A Poet By Any Other Name...
In Their Words
(Name the Poet)
Style On 'Em
The Pen is Mightier
Than the Sword
Name! That! Poem!
100

This poet, author of "The Road Not Taken", has a last name reminiscent of of winter.

Who is Robert Frost?


100

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. - O.W.

Who is Oscar Wilde?


100

In this style of poem, the lines are arranged so the first letter in each line helps to spell out a word. There is no required meter or rhyme scheme for these poems.

What are Acrostic Poems?


100

The Folger Library, located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., is home to large collection of printed works by this Bard of English poetry and plays.

Who is William Shakespeare?


100

 "Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

    Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” "

- Edgar Allen Poe


What is "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe?


200

This poet, renowned in both poetry and playwrighting, uses a style of English now named after him in his works.

Who is William Shakespeare?


200

"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough." - E.D.
 

Who is Emily Dickinson?


200

These narrative poems are characterized by their melodious rhyme scheme. They can be any length, but it must be a series of rhyming quatrains. These quatrains, four-line stanzas, can follow any rhyme scheme. Commonly, the quatrains follow an ABCB pattern.

What is a Ballad?


200

Walt Whitman famously described the poetry of this fellow American as "a propensity toward nocturnal themes, a demoniac undertone behind every page."

Hint: He's a Maryland Native. 

Who is Edgar Allen Poe?


200

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

- Robert Frost

What is "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost


300

This poet's name is seen more often around Valentine's Day, although he has no relation to the chocolate bearing it. You may better know him from "Oh Captain, My Captain!".

Who is Walt Whitman?


300

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." - A.P.
 

Who is Alexander Pope?


300

These poems are about death.

Generally, they are reflective and written to mourn an individual or group. They also frequently end with lines about hope and redemption. They originate from Ancient Greece.

What is an Elegy?


300

The Divine Comedy, a massive narrative poem including sections for Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, completed in 1320, is the best known work of this Italian poet.

Who is Dante?


300

"Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;"

- William Shakespeare

What is “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare?


400

This poet was not only a writer, but also a social activist, and the official leader of the Harlem Renaissance. 

Who is Langston Hughes?


400

"Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid." - Ho.
 

Who is Homer?


400

This style is a short poem characterized by its unique form: a five-syllable line followed by a seven-syllable line followed by a five-syllable line. These lines do not rhyme.

What is a Haiku?


400

This acclaimed children's author and poet spent much of his career as a cartoonist for Playboy and also wrote songs for the 1960s folk scene.

Who is Shel Silverstein?


400

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

- Maya Angelou

What is "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou?


500

This poet, a renowned Civil Rights activist, was invited to read her poetry at Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993, and was a recipient of over 50 honorary degrees.

Who is Maya Angelou?


500

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - M.A.
 

Who is Maya Angelou?


500

These humorous, often tawdry poems originated in the nineteenth century. As a form, this style of poetry has specific rules:

  • Five lines
  • AABBA rhyme scheme
  • First two lines contain seven to ten syllables
  • Third and fourth lines contain five to seven syllables
  • Final line contains seven to ten syllables

What is a Limerick?


500

This famous musical is based on a 1939 collection of poems by T. S. Eliot.

What is Cats?


500

"And you, my father, there on that sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

- Dylan Thomas

What is "Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas?


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