Introduction to Poetry

Poetry is a different type of writing than the pieces you may normally encounter in literature. In the past modules, you read fictional short stories and nonfiction texts that appear in what scholars call "prose" form. However, poetry appears in what scholars call "verse" form and reveals a rhythm and melody that engages readers and listeners through silent or not-so-silent melodies. Let's take a look at the differences between prose and verse form below:

Introduction to Poetry Video

Poems differ from prose by engaging the audience with rhythm and repetition. View the Introduction to Poetry video below for more insight into how rhythm creates the verse form:

Structure of Poetry

Nonfiction writings, short stories, and novels are organized in paragraph form. However, poetry has a different structure. Poetry is organized by lines and stanzas.

Notice how stanzas are simply groups of lines that resemble what we call a "paragraph" in a work of prose.

Stanzas each have different "names" depending on how many lines appear in the stanza. View the chart below to determine the names of the stanzas based on how many lines appear:

Literary Devices

Notice how poetry more often uses figurative language, or words that allow the readers to imagine figures or images in their heads as they read. You might be familiar with some kinds of figurative language, but review some of the most used literary devices in the video below:

Literary devices do not just occur in literature. Once you are able to recognize various literary devices, you will see them everywhere in pop culture such as movies, television shows, and music. View the video below for examples of figurative language in pop culture today.

Literary Devices: Self- Assessment

After you feel comfortable with the various literary devices found in literature and in the world, practice understanding below:

Remember that poets use certain literary devices to create a deeper meaning and to engage the reader with visual images that they can create in their minds while reading. As you continue through the module, try to visualize the images that the poets create with their words and determine why they chose certain devices for their poetry.

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS