(TBASF) There and Back: Science Fiction and Fantasy - Poetry

Introduction

What's a Poem?

Word cloud of various poetry terms such as alliteration, rhyme, personification, etc., written in the shape of a heart. A whisper,
a shout,
thoughts turned
inside out. A laugh,
a sigh,
an echo
passing by. A rhythm,
a rhyme,
a moment
caught in time. A moon,
a star,
a glimpse
of who you are.
— Charles Ghigna

 

The celebrated writer W. Somerset Maugham once observed:

The crown of literature is poetry. It is its end and aim. It is the
sublimest activity of the human mind. It is the achievement of beauty
and delicacy. The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes.

 

Maugham was not alone in holding this opinion. Even in a world where the whims of society are quite fickle, where customs and practices come into and go out of style at an alarming rate, poetry and poets continue to be held in high regard, treated with respect and awe. Why is this so? What rare quality does poetry possess?

Essential Questions

  1. How can we turn our ideas into poetry?
  2. How does one analyze a poem?
  3. What is a simile?
  4. What is a metaphor?

Key Terms

  1. Simile: A comparison of two unlike things using like or as.
  2. Metaphor: A comparison of two unlike things without using like or as.
  3. Repetition: Using a word or phrase more than once.
  4. Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
  5. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in neighboring words.
  6. Rhyme: Refers to the repetition of similar sounds occurring at determined, or regular, intervals.
  7. Rhyme scheme: The pattern of rhymed words.
  8. Onomatopoeia: Words that make sounds.
  9. Imagery: A description that appeals to one of the five senses.
  10. Tone: The attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or the character.
  11. Personification: Giving nonhuman things human characteristics.

 

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