Structure of a Poem
What is the term for a group of lines forming a unit of meaning in a poem, often separated by a space?
A stanza
What is a metaphor?
Type of figurative language that compares two things directly.
Why might a poet use strong imagery in a poem?
To create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, evoke emotion, or enhance meaning.
What kind of figurative language is used in the following:
The bells!-ah, the bells!
The little silver bells!
How fairy-like a melody there floats
From their throats--
From their merry little throats--
Personification
What makes poetry unique as a form of communication?
It is written in verse. It evokes emotions. It uses imagery and figurative language.
This is a type of stanza that has 2 lines.
what is a couplet?
Her grief was a wall she couldn't cross.
What does this metaphor suggest about grief?
That grief is unable to be passed through. It is unable to be healed from.
they used to sprinkle the path
with pepper
so that it smelled good,
assuring.
What type of imagery is used?
smell
What kind of figurative language is used in the following 2 lines of poetry:
It is a beauty-full evening, calm and free,
The holy time is quiet as a Nun.
Simile
What is the difference between literal and figurative language?
Literal language states directly what it means.
Figurative language is indirect. The reader has to "unpack" the meaning.
What is the structure of the haiku?
Line 1- 5 syllables
Line 2- 7 syllables
Line 3- 5 syllables
My life is like the falling leaf.
What does this metaphor suggest about the speaker's life?
-her life is wilted, dying, life-less, etc.
Write one line of original imagery that appeals to the sense of sound.
answers will vary
What type of figurative language is in the following:
Brown skin, Brown hair,
And eyes like glowing embers.
Simile
What is the extended metaphor used in Langston Hughes' poem "Mother to Son"
A staircase used to represent life
How do you know a poem is using a conventional form versus a free form?
A free form poem is open-ended, and has no structure. A conventional poem has a set structure and usually also a rhyme scheme.
I’m a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
What is this metaphor suggesting about the speaker? What is being compared?
She is saying she is complex and complicated to understand. She is unique and an individual.
Across the ridge,
the hair of each tree
branch blows separate
from the woods below.
What type of imagery is used? What figurative language is used?
sight
and
metaphor
What type of figurative language is in the two lines of poetry:
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquility.
Personification
What tone does the following lines from "Mother to Son" create?
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
resilience/motivation/courage/strength
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Identify the rhyme scheme.
ABABCC
Create your own metaphor that describes how someone feels when they are nervous.
Answers may vary.
In the line “The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here,” how does the use of imagery contribute to the tone?
What figurative language is being used?
Personification.
The contrast between the lively tulips and the stillness of winter creates a sense of inner conflict or discomfort
After flames of fire fall,
Prayers sleep among the ashes.
What kind of figurative language is used? What is being suggested?
Personification
After a big loss or destruction, there is no more faith.
And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins and set them all free,
—what is the figurative language used here? Explain what is suggested. How does it influence the tone for the reader?
Metaphor
The bright, hopeful imagery of the Angel setting "the souls" free contrasts with the grim reality of the death. It creates a tone of hope and faith.