Unseen Poetry

• What does this guide go beyond in terms of expectations?

  GCSE English Literature specification
• What is the basic difference between structure and form in poetry?

  Structure mirrors or juxtaposes thematic content
• How does a poet use structure in their writing?

  To emphasize points and messages
• What are the individual patterns in poetry called?

  Meters
• What do meters consist of in poetry?

  Combinations of unstressed and stressed syllables
• In the rhyme "Hickory Dickory Dock," which syllables are stressed?

  The bolded letters in the rhyme
• What are the four common types of meter in poetry?

  1. da-da-DA
  2. DA-da-da
  3. da-DA
  4. DA-da
• What is the most common form of meter found in poetry?

  da-DA
• How does a poet emphasize important lines in their work?

  By changing the meter within their poems
• What can a sudden break in meter indicate in a poem?

  It may highlight important meanings
• What does assigning a specific meter to a character reveal?

  Details about the character's social status
• Why is meter important to understanding poetry?

  It creates appealing sounds and rhythms
• How can meter create different tones in poetry?

  By manipulating or selecting a particular meter
• What does poetic form describe in a poem?

  • Number of lines
  • Lengths of stanzas
  • Number of stanzas
  • Rhyming scheme
  • Thematic elements
• What is the most famous type of poetic form?

  The sonnet
• What differentiates types of sonnets?

  Stanza length and rhyming scheme
• What is the rhyme scheme of the Italian/Petrarchan sonnet?

  ABBA ABBA for the octet
• What is a volta in a Petrarchan sonnet?

  A shift in tone after the eighth line
• How many quatrains does a Shakespearean sonnet have?

  Three quatrains
• What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?

  ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
• What type of sonnet did John Milton prefer?

  Occasional poems in sonnet form
• What is the rhyme scheme of a Spenserian sonnet?

  ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
• Why do poets use sonnets?

  • To use a traditional structure
  • To explore themes of love
  • To convey historical weight
• What is a Villanelle?

  A form with five tercets and a quatrain
• What is the rhyme scheme of a ballad?


  ABCB
• What distinguishes traditional folk ballads from literary ballads?

  Origin and communication method
• What is blank verse in poetry?

  Unrhymed iambic pentameter
• What are the characteristics of blank verse?

  • Unrhymed
  • Iambic pentameter
  • Ten syllables per line
• What is repeated throughout the poem?

  The first and third lines of the stanza
• What do the repeated lines create at the end of the poem?

  A final rhyming couplet
• What is a ballad?

  A narrative song communicated orally
• What is the typical rhyme scheme of a ballad?

  ABCB rhyming quatrains
• When did literary ballads begin to originate?

  During the Renaissance
• What is blank verse?

  Unrhymed poetry in iambic pentameter
• How many syllables are in a line of iambic pentameter?

  Ten syllables
• What is a common form for poems written in blank verse?

  Dramatic monologues or epic poems
• What is an ode in Ancient Greece?

  A public poem celebrating victories
• How do odes typically vary?

  In stanza form and line length
• What defines an epic poem?

  A long narrative poem about a hero
• What can poets choose when structuring their poems?

  To use a rhyming scheme or free verse