CREATIVE WRITING

Elements, Techniques and

Literary Devices of Poetry
Elements of Poetry
After going through this lesson, you are expected to:
1. identify the elements of poetry;
2. appreciate the message of the poem; and
3. compose a poem depicting the elements of poetry.
1. Form - is the shape of the poem.
• Poems can be easily identified by its form or how it looks on a page.
They are usually written in a stanza.
• As Collins (2019) stated, “a stanza is a grouping of related lines of the
same topic or thought and can be subdivided into the number of lines it
contains”.
• Poetic Line
§ A line is a subdivision of a poem, specifically a group of
words arranged into a row that ends for a reason other than
the right-hand margin. The length of lines and how lines
end must be considered in establishing the structure of the
poem.
§ Creating lines in poetry is utterly different from the lines
you write in other genre since line must be carefully
structured.

Here, the first and third lines have the same length, while
the second and fourth lines may be the same.
• Line Types
§ Poets masterpieces are controlled by the standard set of rules
dictated by the verse type like an ode, sonnet and other types. One
should figure out how thoughts and words can be expressed in each
line.
§ Lines with sudden stops or unusual breaks
may suggest another idea or thought that can be puzzling or thrilling to the
readers.

§ End-stop lines, which ends at usual pauses and are indicated by a

comma or period.
• Stanza
• is a division of lines in a poem.
TYPES OF STANZA
Monostich a one-line stanza. Monostich can also be an entire poem.
Couplet a stanza with two lines that rhyme.
Tercet a stanza with three lines that either all rhyme or the first and the third line rhyme— which is called an
ABA rhyming pattern. A p o e m m a d e u p of tercets a n d concludes with a couplet is called a terza rima.
Quatrain a stanza w i t h four lines with the s e c o n d - a n d fourth-lines
rhyming.
Quintain a stanza with five lines.
Sestet a stanza with six lines.
Septet a stanza with seven lines. This is sometimes called a r h y m e royal.
Octave a stanza w i t h eight lines written in i a m b i c pentameter, o r ten syllable beats per line. T h e m o r e lines a
stanza has the more varieties of rhyme and meter patterns.
Isometric stanza Isometric stanzas h a v e the s a m e syllabic beats, or the s a m e meter, in every line.
Heterometric a stanza in which every line is a different length.
stanza
Spenserian na m e d after Edward Spenser ’s unique stanza structure in his p o e m The Faerie Queene. A Spenserian
stanza stanza has nine line, eight in i a m b i c p e n t a m e t e r a n d a final line in i a m b i c hexameter.
Ballad stanza o ften used in folk songs, a ballad stanza is a rhyming quatrain with four emphasized beats (eight
syllables) in the first a n d third lines, a n d three e m p h a s i z e d b e a t s (six syllables) in the second and
fourth lines.
2. Rhyme Scheme
• We have always been able to identify poems with the sounds of words which
we usually hear at the end of the lines. This is the rhyme scheme.
• According to Collins (2019), “rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that
repeats at the end of a line or stanza. Rhyme schemes can change line by
line, stanza by stanza, or can continue throughout a poem” and “rhyme
scheme patterns are formatted in different ways. The patterns are encoded
by letters of the alphabet. Lines designated with the same letter rhyme with
each other. For example, the rhyme scheme ABAB means the first and third
lines of a stanza, or the “A”s, rhyme with each other, and the second line
rhymes with the fourth line, or the “B”s rhyme together”.
10 Different Rhyme Schemes
Rhyming poems do not have to follow a particular pattern. Any
number of new rhymes can be added to a poem to create ongoing
patterns. Some common rhyme schemes include:

• Alternate rhyme. In an alternate rhyme, the first- and third-lines

rhyme at the end, and the second- and fourth-lines rhyme at the end
following the pattern ABAB for each stanza. This rhyme scheme is
used for poems with four-line stanzas.

• Ballade. A lyric poem that follows the rhyme scheme ABABBCBC.

Ballades typically have three, eight-line stanzas and conclude with a
four-line stanza. The last line of each stanza is the same, which is called
a refrain.
• Coupled rhyme. A coupled rhyme is a two-line stanza that rhymes
following the rhyme scheme AA BB CC, or a similar dual rhyming
scheme. The rhymes themselves are referred to as rhyming couplets.

• Monorhyme. In a monorhyme, all the lines in a stanza or entire poem

end with the same rhyme.

• Enclosed rhyme. The first and fourth lines and the second- and third-
lines rhyme with each other in an enclosed rhyme scheme. The pattern is
ABBA, in which A encloses the B.

• Simple four-line rhyme. These poems follow a rhyme scheme of ABCB

throughout the entire poem.
• Triplet. A triplet is a set of three lines in a stanza— c a l l e d a t e r c e t —
that share the same end rhyme.

