Elements of Poetry

• Poetry has 3 major elements:

  • Symbolic Transaction
  • Versification and Tonal Quality
  • Figurative Languages
• Symbolic Transaction is considered the most important part of poetry
• Symbolic Transaction consists of:

  • Persona
  • Addressee
  • Poetic vision
• Persona:

  • Character alive in the poem
  • Usually the speaker in the poem
  • NOTE: Persona can NEVER be the writer of the poem
• Addressee:

  • Recipient of the poem
  • Who the persona is talking to or addressing
• Poetic vision:

  • Another term for "theme"
  • Main subject of the poem
• Versification and Tonal Quality provide structure and sound in poetry
• Versification and Tonal Quality consists of:

  • Stanza
  • Feet
  • Meter
• Stanza:

  • Number of lines put together to make up the poem
  • Example: couplet, quatrain, octave, sonnet
• Feet:

  • Stressed & unstressed syllables in the lines of a poem
  • Example: iamb, trochee, dactyl, anapest
• Meter:

  • Number of feet in the lines of a poem
  • NOTE: Free Verse poetry is free from limitations of a regular meter or rhythm, and does not rhyme with fixed forms
• Subject refers to the general idea presented in the poem
• Theme refers to the specific idea of the writer about the subject presented in the poem.
• Example of Stanza

  • couplet
  • quatrain
  • octave
  • sonnet
• Feet

  • iamb
  • trochee
  • dactyl
  • anapest
• Simile

  • A figure of speech that directly compares two things using "like" or "as."
  • For example: "Her eyes twinkled like stars."
• Metaphor

  • A figure of speech that compares two things without using "like" or "as," stating one thing is something else.
  • For example: "The world is a stage."
• Personification:

  • Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.
  • For example: "The wind danced through the trees."
• • Hyperbole:
  • An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis, not meant to be taken literally.
  • For example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
• Apostrophe:

  • Directly addressing a person, thing, or idea that is absent or not usually personified.
  • For example: "Oh, cruel fate!"
• • Allusion:
  • A reference to a person, place, or event from history, literature, mythology, or religion.
  • For example: "He was a real Don Quixote, tilting at windmills."
• Irony:

  • The contrast between expectation and reality.
  • For example: In a horror movie, the character walks into a dark basement alone – the audience knows this is a bad idea, but the character doesn't.
• Alliteration:

  • The repetition of the first consonant sound in a sequence of words.
  • For example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
• Paradox:

  A statement that seems contradictory at first but may contain a layer of truth.

  For example: "Less is more."
• Metonymy:

  A figure of speech where a word or phrase is substituted for something closely related.

  For example: "The White House" referring to the U.S. president or administration.
• Onomatopoeia:

  • Words that imitate the sound they describe.
  • For example: "Buzz," "bang," "meow."
• Oxymoron:

  A figure of speech that combines opposite words into a single phrase.

  For example: "Deafening silence," "jumbo shrimp."
• Imagery

   refers to the images created by the words in the poem.
• Imagery vs figurative language

  Imagery does not necessarily need to be figurative to create an image in your mind where as figurative language needs to used a point of comparison
• Tone

  is usually related to "voice" or "style". This can either have formal/informal distinction.
• Symbolism

  refers to the symbols used by the writer in the poem. Sometimes, this element is considered as part of figurative language