Unseen Poetry

• What is the difference between structure and form in poetry?


  Structure refers to the careful arrangement of a poem, while form describes the set of rules it follows.

  
• How does the structure of a poem relate to its thematic content?


  The structure can mirror or juxtapose the thematic content to emphasize the poet's messages.

  
• What are the individual patterns in lines of poetry called?

  Meters
• What do meters in poetry consist of?

  Meters are combinations of unstressed and stressed syllables.
• In the nursery rhyme "Hickory Dickory Dock," which syllables are stressed?

  The bolded letters indicate the stressed syllables.
• What are the four common types of meter in poetry?

  1. da-da-DA (e.g., "un-der-STAND")
  2. DA-da-da (e.g., "BUFF-al-o")
  3. da-DA (e.g., "em-PLOY")
  4. DA-da (e.g., "HAM-mer")
• Why might a poet change the meter within their poem?

  To emphasize lines with especially important meanings.
• What should you look for if there is a consistent meter in a poem?

  Look for sudden breaks in meter or lines that don’t adhere to the meter.
• How can assigning a particular type of meter to a character reveal details about them?

  It can indicate their social class, as seen with Shakespeare's use of iambic pentameter for upper-class characters.

  
• What effect does meter have when poetry is read aloud?

  It often creates a more appealing sound due to a steady rhythmic pattern.
• How can manipulating meter create different tones in poetry?

  It can create tones such as melancholic or upbeat.
• What does poetic form describe?

  • The 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 are the main types of sonnets?

  1. Italian / Petrarchan
  2. Shakespearean
  3. Miltonic
  4. Spenserian
• What is the rhyme scheme of the Italian/Petrarchan sonnet?

  ABBA ABBA for the octet, followed by CDECDE or CDCCDC for the sestet.
• What is a volta in a Petrarchan sonnet?

  A shift in tone that occurs after the eighth line.
• How many stanzas does a Shakespearean sonnet have?

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

  ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
• What distinguishes Miltonic sonnets from traditional sonnets?

  Miltonic sonnets often focus on internal conflict and may exceed normal length and rhyme limits.
• What is the rhyme scheme of a Spenserian sonnet?

  ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.
• Why do poets often choose to write sonnets?

  • To use a traditional structure with historical weight
  • To explore themes of love, particularly in Petrarchan sonnets
  • To discuss the concept of art outliving its creators

  
• What is a Villanelle?

  A French poetic form using five tercets followed by a quatrain, with alternating lines repeating.
• What is the rhyme scheme of a Villanelle?

  The first and third lines of the first stanza alternate as the last lines of the following stanzas, culminating in a final couplet.
• What is a ballad?


  A narrative song traditionally communicated orally, usually in ABCB rhyming quatrains.
• What distinguishes traditional folk ballads from literary ballads?

  Traditional folk ballads are communicated orally, while literary ballads originated in the Renaissance.
• What is blank verse?

  Poetry written unrhymed in iambic pentameter, typically ten syllables per line.

  
• Which famous epic poem is written in blank verse?

  Milton's Paradise Lost.
• What is a lyric poem?


  A poem that celebrates a person, concept, or place, often with a formal tone.

  
• What is a ballad?


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


  The typical rhyme scheme of a ballad is ABCB rhyming quatrains.
• What is blank verse?

  Blank verse is poetry written unrhymed in iambic pentameter.

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

  There are ten syllables in a line of iambic pentameter.
• What is the typical structure of poems written in blank verse?

  Poems written in blank verse tend to be dramatic monologues or epic poems.

  
• What is an ode?


  An ode is a lyric poem that celebrates a person, concept, or place.
• How were odes used in Ancient Greece?

  Odes were public poems often set to music for athletic victories and similar events.
• What is an epic poem?

  An epic poem is a long narrative poem where a hero completes a journey or acts in a significant event.

  
• Name two examples of epic poems.

  Beowulf and Paradise Lost.
• What do poets decide when structuring their poems?

  Poets decide to use a rhyming scheme or write in free verse.

  
• What rhyme scheme does Keats use in his odes?

  Keats uses a specific rhyme scheme of ABABCDECDE across separate poems.
• What are internal rhymes?


  Internal rhymes are when words rhyme within a line rather than between two different lines.