Lesson 10: Why write Poetry

Objective:

• To know what poetry is
• To know the basic structure of poetry
• To know the connection of poetry and creative writing
• To know the do’s and don’ts of writing poetry

Quick Navigation through the Lesson 10:

• Poetry
• How is Poetry connected to Creative Writing
• Basic Structure of Poetry
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Poetry Writing

Poetry

Poetry is a form of writing where in there is a distinction in the way it is expressed. Writing poetry varies in type and style. Usually poems are written using different kinds of figures of speech because the writer does not want to blatantly give out the message of the story or piece but he/she wants the reader to figure out the message in their own way.

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How is Poetry connected to Creative Writing

When a writer wants to create poetry he/she must be able to form a vivid image inside the readers head. The writer must convey what he/she wants to express in the form that he/she chooses, whether it is a Haiku or a free verse poem, one should be able to help the readers make sense of what seems to be senseless to some at first glance. Poetry is a form of creative writing because the writer expresses his/her feelings in a creative way when writing poetry. Listed below are some of the things the writer must always keep in mind.

• Must be Authoritative

The poem must have a presence. It must capture the reader’s attention and retain it throughout.

• Must have form

As stated above, form is the style of the poem. It is how the writer chooses to write his/her piece.

• Free Verse

Is the form of poetry wherein the writer breaks free from the traditional pattern of writing.

• Pattern

Pattern is how the writer arranges his/her poem.

• Variation

Variation is creating emphasis and variety to a poem.

[WpProQuiz 74]

Basic Structure of Poetry

Here are the basic structure of poetry writers use in their works

• Stanza – Stanzas are a group of lines or sentences that make up a poem. This is the equivalent of a paragraph in a story. It starts from two and so on.

Example: A poem with two stanzas taken from Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism.

“True wit is nature to advantage dress’d;

 What oft was thought, but ne’er so well express’d.”

• Form – Form is the style that the writer chooses to write his/her poem.

Example: A quatrain is a form of poetry, taken from Emily Dickinson’s Hope is the Thing with Feathers.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all.”

• Rhyme – Rhyme is the common sound found in a stanza. It is usually found in the end of the last two lines.

Example: Taken from John Denham’s Copper’s Hill.

“O could I flow like thee, and make thy stream.

My great example, as it is my theme!”

• Meter – Marks the regularity in rhyme. Helps identify the type of foot used in the poem. It is commonly used in hymns.

Example: Taken from John Newton’s Amazing Grace.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.”

• Theme – Theme is the underlying topic of the poem. A moral in some cases.

Example: Take Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.

The subject of the poem is the raven but the theme would be the irreversibility of death.

• Genre – Genre is the marker for the category of the poem. It the type of poetry.

Example: A sonnet is one genre of poetry. Taken form William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”

[WpProQuiz 75]

The Do’s and Don’ts of Poetry Writing

Do’s

• Be excited about it
• Give the reader a new perspective
• Create something with value
• Keep the reader interested
• Spend time thinking about your subject and how to write your piece
• Make it readable and easy to understand

Don’ts

• Keep writing a poem if you feel it isn’t great anymore
• Consider the readers needs too soon
• Bombard yourself with too many thoughts at one time
• Write just for yourself, write for the readers too
• Be afraid of the readers opinion or critique

In conclusion, you now have an idea of what poetry is and the parts that structures it. By studying and considering the information above you now can create your very own poem. Just express yourself and write your thoughts in a very distinct and creative way.

[WpProQuiz 76]

The next lesson will add more knowledge to what you already know about poetry. It will give you an insight on what can aid or help you when writing a poem. The lesson will give you an insight on the different types of poetry. You should read on ahead to know more.