• Terza rima. An Italian form of poetry that consists of tercets, a terza

rima follows a chain rhyme in which the second line of each stanza
rhymes with the first and last line of the subsequent stanza. It ends
with a couplet rhyming with the middle line of the penultimate stanza.
The pattern is ABA BCB CDC DED EE.

• Limerick. A limerick is a five-line poem with the rhyme scheme

AABBA.

• Villanelle. A type of poem with five three-line stanzas that follow a

rhyme scheme of ABA. The villanelle concludes with a four-line
stanza with the pattern ABAA.
 • VILLANELLE- A type of poem with five three-line stanzas that
follow a rhyme scheme of ABA. The villanelle concludes with a four-
line stanza with the pattern ABAA.
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
Do not go gentle into that good night, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Because their words had forked no lightning they Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
 CREATE A POEM
USING YOUR NAME
WITH ALTERNATE
RHYME OR RHYME
SCHEME OF ABAB
3. Meter
• To understand Rhythm and Meter, we first need to understand
meter and feet. Stress is the relative emphasis that may be
given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a
phrase or sentence. In English, stressed syllables are louder
than unstressed syllable. They are also longer and have a
higher pitch.

Some words are monosyllabic, and some are polysyllabic. In

poetry, there are also stressed and unstressed syllables. Why do
we need to know these things. It is important for us to know the
pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables so that we can
organize the syllables into meaningful thought units.
• A foot or metrical foot is a single unit of measurement that is
repeated within a line of poetry.
• Metrical feet are made up of STRESSED and Unstressed
syllables. All the metrical feet that are used in English poetry and
verse have exactly one STRESSED syllable and one or two
Unstressed syllables. Metrical feet are the structured building
blocks that make up meter. Look at the diagram below to
facilitate understanding of the idea.
In studying poetry and determining meter, the following symbols are used:

U for unstressed syllables (light, weak ,quiet syllable)

/ for stressed syllables (heavy, loud, strong syllables)

Each pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables creates a unit called

foot. In the example above, there are five feet. The pattern could be stressed
and unstressed; unstressed and stressed, etc.
 Kinds of Feet Meaning Example
1. Iamb A foot with two syllables; an unstressed (as in reduce or shall I)
followed
by stressed syllables
2. Trochee A foot with two syllables; stressed followed by (as in menu, mermaid).
unstressed syllables
3. Spondee A foot with two syllables, both stressed (as in bird sing)
4. Anapest A foot with three (as in overcome)
syllables, two unstressed, one stressed syllable

5. Dactyl A foot with three (as in capital, family)

syllables, one stressed followed by two
unstressed syllables
6. Amphibrach A foot with three (as in archaic, angelic)
syllables, one unstressed, followed by one
stressed and one unstressed syllable
7. Cretic A foot with three (as in trampoline)
syllables, one stressed, followed by an
unstressed, and a
stressed syllable
KINDS OF METER
4. Rhythm
• W hen there is a pattern of sound created, that is, the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables, we call it rhythm. Meter therefore is the measurement of
these stressed and unstressed syllables and the pattern of the sounds is
rhythm which is the natural flow of words in a line.
• It is the meaningful arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllable in a line of
poetry. Now, going back to the above-mentioned lines, be attentive to the
rhythmic flow as you read them.
1. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM
2. Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
BUM ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM
3. I think that I shall never see
ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM
4.Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
ba ba BUM ba ba BUM ba ba BUM ba ba BUM
5. Whose woods these are I think I know
ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM ba BUM
Types of Rhythmic patterns
1. Iambic –two syllables, one unstressed syllable and one stressed
syllable
2. Trochaic - two syllables, one stressed syllable and one unstressed
syllable
3. Spondaic- two syllables both stressed
4. Anapestic -three syllables, two unstressed followed by one stressed
syllable
5. Dactylic- three syllables, two stressed and one unstressed
6. Amphibrachic - three syllables, one unstressed, followed by one
stressed and one unstressed
5. Tone
• The poet’s attitude toward the poem’s speaker, reader, and subject matter, as
interpreted by the reader. Often described as a “mood” that pervades the
experience of reading the poem, it is created by the poem’s vocabulary,
metrical regularity or irregularity, syntax, use of figurative language, and rhyme.
• It is conveyed through the authors’ use of words in the poem. It can be formal,
informal, serious, comic or any other attitude.
Keywords examples: happy, hopeful, sad, friendly, humorous
6. Speaker
• Just like fiction has a narrator, poetry has a speaker–someone who is the voice of
the poem. Often, the speaker is the poet. Other times, the speaker can take on
the voice of a persona–the voice of someone else including animals and
inanimate objects.
7. Theme
• The theme in a story is its underlying message, or 'big idea. ' In other
words, what critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in
the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem? This belief, or idea,
transcends cultural barriers. It is usually universal in nature.
8. Imagery
• It is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses.
Despite "image" being a synonym for "picture", images need not be
only visual; any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste,
smell) can respond to what a poet writes.
Techniques and Literary
Devices of Poetry
After going through this lesson, you are expected to:
• identify the poetic devices and techniques in specific form of
poetry;
• analyze how the author’s choice and use of a genre shapes the
meaning of the literary work; and
• compose poems employing poetic devices and techniques .
1. Blank verse. Blank verse is poetry written with a
precise meter—almost always iambic pentameter—that
does not rhyme
2. Rhymed poetry. In contrast to blank verse, rhymed
poems rhyme by definition, although their scheme varies.
3. Free verse. Free verse poetry is poetry that lacks a
consistent rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or musical
form
4. Epic. An epic poem is a lengthy, narrative work of poetry.
These long poems typically detail extraordinary feats and
adventures of characters from a distant past.
5. Narrative poetry. Similar to an epic, a narrative poem tells a
story.
6. Haiku. A haiku is a three-line poetic form originating in Japan.
The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables,
and the third line again has five syllables
7. Pastoral poetry. A pastoral poem is one that concerns the
natural world, rural life, and landscapes.
8. Sonnet. A sonnet is a 14-line poem, typically (but not exclusively)
concerning the topic of love. Sonnets contain internal rhymes within their 14
lines; the exact rhyme scheme depends on the style of a sonnet.
• There are three kinds of sonnet: Petrarchan, Shakespearian, and
Spenserian. They are named after the poets who made sonnets using
their specific rhyme patterns.
9. Elegies. An elegy is a poem that reflects upon death or loss.
Traditionally, it contains themes of mourning, loss, and reflection.

