MR. HWANG'S CLASSES
Online Classroom Resources
INTRODUCTION TO POETRY
Poetry is a major form of literature that often has hidden meanings beyond its artistic and musical writing. These artistic and musical qualities allow poets to create poetry that stir emotions and produce imagery in the audience. A work of poetry created by a poet, or poets, is referred to as a poem. Poetry as a literature form has been practiced by numerous civilizations across the globe for over 4,000 years. However, some poetry types exist uniquely in certain cultures and languages.
MEANINGS IN LANGUAGE
Denotation vs. Connotation
When we use language, multiple levels of meanings can be interpreted. Denotative language, or denotations, are meanings of language that are clearly defined in the dictionary. Connotative language, or connotations, are meanings of language that are implied or suggested, often involving emotional language. For example, when someone says, "you are an angel," the connotation is that you are wonderful, instead of the denotation of you having wings.
Literal vs. Figurative
Literal meanings are meanings of a language that is limited to the simplest, ordinary, and the most obvious. Meanwhile, figurative meanings are meanings of a language that is associative or connotative. For example, when you hear, "it's raining cats and dogs out there," you know that it is simply a figurative language saying "it's raining heavily," in literal language.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Simile vs. Metaphor
Similes and metaphors are both comparisons of two different things that are unlike each other. However, similes use words such as "like," "as," and "as though." Metaphors are a direct comparison between two unlike things, without using "like" or "as." For example, "the sky was as blue as the ocean" uses "as" and thus is a simile. If the phrase said "the sky was the ocean," this is a direct comparison and thus a metaphor.
Personification
Personification is when you give human traits to non-human things. For example, saying that the "sun smiled down" is personification because the sun is actually not able to smile like a human being.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia are words that imitate natural sounds. For example, "vroom vroom" is an onomatopoeia of a loud engine noise from a vehicle.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds at the beginning of words in a sentence. For example, "Alice ate apples all afternoon" is an alliteration.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggerations. It can create strong impressions and feelings, but it is not meant to be taken literally. For example, saying that "this homework will be the death of me" is a hyperbolic exaggeration because the homework will not literally kill you.
Oxymorons
Oxymorons are a figure of speech that compares opposites, typically right next to each other. For example, "jumbo shrimp" is an oxymoron because jumbo means big and shrimp implies small. Since big and small are opposites but are put together, this is an oxymoron.
Idioms
Idioms are expressions of a given language that is grammatically strange or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements. For example, if someone asked you if "a cat got your tongue," they mean to ask why you are unable to speak. This is an idiom because there are no direct nor indirect associations between a cat and your inability to speak.
OTHER POETIC DEVICES
Diction
Diction refers to the choice of words used by the author. It is essentially a word-choice.
Rhymes
Rhymes occur when similar sounding words are placed in a particular way in literature. Rhymes can exist within the same line, or in different lines, and even in different stanzas. When a set of rhymes exist in a certain combination, a rhyme scheme is created.
Allusion
Allusion refers to an element in a poem that makes an indirect or a passing reference to something else.
Tone
Tone of a poem is the attitude sensed by the reader. This is achieved by poets using other devices.
Mood
Mood is the vibe or feeling of a poem or literature. This is also achieved by using other techniques.
Imagery
Imagery is when a poem stimulates the various senses of the reader. Common examples include sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch.
Irony
Irony is achieved when a phrase or idea presents an alternative or opposite scenario than the one witnessed in a given situation. It is often comical to those who understand this misaligned context.
Cliche
Cliche refers to a phrase or a statement that is widely used and repeated so much that its meaning becomes too generic to have distinctiveness.
Symbolism
Symbolism is when the author or a poet uses a word or an object to represent an abstract or a more complex idea. Symbols can be expanded to include certain actions, locations, and even individuals.
Rhythm
Rhythm refers to the long and short patterns in language, which is often demonstrated using stressed and unstressed syllables.
Pace
Pace in poetry refers to the length of words and lines, which affects the speed of its reading. In literature, pacing may also refer to the speed of events as they unfold in a story.
Euphemism
Euphemisms are mild or indirect words or phrases that are used to reference ideas that may be deemed as being too harsh or unpleasant.
POEM TYPES
Haiku
Haiku is a kind of poem that originated in Japan. It has three (3) lines, where the first and the third lines have five (5) syllables, and the middle line has seven (7) syllables. Haiku is considered to be a mood poem and thus it should not have any metaphors or similes.
Limerick
Limerick is a kind of poem that originated in England. It typically has five (5) lines with a rhyme scheme of AABBA. Also, the third and fourth lines are typically shorter than the other lines.
Free Verse
Free verse poems do not have any sort of structure and are created with the poet's discretion.
Shape Poem
Shape Poems are structured in a way to have a particular shape.
Sonnets
Sonnets first originated in Italy, but different varieties have been created, namely in England. A sonnet typically has fourteen (14) lines, each with ten (10) syllables. The Italian Sonnet usually has a rhyme scheme of ABBA-ABBA-CDECDE, while the English Sonnet has a rhyme scheme of ABAB-CDCD-EFEFGG. The English Sonnet is also known as the Shakespearean Sonnet. Sonnets also use iambic pentameters, which alternates between a stressed and unstressed syllable five times.
Cinquain
Cinquain poems have five (5) lines that can be arranged in a variety of ways. There are numerous types of cinquain poems, including the American, Mirror, and Crown versions.
Diamante
Diamante poems are shaped like a diamond and has seven (7) lines. It usually compares or contrasts two different nouns, which are indicated on the first and last lines. In the second and sixth lines, there are two adjectives that describe the two nouns, then in the third and fifth lines there are three verbs that describe the two nouns. In the fourth and middle line, there are four nouns where two describe one of the two compared or contrasted nouns.
Acrostic
Acrostic poems use acronyms to convey an overarching theme in the poem. There can be any number of lines and any letter of each line can be used for the acronym. Typically, the first letter of each line are used in the Acrostic acronym.