Types of Poetry, Subtypes, Sound Devices PDF

Preview

Summary

Discusses about the Types of Poetry, Subtypes, and Sound Devices, and other Figures of Speech that can be quite helpful in taking literature classes....

Description

Types of Poetry: Lyric Poetry – A lyric poem or lyrical poem in literature is a poem in which the poet either expresses his feelings and emotions. The poet also presents a character in the first person to express his emotions. It is a combination of lyric and poetry where a piece of poetry is written as a lyric. Lyric has been derived from lyre, a musical stringed instrument used during the Grecian period to accompany the poetry sung during different festivities. “Go, Lovely Rose” by Edmund Waller “Go, lovely RoseTell her that wastes her time and me, That now she knows, When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be. Tell her that’s young, And shuns to have her graces spied, That hadst thou sprung In deserts where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died.” Edmund Waller speaks to the rose flower he is going to send to his beloved to convey his emotions. The rhyming pattern shows that this lyric poem could be sung on occasion with the accompaniment of some instrument. It also shows the best expression of his personal feelings for his beloved. Narrative Poetry – A narrative poem in literature is a poem which tells a story. It has a full storyline with all the elements of a traditional story. These elements include characters, plot, conflict and resolution, setting and action. Although a narrative poem does not need a rhyming pattern, it is a metered poem with clear objectives to reach a specific audience. These poems have been borrowed from oral poetic narratives from different cultures. Narrative poems include old epics, lays and ballads. The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.” This is another narrative poem by a famous American short story writer and poet, Edgar Allen Poe. It narrates the story of a raven that can talk. He visits a lover who is lamenting the loss of his beloved, Lenore. As the example shows, it starts exactly like a story but has a supernatural atmosphere. It also has a fixed rhyming pattern that is against the norms of other such narrative poems, but it is still a great narrative poem having characters, settings, action, and resolution of the conflict.

Descriptive Poetry – A descriptive poem is one that mainly describes the subject — whether it be a person, an animal, or an inanimate object — often in great detail, rather than telling a story or expressing one’s feelings.

A Bird, Came Down the Walk by Emily Dickinson Follow Emily Dickinson’s description of a bird in the yard. Through her use of imagery and literary devices, you can clearly follow the blight of the bird. "A Bird, came down the Walk He did not know I saw He bit an Angle Worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw, And then, he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass And then hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a Beetle pass -" Subtypes: Sonnet – A sonnet is a poem generally structured in the form of 14 lines, usually iambic pentameter, that expresses a thought or idea and utilizes an established rhyme scheme. As a poetic form, the sonnet was developed by an early thirteenth century Italian poet, Giacomo da Lentini. However, it was the Renaissance Italian poet Petrarch that perfected and made this poetic literary device famous. Sonnets were adapted by Elizabethan English poets, and William Shakespeare in particular. Remember (Christina Rossetti) Remember me when I am gone away, Gone far away into the silent land; When you can no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. Remember me when no more day by day You tell me of our future that you plann’d: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while And afterwards remember, do not grieve: For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad. Rossetti’s sonnet is impactful in terms of its approach to its subject matter and theme. As in many sonnets, the poet is lamenting and mourning a lost love. However, the love has been lost due to the poet’s death rather than that of the lover. Therefore, the sonnet’s words and expressions are from beyond the grave which is symbolic of the poem’s theme of remembrance. Yet Rossetti again reverses the reader’s expectations in this sonnet by breaking with traditional theme and allowing the poet to encourage her lover to happily forget her. Many traditional sonnets, particularly those of Petrarch, featured the themes of lost or unrequited love for which the poet would lament and suffer. In Rossetti’s sonnet, the poet appears to wish the opposite of suffering and lamentation for the love she has left behind and, in turn, herself. Shakespearean or English – of, relating to, or characteristic of Shakespeare or his works; a student of or specialist in Shakespeare's works;

A Shakespearean sonnet is a variation on the Italian sonnet tradition. The form evolved in England during and around the time of the Elizabethan era. These sonnets are sometimes referred to as Elizabethan sonnets or English sonnets. Although Shakespeare’s sonnets have prominently endured for centuries, he was hardly alone in his embrace of this poetic style. Many prominent English poets of the day, from John Donne to John Milton, also wrote sonnets. Shakespearean sonnets feature the following elements:     

They are fourteen lines long. The fourteen lines are divided into four subgroups. The first three subgroups have four lines each, which makes them “quatrains,” with the second and fourth lines of each group containing rhyming words. The sonnet then concludes with a two-line subgroup, and these two lines rhyme with each other. There are typically ten syllables per line, which are phrased in iambic pentameter.

Sonnets already contained fourteen lines before Shakespeare adapted the form. However, the Shakespearean form is easily characterized by its structure, meter, and rhyme scheme. A rhyme scheme is the rhyming sequence or arrangement of sounds at the end of each line of poetry. It is typically represented by using letters to demonstrate which lines rhyme with which. For example: Roses are red—A Violets are blue—B Sugar is sweet—C And so are you—B A Shakespearean sonnet employs the following rhyme scheme across its fourteen lines—which, again, are broken up into three quatrains plus a two-line coda: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG The ABAB CDCD rhyme scheme manifests in this excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 14”: Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck;—A And yet methinks I have astronomy,—B But not to tell of good or evil luck,—A Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;—B Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,—C Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,—D Or say with princes if it shall go well,—C By oft predict that I in heaven find:—D Note that some of these rhymes are “soft”—such as “wind” rhyming with “find.”

