elements

of poetry
what is poetry?
Poetry is a type of literature, or
artistic writing, that attempts to stir
a reader's imagination or emotions.
The poet does this by carefully
choosing and arranging language
for its meaning, sound, and rhythm.
structure
and form
 Structure in poetry refers to the
organization of the poem's elements,
including elements such as stanza
length, rhyme scheme, and meter.
Poetry comes in a variety of forms and
in each form follows a specific
structure.
Types of poetry
structure
 Meter is the basic rhythmic
structure of a poem. Meter is
determined by the number of
syllables used in a line and the
pattern in which these syllables are
used.
Scheme, or rhyming scheme in poetry is the
pattern of sounds or rhymes within a poem.
This pattern can be at the end of the line,
every other line, or throughout the stanza. It
could also include rhyming couplets.
Scheme is usually measured in poetry using
letters.
The verse in a poem refers to the various parts
of a poem. The term is typically used to
describe the relationship between rhyme and
meter in a certain part of a poem. Verse in
poetry contains rhythm, rhyme, or patterns of
writing. A verse could be a single line or a
stanza, or it could refer to a whole poem
written in this style.
 Rhyme is the repetition of similar-sounding
words or the same syllables used within a line.
Rhyming typically takes place at the end of a
line, but irregular rhyme can also occur in
words throughout the lines in a poem. The
stressed syllables within a word are usually at
the end. Rhyme is one of the most commonly
used structural devices in poetry and is ideal
for spoken poetry or songs.
 A stanza refers to the way that
lines are grouped together in a
poem. A stanza can contain any
number of lines, but they tend
to follow a similar pattern,
although this is not always the
case.
 Sonnet: is a fourteen-line poem with a set rhyme
scheme, often divided into quatrains, octaves, and
sestets.
Ode: is a formal lyric poem written in celebration or
dedication of something with specific intent.
Lyric: is a personal piece of poetry that tends to be
shorter, melodic, and contemplative.
Elegy: is a mournful poem, especially a lament for
the dead.
Villanelle: is a nineteen-line poem comprising five
triplets with a closing quatrain.
Limerick: is a humorous piece of poetry that consists
of five lines with the same rhythm.
Haiku: is a form of unrhymed Japanese poetry
containing three sections with a total of 17 syllables
arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern.
speaker
 The speaker of a poem is the voice of the poem,
similar to a narrator in fiction. The poet might not
necessarily be the speaker of the poem. Sometimes
the poet will write from a different perspective, or use
the voice of a specific person, as in a persona poem.
The term speaker clarifies the distinction from the
poet’s perspective and the perspective they use in the
poem.
sound devices
 Sound devices are tools used by poets to
create certain effects in the poem to convey
and reinforce meaning through sound. they
are literary elements that deal with the
sounds of language and are used to stress
certain sounds and create musical effects.
sound is important in poetry because it allows readers to
better envision scenes and feel moods the writer was
interested in. the use of sound devices helps readers
develop strong visual images, reinforcing the mood and
tone of the literary piece. the goal is to use sound
devices to evoke an emotional response in readers.
figurative language
 Poetry uses figurative language and
different poetic devices to suggest
different interpretations of words or to
evoke other ideas that are not literally
connected with the words.
 The sound devices such as alliteration, assonance,
consonance, and onomatopoeia are used to create
musical effects. Elements of poetic diction such as irony,
symbolism, and juxtaposition leave a poem open to
several interpretations. In the same way, poetic devices
such as metaphor and simile are used to build a
relationship between different images previously not
perceived.
 Some important poetic devices in poetry include:
Simile: is a comparison between two unlike things using the words “like” or “as”.
Metaphor: is an implicit comparison between different images or ideas without the use
of “like” or “as”.
Repetition: is a poetic technique that refers to the reuse of words, phrases, and images
several times in a poem.
Enjambment: occurs when a line is cut off before its natural point.
Irony: occurs when an outcome is different than what is expected.
Personification: is a poetic device that refers to the projection of human characteristics
into inanimate objects.
Onomatopoeia: occurs when a word imitates a natural sound.
Hyperbole: occurs when one statement is elevated for a certain poetic effect.
theme
 The theme is a recurring idea or a
pervading thought in a work of literature.
Poetry themes include some common
ideas such as love, nature, beauty, and as
complex as death, spirituality, and
immortality.
An understanding of the theme helps readers
to identify the core message of the poem or
the poet’s purpose for writing the poem. For
example, the following lines of Robert Burns’
‘A Red, Red Rose’ exemplify the theme as well
as the underlying message of the entire
poem:
 “O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.”

This piece is written in admiration of the speaker’s

beloved. Therefore, the main themes of the poem are
beauty, love, and admiration.
Tone and Mood
 The tone or attitude of a poem’s speaker and the
mood of the entire text is part of poetic diction. To
understand the speaker’s attitude or tone to the
subject, readers have to look for the poet’s choice
of words, figurative language, and sound devices.
The mood is related to the impression of the text
upon readers.
Explore these lines from Keats’ ‘Ode to a Nightingale’:
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated case.
 In these lines, the speaker describes the
nightingale’s song in an elevated language.
He is awe-struck after listening to its
intoxicating song. Thus, the tone is emotive,
pleasant, and elated. The mood of the poem
is happy and positive.
syntax
 The syntax is the ordering of words into
meaningful patterns. Poetry has a distinct syntax
compared to prose, fiction, and other forms of
literature.
The purpose of adopting a specific syntax and
diction is to achieve certain artistic effects such
as tone, mood, etc.
 P J Kavanagh's 'Beyond Decoration' has a
speaker who says, rather than "I cannot go
out", "Go out I cannot", which - by shifting its
syntax - seems to make the impossibility in
"cannot" stronger, as well as creating a
reversed echo with the second half of that
line.
thank
you!