10.Ode. Much like an elegy, an ode is a tribute to its subject,

although the subject need not be dead— or even sentient.

11.Limerick. A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a

single stanza, an AABBA rhyme scheme.

12.Lyric poetry. Lyric poetry refers to the broad category of

poetry that concerns feelings and emotion.
13.Ballad. A ballad (or ballade) is a form of narrative verse that
can be either poetic or musical. It typically follows a pattern of
rhymed quatrains.

14.Soliloquy. A soliloquy is a monologue in which a character

speaks to him or herself, expressing inner thoughts that an
audience might not otherwise know.
• A soliloquy is a long speech spoken by a single character that is not
intended to be heard by any other character in the play Effectively, time
stops in the action of the play, because the soliloquy articulates thoughts
that might flash through a person’s head in the span of a few seconds.
• A monologue is spoken by a single character but is addressed to the
other characters on stage (or on screen).
15.Villanelle. A nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets and
a quatrain, with a highly specified internal rhyme scheme.
Originally a variation on a pastoral, the villanelle has evolved to
describe obsessions and other intense subject matters.
• A literary device is any specific aspect of literature, or a particular work,
which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Poetic
devices are plans or methods of arrangements of words which can
assist the writer in developing expressions that are appealing to his/her
readers. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called
literary devices.
• Literary techniques are specific, deliberate constructions of language
which an author uses to convey meaning. An author’s use of a literary
technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular
group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary
elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text.
1. Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound at the start of
2 or more consecutive words in a series.

2. Allusion: A reference or suggestion to a historical or well-

known person, place or thing.

3. Anaphora: The repeated use of word at the start of two or more

consecutive lines.
4. Antithesis: Use of opposite words in close placement

5. Assonance: The repetition of a vowel sound within a sentence.

6. Imagery: The creation of any sensory effect like visual, auditory,

olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic, organic.( to create scenes
in the poem)
7. Asyndeton: A writing style in which conjunctions are omitted
between words, phrases or clauses.

8. Consonance: The repetition of a consonant sound in a sentence.

It can be at the beginning, middle or end of the word.

9. Hyperbole: It is a Greek word meaning “overcasting”. The use

of exaggeration to lay emphasis.
10. Enjambment: The sentence continues into two or more lines
in a poem

11. Inversion: It is also known as “anastrophe” the normal order

of words is reversed, in order to achieve a particular effect of
emphasis.

12. Metaphor: It is direct comparison by highlighting a particular

quality of two things.
13. Onomatopoeia: It is the usage of sound words to create a
dramatic effect.

14. Oxymoron: It is when apparently contradictory terms appear

in conjunction. (here the words are not opposite to each other like
it is in antithesis but their meaning is opposite).

15. Personification: It means to give human quality to an object

or a non-living thing.
16. Simile: It is the comparison between two things or persons by
using like or as.

17. Refrain: A verse, a line, a set, or a group of lines that repeats,

at regular intervals, in different stanzas.

18. Synecdoche: It is a word or phrase in which a part of

something is used to refer to the whole of it.
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