Minds on.

Poetry is simply the most beautiful, impressive, and widely effective mode of saying things, and hence its importance.

Matthew Arnold

This is the did you know icon. Did You Know?

Poetry is an art form that predates literacy as we know it. Early peoples used poetry as a means to transmit their oral histories, cultural values and beliefs, as well as more pragmatic information such as laws, rules, and genealogy. After writing was developed, the word poetry became codified. It derives from the Greek word ‘poieo,’ which translates to ‘I create.’ What poems will you create throughout this unit?

a line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor

Before beginning to write your own poems, it will be useful to review some elements of the form. Test your knowledge by completing the following interactive. If you're working on a tablet, click here to open the following interactive in its own window instead of using the embedded version below.

This is the discussion icon. What Do You Know

Identify three things that you believe are important to know about writing poetry; one point for each of the following headings:

  • forms;
  • stylistic elements;
  • poetic language.

This Ain’t Your English Class’ Poetry!

Poetry can be a paradox.

This is an image of a sign reading “Please keep off the grass,” and a shot of a person’s legs and feet standing beside it.

But how else can the sign be placed there?

While there may be numerous rules that need to be followed, some of the most poignant poems are the ones that challenge authority. To prove that point, check out this list of 10 Modern Poets Who are Making History.

This is the juxtaposition of a set of seemingly contradictory concepts that reveal a hidden and/or unexpected truth.

Resources

  1. What is Poetry? provides a thorough, fascinating, history of poetry’s progress.
  2. Poerty.org which is a great resource to learn about the history, meaning and types of poetry.
  3. A Brief History of Poetry is a blog post that covers thousands of years of history in two pages!
Action.

Writer’s Notebook

The power of poetry goes beyond the words, rhymes, and reasons - as a performance art, it changes in complexity. To understand this concept further, list and suggest a few expectations of poetry. After all, is it true that a good definition of poetry is that anything we approach as poetry, IS poetry? Write out your ideas in your Writer’s Notebook.

This is an image of a close-up of a microphone.

The stage is yours...

This is the discussion icon. Heart of a Poet

To understand this idea further, you’ll be reading, hearing, and watching a short poem by Amani; she is a contemporary artist who performs all across Canada and the world. In a short timeframe, her poem, “Heart of a Poet,” attempts to capture what it means to be a poet.

As you read, listen and watch Amani’s poem, consider the following questions.

  • Which medium did you prefer? Why?
  • Which medium did you feel made the poem’s message clearest? Why?
  • Which medium do you feel made the strongest emotional connection? Why?
  • What does this tell you about your own poetic writing?
  • How does this poet inform your understanding of writing as an art, a craft, and a career?

Read:

Listen:

Watch:

Formative Choices

This is an image of a male child facing two rows of twelve candy dispensers, each with different options.

So many choices...

As you may have noticed previously, poems come in many forms. Depending on your poem’s purpose, sometimes the form is obvious. However, poetry’s beauty and challenge is in how nuanced and varied it can be. As with any artist, the form selected can have any enormous impact on how the work is perceived and received.

This is the dropbox icon. Previewing Poetic Forms

Choose five to six different poetic forms to research. You may find the resources below useful as a starting point. 

For this assignment, use presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint) and make sure you include the following:

  • define your poetic form;
  • provide a short ‘how-to’ guide for writing a poem using that form; and
  • provide an example from an established poet, well-known for writing in that form (make sure you include proper MLA citations).

