Purposes of Poetry
There are three purposes to poetry: 1. To tell a story (Narrative poetry); 2. To communicate a feeling (Lyric poetry); 3. To pretend to be someone else (Dramatic poetry), either to make a point or just because you felt like it. Of course, there are sub-purposes to these big three, for instance, you might write a lyric poem to the person you love for the purpose of expressing your feeling (like Robert Burns' "A Red, Red, Rose"); or you might write a dramatic poem pretending to be a historical figure to show what you think of that particular figure ( like Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess"); or choose a narrative format to tell a scary tale of the gold rush ("The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service). The important thing is: your poem should HAVE a purpose, even if the purpose is only for yourself. However, be aware that no matter how clear and magical you think your poem is, it can be interpreted a variety of ways by the mind of your readers. See the video below for an example. |
Forms of Poetry
Poetry has many forms, and you should choose the one that helps you express your ideas the best. Some forms are:
Acrostic An acrostic poem is a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in a line spell out a particular word or phrase. Ballad A Ballad is a poem that tells a story, often a love story, and has a rhyming pattern; sometimes ballads are put to music. Cinquain A cinquain consists of five unrhymed lines.Each line has a set number of syllables (Line 1: 2 syllables; Line 2: 4 syllables; Line 3: 6 syllables; Line 4: 8 syllables; Line 5: 2 syllables). Concrete Also known as a shape poem, a concrete poem is one that uses words to make a particular shape that relates to the ideas in the poem's words. Diamante A diamante poem is made up of 7 lines using a set structure (Line 1: Beginning subject; Line 2: Two describing words about line 1; Line 3: Three doing words about line 1; Line 4: A short phrase about line 1 a short phrase about line 7; Line 5: Three doing words about line 7; Line 6: Two describing words about line 7; Line 7: End subject). Elegy A poem written upon the demise of something or someone, often a serious reflection upon something lost. Epic An epic is a serious poem that tells a story; this is at length a narrative piece with heroic events and deedsThere is no structure to the poem other than it tells a story. Free Verse Free verse is poetry written with rhymed or unrhymed verse that has no set rhythmical pattern. Found Poem Found poetry is created by taking words, phrases, headlines, text, passages, and/or quotes from various sources and reordering them into a poem. Haiku A Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry and consists of 3 lines and 17 syllables (Line 1 – 5 syllables; Line 2 – 7 syllables; Line 3 – 5 syllables). Sonnet A Sonnet is a poem of an expressive thought or idea made up of 14 lines, each being 10 syllables long. There is the English and the Italian style, which differ in arrangement. |
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