PoetryWHAT IS IT??

First,What ISN’T it?

Well, how many of you have ever heard the word, prose? Poetry is NOT prose. Think for about 3 seconds before raising your hand, then someone tell us what THEY think is prose.

Prose is everyday kind of writing: paragraphs, essays, letters, etc.

Prose is set up in a different FORM than poetry.

It has sentences and paragraphs.

Punctuation is very necessary to understanding prose.

Examples of the importance of punctuation to prose.

Your book, John.Your book, John? Do you see how the meaning changes

with the ending punctuation?The same here:Don’t stop.Don’t, stop.

Another example of the importance of punctuation:

He was bitten by a dog which hurt him. He was bitten by a dog, which hurt him.

A woman, without her man, is nothing.A woman: without her, man is nothing.

How do the meanings of these pairs differ with different punctuation?

Poetry is NOT bound by as many rules as prose, especially punctuation.The writer is only limited by his/her

imagination when it comes to writing poetry.

It may or may NOT have punctuation.It may take on a variety of shapes,

including the shape of the topic at hand:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sample+concrete+poems&qpvt=sample+concrete+poems&FORM=IGRE

Poetry may or may NOT rhyme. It may be long or short:

Shortest poem: Fleas: Adam Had ‘em author unknown

Longest poem: “Only as life”, by Nikhil Parekh 7,000 words!

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long5.html

So, What IS Poetry?

Let’s take 10 minutes to pair and share OUR ideas.

Get one idea from everyone at your table.

Someone write the ideas down.Be ready to share with the class.

Poetry is…

Robert Frost (1874-1963) "Poetry...is an ancient art or technology: older than the

computer, older than print, older than writing and indeed, though some may find this surprising, much older than prose.

Continued

Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519) "Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and

poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” 

Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) "You must believe: a poem is a holy thing -- a good

poem, that is."

What does it take to write poetry?

1. Keen observation: begin to talk less and observe your surroundings more.

2. strong feelings: poetry is a great release of strong emotions.

3. figures of speech: add color and interest.

4. strong vocabulary: the key to good poetry is strong, interesting words

Writing Poetry:

I have observed that the biggest problem students have in WRITING poetry is knowing how to set up their words on lines.

If you are skillful in this, you can take ANY ORDINARY paragraph (prose) and TURN it into poetry!

Really?

To understand this, let’s give it a try:

Prose: I love summer days! The sun warms the earth, and

everything comes alive. Days are filled with lots of things to do. Time lingers, so I can pick and choose my activities from day to day. Flowers bloom in brilliant colors, and bees buzz around their favorites. Life blossoms all around easing gently into night. The streets are filled with people and cars going in all directions. Summer is the best time of year to enjoy being alive.

Now, let’s change that paragraph to a poem.

1. First, let’s use phrases instead of complete sentences.

2. Pick the strongest verbs and most descriptive adjectives you can think of to use in the poem.

3. Your poem can have as little as ONE word on a line for emphasis!

4. Don’t make your lines as long as a sentence.

Here we go!

Summer Days

Summer days burst with life!

Flowers bloom like colorful quilts

covering the fields

Buzzing bees and barking dogs

break the evening silence.

Cars and people bustle

In all directions

as the sun smiles down, covering

us with its warmth.

Stanza and Line Breaks:

A “line” in a poem is similar to a “sentence” in a paragraph.

But a “line” can have just one word on it, or even a full line of words!

It doesn’t need a period; it can be continued on to the next line.

This is two lines of poetry from the first stanza of “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe:

It was many and many a year ago, In a kingsom by the sea,

Stanza: A stanza in poetry is like a paragraph in an essay.

This is the first stanza of the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee:

It was many and many a year ago, in the kingdom by the sea,

that a maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of ANNABEL LEE;

and this maiden she lived with no other thought

than to love and be loved by me.

Poets use stanza and line breaks to do the following:

1. Organize the poem and show shifts in time. 2. show a shift in perspective or place. 3. Emphasize an important word or phrase. 4. Create a surprise.

One of the basics in creating a poem is determining where to break the stanzas.

Experiment with creating stanzas and determining line breaks.

Write the following paragraph into a poem. This IS ACTUALLY a poem that has been changed to a paragraph for you to practice.

DIRECTIONS: 1. Begin or end a line with an important word

to emphasize it. 2. Place an important word or phrase on a line

by itself to emphasize it. 3. Separate a phrase, placing the two parts on

separate lines to create a small surprise.

It’s WednesdayMother started early.

“Get Up,”

she said from the doorway,

Her voice still sweet.

I rolled over

As usual.

“It’s Wednesday.”

From the hallway,

Mother persisted:

“Get out of bed.”

She was rushing now,

Gathering the baskets, going

from room to room.“It’s trash day.”

I pulled the covers over my head,

pretended it was Thursday.Mother returned.

“You better not miss them,”she pulled the covers

Back. She held a black trash bag.

“It’s your job.”

Today, 25 black trash bagsLine my garage wall.

Mother retired to FloridaI could use her help.