Poetic Language

Basic Elements Definition
Speaker When you read or hear a poem, you hear a speaker's voice. It is this voice that conveys the poem's tone; the attitude the speaker has toward the subject of the poem. The narrator of the poem is called the persona.
Diction Diction is the choice of words the poet uses. It is necessary to know what the words mean – the denotative quality - and what the words imply or suggest – their connotative quality.
Syntax Syntax is defined as the arrangement of words. When examining syntax, the reader needs to examine the way the poet uses parallel structure, repetition, sentence or phrasing variety, and rhetorical questions.
Imagery Imagery is the concrete representation of a sensory impression, feeling, or idea. Imagery appeals to one or more of our senses: images may be seen, heard, felt, smelled, or tasted.
Figurative Language Language can be either literal or figurative. Generally speaking, figurative language is the language of poetry. There are many figures of speech such as hyperbole, personification, metaphor, and simile.

the language of comparison.
Sound Effects Many enjoy poetry because of its rhyme. Corresponding sounds occurring at the ends of lines are called end rhymes. When rhyme occurs within lines, we have internal rhyme. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds.
Pattern Rhythm is the regular pattern of accents you hear in a poem's words, phrases, lines, and sentences. Poets rely heavily on rhythm to express feeling. Meter is the measure or patterned count of a poetic line.
Structure When you analyse a poem's structure, you focus on form. Among the most popular forms of poetry are sonnets, odes, haikus, narrative, epics, elegies, and so on.

Writer’s Notebook

Make sure that you keep a copy of the chart in your Writer’s Notebook. Next, find an example of each element and include it in your Writer’s Notebook for future use.

This is the enrichment icon. Enrichment

After learning about different forms and elements of poetry, it’s time to experiment with them! In your Writer’s Notebook select any theme, topic, and persona that you feel allows you to capture abstract ideas/emotions and write out three poems using three different forms. Afterward, reflect on how the form changed the poem. Consider how it influenced:

  • the purpose;
  • the effect/outcome;
  • the audience’s potential reception; and
  • poetic language.

How is your poetry different from the predetermined idea of poetry with which you came into this unit? What does that tell you about poetry’s scope and purpose?

Writer’s Notebook

Just as a doctor needs medical training before operating on a patient, so too do poets need preparation prior to writing. In this interactive activity you will Dissect a Poem to learn about its fundamental and figurative foundations. When you’re finished, write out any new information you learned, as well as ideas for how you can apply it to the poetry in your Writer’s Notebook. If you're working on a tablet, click here to open the following interactive in its own window instead of using the embedded version below.

This is the dropbox icon. Poetic Analysis

Whether a haiku, an ode or an epic, poems contain many layers. Exploring the depths that poems offer is an excellent exercise in preparing to write your own poems. To assist you with understanding how to conduct an academic literary analysis, read through this excerpt of Writing Analytically and summarize the ideas in your Writer’s Notebook.

This is an image of a red onion that is cut in half and the layers inside are visible.

Like an onion, a poem has layers that can only been seen (and sometimes felt) after it’s been cut open.

Throughout this unit, you will be asked to use the Poetry Analysis Guide. Use this guide to practice your analysis skills by selecting two poems (so long as they are different forms) of your choice and answering the questions in your Writer’s Notebook. Also, this will be good practice for the upcoming consolidation assignment.

Resources

  1. 55 Types of Poetry Forms provides clear definitions of each form poetry can take.
  2. Creative Writing Now is an excellent website for learning about how to write using different forms of poems.
  3. Oprah’s 12 Ways to Write a Poem is a great list for generating ideas.
  4. 5 Ways to Write a Poem provides five easy-to-use strategies for prompting poems.
  5. Poetry Glossary of Terms provides detailed definitions and examples of a variety of poetic concepts.

a Japanese verse in three lines: line one has five syllables, line two has seven syllables and line three has five syllables.

a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter.

a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery.

Consolidation

This is the dropbox icon. You’re the Poet

Now that you’ve had a chance to learn about poetic elements and forms, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test. Complete the following interactive activity.

The interactive is divided into three sections; when you’re finished each one, take a screen capture. You should have three captures:

  1. Your magnet poem;
  2. Your quiz results; and
  3. Your “Congratulations!” sensory screen.

If you're working on a tablet, click here to open the following interactive in its own window instead of using the embedded version below.

test text.