“Sonnet 18”

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee. Petrarchan or Italian – The Petrarchan Sonnet is named after the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch, a lyrical poet of fourteenth-century Italy. Petrarch did not invent the poetic form that bears his name. Rather, the commonly credited originator of the sonnet is Giacomo da Lentini, who composed poetry in the literary Sicilian dialect in the thirteenth century. The word “sonnet” itself stems from the Italian word “sonetto,” which itself derives from the Latin “suono,” meaning “a sound.” Many Italian poets explored the form, from Dante Alighieri to Michelangelo. Petrarch, considered one of the founding scholars of the Italian Renaissance, likely earned his eponymous credit as a perfecter of the existing sonnet form “Sonnet 227” by Petrarch, by A.S. Kline: Breeze, blowing that blonde curling hair, stirring it, and being softly stirred in turn, scattering that sweet gold about, then gathering it, in a lovely knot of curls again, you linger around bright eyes whose loving sting pierces me so, till I feel it and weep, and I wander searching for my treasure, like a creature that often shies and kicks: now I seem to find her, now I realise she’s far away, now I’m comforted, now despair, now longing for her, now truly seeing her. Happy air, remain here with your living rays: and you, clear running stream, why can’t I exchange my path for yours? Haiku – A haiku is a specific type of Japanese poem which has 17 syllables divided into three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Haikus or haiku are typically written on the subject of nature. The word haiku (pronounced hahy-koo) is derived from the Japanese word hokku meaning “starting verse.” Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow. — Natsume Soseki As is clear from these examples, most haikus examine natural themes, such as weather, animals and plants, and changing seasons. Haikus can be serious and meditative, free of mood, or playful and fun.

Elegy – An elegy is a form of poetry that typically reflects on death or loss. Traditionally, an elegiacal poem addresses themes of mourning, sorrow, and lamentation; however, such poems can also address redemption and solace. Overall, the artistic language of poetry allows such sentiments to be expressed and articulated in the form of elegy.

Common Examples of Themes in Elegy          

death and its inevitability and/or universality personal loss humankind and nature memory and/or the past Nostalgia for youth isolation devotion society loss of love death of influential leader, writer, or other public figures/heroes

A Dirge (Christina Rossetti) Why were you born when the snow was falling? You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling, Or when grapes are green in the cluster, Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster For their far off flying From summer dying. Why did you die when the lambs were cropping? You should have died at the apples’ dropping, When the grasshopper comes to trouble, And the wheat-fields are sodden stubble, And all winds go sighing For sweet things dying. Rossetti titles her poem “A Dirge” though it is an elegiacal work. This elegy is interesting in that it inverts the characteristics of the pastoral tradition. Rather than romanticizing or idealizing the association between nature and death, the poet implies that death, and birth, often do not intersect with the “proper” seasons that represent such events. For example, in the second stanza, the poet is essentially asking the person who has died why their death took place in the spring, a season that typically represents birth and new life. The same questioning is true of the first stanza as to being born in winter, a season typically associated with death. As a result, the poet’s elegy addresses the inevitability of death while simultaneously subverting the pastoral connection of the seasons. Limerick – A limerick is a poem that consists of five lines in a single stanza with a rhyme scheme of AABBA. Most limericks are intended to be humorous, and many are considered bawdy, suggestive, or downright indecent. The subject of limericks is generally trivial or silly in nature. Most limericks are considered “amateur” poetry due to their short length and relatively simplistic structure. However, this does not take away from reader enjoyment of this literary device. There was an Old Man in a tree, Who was horribly bored by a Bee; When they said, ‘Does it buzz?’ He replied, ‘Yes, it does!’ ‘It’s a regular brute of a Bee!’ Ballad – A ballad is a form of narrative verse that is considered either poetic or musical. As a literary device, a ballad is a narrative poem, typically consisting of a series of four-line stanzas. Ballads were originally sung or recited as an oral tradition among rural societies, and were often

anonymous retellings of local legends and stories by wandering minstrels in the Middle Ages. These traditional or “folk” ballads are sometimes referred to as “popular” ballads. Literary ballads are deliberate creations by poets in imitation of the form and spirit of traditional ballad. Common Examples of Subject Matter Found in Ballad          

tragic romance reimagination of legends religion, life and death recounting of historical events the supernatural happy love stories honor of warriors/soldiers despair of poverty personal stories archetypal stories

La Belle Dame sans Merci (John Keats) And there she lullèd me asleep, And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!— The latest dream I ever dreamt On the cold hill side. I saw pale kings and princes too, Pale warriors, death-pale were they all; They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci Thee hath in thrall!’

