Poetry Quick Review Notes

Definition of Poetry

• From Greek ποίησις (poiesis) = “making/creating”; poet = “maker.”

Major Categories of Poetry

• $3$ primary types:
  • Lyric
  • Narrative
  • Dramatic

Lyric Poetry

• Short, musical, first-person focus on one emotion/thought.
• Key forms: Sonnet, Ode, Elegy, Haiku.

Narrative Poetry

• Story in verse (characters, plot, setting).
• Can range from short Ballad to book-length Epic or Verse Novel.

Dramatic Poetry

• Dialogue/monologue intended for performance; e.g., Dramatic Monologue, Verse Drama, Soliloquy.

Poetry as a Way of Seeing

• Distinct from prose by compression, rhythm, possible meter/rhyme (Dimalanta).
• Verbal constructs = poet’s unique word-shaping to reveal layered meanings.

Poetic Structure Basics

Meter

• Foot types: Trochee $\text{DUM da}$, Iamb $\text{da DUM}$, Spondee $\text{DUM DUM}$, Dactyl $\text{DUM da da}$, Anapest $\text{da da DUM}$.
• Common line lengths: $1$-monometer, $2$-dimeter, $3$-trimeter, $4$-tetrameter, $5$-pentameter, $6$-hexameter, $7$-heptameter, $8$-octameter.

Rhyme Scheme

• Assign letters to end-sounds (A, B, C…).
• Guides reader expectation & structural cohesion.

Reading Tips

1. Re-read silently & aloud for rhythm.
2. Look up difficult words.
3. Identify literal vs. figurative language.
4. Note unusual devices (e.g., runic rhyme in fantasy contexts).

Core Poetic Elements

• Musicality: rhythm/sound patterns.
• Meaning: surface & symbolic resonance.
• Persona: speaking voice (e.g., Browning’s Duke, Tennyson’s Ulysses).
• Tone: poet’s attitude (e.g., Dickinson vs. Kipling).
• Diction: word choice.
• Theme: central idea.
• Imagery: sensory detail.
• Figures of Speech:
  • Simile
  • Metaphor
  • Personification
  • Hyperbole
  • Apostrophe
  • Metonymy
  • Synecdoche
  • Paradox
  • Oxymoron
  • Allusion
  • Litotes
  • Irony

Creative & Contemporary Poetry

• Creative poetry = imaginative use of language, sound, structure.
• Contemporary poetry = modern themes/forms; often experimental.

Key Contemporary Forms

• Kinetic Poetry: moving digital text; includes Acrostic variation.
• Cinquain: $5$-line poem
  • Structure: $1$ word / $2$ words / $3$ verbs / $4$-word phrase / $1$ synonym.
• Interactive/Collaborative Poetry: multiple contributors shape content.
• Blackout Poetry: erase source text to reveal new poem.
• Performance Poetry: written for live delivery (solo or group).

Quick Recall Summary

• Poetry = crafted language with rhythm, imagery, and layered meaning.
• Know the $3$ main genres, meter basics, rhyme schemes, and key elements.
• Apply reading tips to unpack tone, theme, and devices.
• Recognize modern innovations: kinetic, cinquain, collaborative, blackout, performance.