Why this
word and not another?” Refer to your first reactions: often
connotative meanings, rather than denotative, are what engage our
emotions.Take the word “mother,” for example. The dictionary would
define mother as “a female parent.” OK, but the word “mother”
probably creates emotions and feelings in you: it paints a picture in
your mind. You may think of love and security or you may think of
your own mother. The emotions and feelings that a word creates are
called its connotative meaning.
• STEP 4
• Identify the speaker and audience. Is there a specific person talking?
Is the speaker the poet? Even if the speaker is the poet, you should
always refer to the speaker as ‘the speaker’ in your analysis. In
regards to the audience, who is the speaker addressing? Is there a
specific group? Does the audience help to define who the speaker is?
• Determine the poem’s structure and organization. Does the poem
follow a narrative? Are there ideas grouped together in different
sections? Does each stanza cover a separate topic, or is there a
continued theme throughout the poem? How is the poem physically
organized--it is one long poem, or does it have stanzas or separate
lines?
• Find the symbolic meaning of the poem. Record any allusions you
recognize, references to symbols, etc. Think in terms of, “What could
this stand for? Why?”For example, consider the word "light." This
may not refer to the literal condition that means the opposite of
darkness; often "light" is used to symbolize knowledge, truth, peace,
joy, or spirituality.
• Stop and ask yourself, “What is the author trying to say?” What is
his goal for this poem? What kind of a reaction is he trying to get out
of readers? Why?” Try to identify the author’s purpose for writing
• Determine the rhyme scheme of the poem. There are many different kinds of
rhyme schemes. Rhymes are used to give the poem a musical, pleasing sound. They
can also be used to deepen meaning, and strengthen the form of the poem. Is
there any meaning behind the placement of the rhymes? Does it put emphasis on a
specific idea within the poem?End rhymes are one of the most common forms of
rhymes. When the last word of a line rhymes with another last word of a rhyme,
this is considered an end rhyme.
• Internal rhymes are when words in the middle of line rhyme with other words in
the middle of a different line. In a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he writes “The
fair breeze blew, the white foam flew.” "Blew" and "flew" are examples of internal
rhymes.
• True rhymes are words that rhyme exactly. For example, the words “cat” and “rat”
are perfect rhymes.
• Off-rhymes or "slant rhymes" are words that almost rhyme, but do not rhyme
exactly. For example, the words “fate” and “saint” are off rhymes--they sound very
similar, but very subtly end in a different way. Off rhymes use assonance and
consonance.
• Assonance is when the vowels of two words rhyme, while consonance is when the constants
of two words are the same.
• nalyze the poem in terms of poetic devices. Look for tools of sound (alliteration,
assonance, etc.), imagery (sensory detail, word pictures, etc.) and so forth. Think in terms
of, "What kind of language tools is this author using? How do those tools help him
accomplish his goal?"What imagery does the author use? Does he use metaphor, simile,
orpersonification? In “The Vagabond Song,” Carmen personifies fall, saying that she is a
woman and that “she calls and calls each vagabond by name.” By making the fall into a
woman, Carmen draws parallels between the idea of a seductive woman tempting him
with the fall calling him to the wilderness to revel in its beauty.
• Does the poet use alliteration? Alliteration is when words in a line begin with the same
letter. An example would be, “the terrifying tiger tackled the traumatized toad.”
• How would you define the poem’s language (or diction?) Did the author choose to put
specific words in the poem for a reason? Is the language flowery? Stark? Sad? In “The
Vagabond Song,” the diction is whimsical but filled with passion. The color red, which is
the color of passion, is referred to throughout the poem. Blood, crimson leaves, scarlet
maples, and hills of flame all make an appearance in the poem lending the poem a sense
of vitality and passion.
My Parents
My parents kept me from children who were rough
Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes
Their thighs showed through rags they ran in the
street
And climbed cliffs and stripped by the country
streams.
I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron
Their jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms
I feared the salt coarse pointing of those boys
Who copied my lisp behind me on the road.
They were lithe they sprang out behind hedges