Ode – An ode is a form of poetry such as sonnet or elegy. Ode is a literary technique that is lyrical in nature, but not very lengthy. You have often read odes in which poets praise people, natural scenes, and abstract ideas. Ode is derived from a Greek word aeidein, which means to chant or sing. It is highly solemn and serious in its tone and subject matter, and usually is used with elaborate patterns of stanzas. However, the tone is often formal. A salient feature of ode is its uniform metrical feet, but poets generally do not strictly follow this rule though use highly elevated theme. Short Examples of Odes in Writing 1. Fragmented drops of rainbow Retract, reflect light through clear prisms Bend spectrum delights. 2. Silver shot moon Hangs high in the sky Radiating light to be reflected. 3. Rain drops drop down as I reach home, Cozy with warm clothes and hot tea, No need to move around. Ode to Spring (By Thomas Gray) “The untaught harmony of spring … Still is the toiling hand of Care: The panting herds repose: Yet hark, how thro’ the peopled air

The busy murmur glows! Some lightly o’er the current skim, Some show their gaily-gilded trim Quick-glancing to the sun.”

Epic – An epic is a long narrative poem that is elevated and dignified in theme, tone, and style. As a literary device, an epic celebrates heroic deeds and historically (or even cosmically) important events. An epic usually focuses on the adventures of a hero who has qualities that are superhuman or divine, and on whose very fate often depends the destiny of a tribe, nation, or sometimes the whole of the human race. The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid are considered the most important epics in western world literature, although this literary device has been utilized across regions and cultures. Epic comes from the ancient Greek term epos, meaning story, word, poem. The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered by many scholars to be the oldest surviving example of a work of literature. This epic, traced back to ancient Mesopotamia in approximately 2100 BC, relays the story of Gilgamesh, an ancient king descended from the gods. Gilgamesh undergoes a journey to discover the secret of immortality. Inferno (first canticle of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri) i am the way into the city of woe, I am the way into eternal pain, I am the way to go among the lost. Justice caused my high architect to move, Divine omnipotence created me, The highest wisdom, and the primal love. Before me there were no created things But those that last forever—as do I. Abandon all hope you who enter here. Sound Devices: Alliteration – Alliteration is a literary device that reflects repetition in two or more nearby words of initial consonant sounds. Alliteration does not refer to the repetition of consonant letters that begin words, but rather the repetition of the consonant sound at the beginning of words. For example, the phrase “kids’ coats” is alliterative; though the words begin with different consonant letters, they produce the same consonant sounds. Similarly, the phrase “phony people” is not alliterative; though both words begin with the same consonant, the initial consonant sounds are different. In addition, for alliteration to be effective, alliterative words should flow in quick succession. If there are too many non-alliterative words in between, then the literary device is not purposeful. Common Examples of Alliteration in Everyday Speech          

rocky road big business kissing cousins jumping jacks no nonsense tough talk quick question money matters picture perfect high heaven

Assonance – Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of similar vowel sounds takes place in two or more words in proximity to each other within a line of poetry or prose. Assonance most often refers to the repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that do not end the same. For example, “he fell asleep

under the cherry tree” is a phrase that features assonance with the repetition of the long “e” vowel, despite the fact that the words containing this vowel do not end in perfect rhymes. This allows writers the means of emphasizing important words in a phrase or line, as well as creating a sense of rhythm, enhancing mood, and offering a lyrical effect of words and sounds. Common Examples of Assonance Many common phrases utilize assonance. People use them in everyday speech for emphasis or to reflect mood. Here are some examples of common uses of assonance:              

Son of a gun The cat is out of the bag Dumb luck After awhile, crocodile Chips and dip Cock of the walk Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite Stranger danger Winner, winner, chicken dinner Motion of the ocean Keep your eyes on the prize Lean, mean, fighting machine Wild child Surf and turf

Up-Hill (Christina Rossetti) But is there for the night a resting-place? A roof for when the slow dark hours begin. May not the darkness hide it from my face? You cannot miss that inn.

Consonance – Consonance is a literary device that refers to the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a line of text. The focus, in the use of consonance, is on the sound made by consonants and not necessarily the letters themselves. In addition, alike consonant sounds can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of words, and consonance is created when these words appear in quick succession. Common Examples of Consonance in Everyday Speech            

fuddy duddy it’s a matter of time pitter patter odds and ends best bet tea and toast lily livered Better Late Than Never twist tie jump through a hoop a little later front and center

Onomatopoeia – Onomatopoeia, pronounced on-uh-mat-uh–pee–uh, is defined as a word which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting.

Common Examples of Onomatopoeia    

The buzzing bee flew away. The sack fell into the river with a splash. The books fell on the table with a loud thump. He looked at the roaring

The Marvelous Toy (By Tom Paxton) “It went zip when it moved and bop when it stopped, And whirr when it stood still. I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.”

Rhyme – Rhyme is a literary device, featured particularly in poetry, in which identical or similar concluding syllables in different words are repeated. Rhyme most often occurs at the ends of poetic lines. In addition, rhyme is principally a function of sound rather than spelling. For example, words rhyme that end with the same vowel sound but have different spell...