"Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful" ~Rita Dove
*The techniques and strategies used here are copyrighted by Laying the Foundation, Inc., Dallas, TX www.ltftraining.org.
Trivia: Rap comes from Rhythm And Prose or Rhythm And Poetry (depending on who you ask)! So for those "spittas" who believe that you cannot understand poetry, if you understand rap, you can understand poetry. #noexcuses
The Elements of Poetry
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Mood or Tone
The feeling that is evoked. Figurative Language Simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, personification. Imagery Words that appeal to the senses. Diction Poet’s word choice. Title A good title can add depth to the poem, or help illuminate the meaning for the reader. A bad title can be too obvious, too revealing, or simply confusing. |
Symbolism
A representation of something else. Connotation The figurative meaning. Denotation The dictionary meaning. Irony The juxtaposition between what appears to be true and what’s actually true. Form Free verse, haiku, ballad, sonnet, pastiche. |
Meter
The rhythm or beat established by poet. Repetition Words, lines or phrases repeated for emphasis POV (Point of View) Narration. Who’s talking. Stanza Division of lines in a poem (like paragraphs). Stressed Syllables Stressed syllables are emphasized or spoken loudly. |
Rhyme
Words that have the same ending sound. Alliteration Words with the same beginning sound. Assonance Words with the same middle vowel sound. Word Order Poet changes word order for meaning. Unstressed Syllables Unstressed syllables are not emphasized nor spoken loudly. |
TPCASTT Poetry Analysis
T=Title: Before you read the poem, predict what you think the poem might be about based on the title.
P=Paraphrase: Note: this is not a summary. Paraphrase each line or stanza, making inferences about writer's style, characters, meaning, structure, diction, language, techniques, elements, etc.
C=Connotation: Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language, connotation/denotation, punctuation, literary techniques, rhyme, repetition, sound elements, etc., then write out to the side the effect of its use.
A=Attitude/Tone: Notice the speaker's tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe?
S=Shifts: Note any shifts or changes on the speaker's attitude or tone. Look for key words, time change, punctuation.
T=Theme: Briefly state in your own words what the poem is saying about the human experience, motivation or condition? What is the universal perception of the poem? Why does this poem matter?
P=Paraphrase: Note: this is not a summary. Paraphrase each line or stanza, making inferences about writer's style, characters, meaning, structure, diction, language, techniques, elements, etc.
C=Connotation: Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language, connotation/denotation, punctuation, literary techniques, rhyme, repetition, sound elements, etc., then write out to the side the effect of its use.
A=Attitude/Tone: Notice the speaker's tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe?
S=Shifts: Note any shifts or changes on the speaker's attitude or tone. Look for key words, time change, punctuation.
- key words (but, yet, however, although)
- punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis)
- stanza divisions
- changes in line or stanza length or both
- irony
- changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning
- changes in diction
T=Theme: Briefly state in your own words what the poem is saying about the human experience, motivation or condition? What is the universal perception of the poem? Why does this poem matter?
Examples of Poetry (Click on the name to see an example)
Free Verse
Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.
Pastiche
Imitates the style of another work, artist or period.
Pantoum
Has four-line stanzas, the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza repeat as the 1st and 3rd lines of the next stanza, and the last 2nd and 4th lines repeat the 3rd and 1st lines of the first stanza, in that order.
Haiku
Japanese poetry form that has only one three-line stanza with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and 5 syllables in the third line.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive lines.
Mood
Evokes a certain emotion or feeling from the audience and may be captured by describing the senses or a combination of tone, setting, voice and/or theme.
Ballad
A light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character with two or more stanzas, sung to the same melody.
Acrostic
Poetry where the first letter of each line spells out a word, like an acronym.
Sonnet
A poem of 14 lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having 10 syllables per line.
Metaphor or Conceit
A metaphor compares two unlike objects, ideas, thoughts or feelings to provide a clearer description. A conceit is an extended metaphor with a complex logic that controls a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxtaposing images and ideas in creative ways, a conceit or metaphor poem illustrates a more sophisticated understanding of comparison.
Ekphrastic
Ekphrastic poetry uses a work of art as inspiration. The poet gives a vivid description of a the piece and explanation of how the poet/speaker is impacted by the experience with the work.
Epistolary
Epistolary poetry is poems that read like letters.