Literature: POETRY
Most students DREAD reading poetry,
especially on tests.
Here's a simple clue:
READ POETRY LIKE ANYTHING ELSE-- like a story.
Here are some basic things to know and understand about the poems you will read.
· The Form of a poem - The elements of form are number of lines, rhyme, rhythm, number of stanzas, and (for us) rules of grammar (standard or nonstandard).
Stanza - a group of lines of poetry, like a paragraph, set off usually by a blank space. Poets create stanzas for a reason. The lines belong together.
Each color represents a STANZA...
"Thank You, Friend"
By Joanna Fuchs
Thank you, friend, for all the things
That mean so much to me--
For concern and understanding
You give abundantly.
Thanks for listening with your heart;
For cheering me when I'm blue;
For bringing out the best in me;
And just for being you.
Thanks for in-depth conversation
That stimulates my brain;
For silly times we laugh out loud;
For things I can't explain.
For looking past my flaws and faults;
For all the time you spend;
For all the kind things that you do,
Thank you; thank you, friend.
Rhyme - The repetition of sound, almost always to achieve an effect or to create a rhythm.
Rhyme Scheme: The pattern of poems that rhyme. It usually refers to END RHYMING poems...
(see below this line)
Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, A
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn. A
Where's the little boy who looks after the sheep? B
Under the haystack, fast asleep. B
Will you wake him? No, not I, C
For if I do, he's sure to cry. C
Rhyme Scheme: AA BB CC
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, A
Eating her curds and whey; B
Along came a spider, who sat down beside her C
And frightened Miss Muffet away. B
Rhyme Scheme: ABCB
The beat or pattern of stressed and unstressed lines. For example, read the following .
Alliteration - The repetition of sound within a line of poetry (or prose).
"Slanting silver slits of rain."
"Peter Piper picked a pail of pickled peppers."