1	Poetry: An Introduction
2	Some types of poems we will be exploring in this unit are: Sonnet Free Verse Villanelle Ode
3	The Sonnet A rigid 14-line verse form, with variable structure and rhyme scheme according to type: Shakespearean: three quatrains and concluding couplet in iambic pentameter, rhyming abab, cdcd, efef, gg or abba, cddc effe gg. What is a quatrain? What is iambic pentameter? What is a couplet?
4	Free Verse Unrhymed lines without regular rhythm. As opposed to: Blank Verse: Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
5	Villanelle A French verse form, strictly calculated to appear simple and spontaneous; five tercets and a final quatrain, rhyming aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abaa. Lines 1,6,12,18 and 3,9,15,19 are refrain. What is refrain?
6	Ode Elaborate lyric verse that deals seriously with a dignified theme. Many are entitled with “Ode…”
7	Rhyme Throughout this unit, you will learn about different rhyming techniques, their effects on the tones and themes of the poems and the poet’s goal in using them.
8	Assonance Repetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line: Burnt the fire of thine eyes (William Blake, “The Tiger”) And I do smile, such cordial light (Emily Dickinson, “My Life Had Stood, A Loaded Gun”) What effect could this have on the poem?
9	Consonance Repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line. And all is seared with trade; bleared smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shared man’s smell: the soil (Gerard Manley Hopkins, “God’s Grandeur) Does this have the same effect as assonance? Why or why not?
10	Alliteration The repetition of one or more initial sounds, usually consonants, in words within a line. Bright black-eyed creature, brushed with brown. (Robert Frost, “To a Moth Seen in Winter”) He clasps the crag with crooked hands (Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “The Eagle”) Can you see the differences in the rhyme schemes?
11	Onomatopoeia The use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning. The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard (Robert Frost, “Out, Out”) Veering and wheeling free in the open (Carl Sanburg, “The Harbor”) Which words suggest their meanings? What effect do they have?
12	Poetic Devices and Figurative Language Poets use various devices and types of figurative language to reveal tones and themes of their poems. Many of them may be familiar to you.
13	Metaphor and Simile Both are used to compare unlike objects. Simile uses “like” or “as”: And like a thunderbolt he falls (Alfred Lord Tennyson, “The Eagle”) Metaphor compares without using “like” or “as”: All the world a stage (William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”) What comparisons are being made?
14	Personification A figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualities. When it comes, the landscape listens, Shadows hold their breath. (Emily Dickinson, “A Certain Slant of Light”) Why does this enhance a poem?
15	Apostrophe An address to a person or personified object not present. Little Lamb, who made thee? (William Blake, “The Lamb”) Why would a poet want to address someone or something that is not there?
16	Imagery The use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description. Night after Night Her purple traffic Strews the land with Opal Bales— Merchantmen—poise upon Horizons— Dip—and vanish like the Orioles! (Emily Dickinson, “This Is the Land Where Sunset Washes”) What do you SEE?
17	Allusion A reference to an outside fact, event or other source. In Breughels’s great painting, The Kermess, the dangers go round and around (William Carlos Williams, “The Dance”) What purpose does allusion serve?
18	Aspects of Poetry Tone and Theme are important elements to explore when discussing poetry. It is important to uncover these two ideas.
19	Tone Tone is the author’s attitude toward his/her audience and subject. In real life, you can easily discern the tone of someone’s spoken words. In poetry, however, the speaker reaches you through his/her own written words. In order to understand the poet’s tone and to decide whether it is earnest or facetious, happy or melancholic, etc., you must trace the elements of the poem. This is why it is important to understand what their purposes are.
20	Theme To determine the author’s major idea or meaning you must ask two questions: What is the purpose behind writing the poem? How does the poet achieve this purpose? Again, you must look at the elements to answer these questions.
21	How I Feel About Poetry In groups of 3, write your own examples (using the topic above) of the following: Assonance Consonance Alliteration Onomatopoeia Metaphor Simile Personification Don’t forget the purpose of each one !!