Spoken Word Week 2: The Written Word

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4

The Written Word:

Introduction to poetry 2

Poetic devices

Homework:

Practise/Look up

In Class Today

The Written Word:

Introduction to poetry 2

Poetic devices

Homework:

Practise/Look up

Introduction to poetry

Poetry = the art of the language itself. 

Poetry can do anything the other genres can do. The difference is in its hyper-focus on the levels of language. It’s not enough to tell a story, convey an argument, or describe something. 

Poetry is when the exact sounds, senses, visual layouts, and ideas work in concert with one another in the most harmonious of ways.

Theme

The main idea or meaning of a text. Often, this is an insight about human life revealed in a literary work

https:

Imagery

Words and phrases that appeal to the five senses

Ezra Pound: 

"In a Station of the Metro"

The apparition of these faces in the crowd:

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Rhythm

The beat of a poem

https:

Simile

Comparison using like or as

https:

Metaphor

Comparison NOT using like or as

https:

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the BEGINNING or words

“Betty Botter bought some butter, but, she said, the butter’s bitter; if I put it in my batter it will make my batter bitter, but a bit of better butter will make my batter better.” 

https:

Point of View

Just like fiction, the poem is written in a specific point of view:

a point of view determines how close the reader is involved in the poem. 

First-person (I, me, my, we, us, our) will draw the reader into the poem. 

Third-person (he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, its, they, them, theirs). will create more distance. The reader will be an observer. 

Second-person (you, your) The speaker is speaking directly to his/her readers. Using second-person point of view, however, has to be done carefully as it is a more advanced skill and can be done poorly by an inexperienced writer.

https:

Onomatopoeia

A word that represents a sound

Homework

Find a written poem.

Be prepared to "deliver" the poem in class

be prepared to explain the poem

Identify atleast 2 poetic devices