Poetry Terms

Unlock the magic of poetry! Master terms like speaker, stanza, and imagery with fun examples.

Welcome to the wonderful world of poetry! Directions: For this lesson, you will explore new terms with poetry. For each poem, you will follow three steps:1) Read the poem.2) Complete the discussion by either talking or writing your responses.3) Add examples to the poetry terms handout. Speaker - Definition and Example Speaker- The voice or person we imagine saying the poem’s words, which may or may not be the authorRead the following poem. Think about who the speaker might be. Who is talking to us?HyenaBy Edwin MorganI am waiting for you.I have been travelling all morning through the bushand not eaten.I am lying at the edge of the bushon a dusty path that leads from the burnt-out kraal.I am panting, it is midday, I found no water-hole.I am very fierce without food and although my eyesare screwed to slits against the sunyou must believe I am prepared to spring.What do you think of me?I have a rough coat like Africa.I am crafty with dark spotslike the bush-tufted plains of Africa.I sprawl as a shaggy bundle of gathered energylike Africa sprawling in its waters.I trot, I lope, I slaver, I am a ranger.I hunch my shoulders. I eat the dead.... Speaker - Discuss or write your response. Who is the author of this poem?Who is the speaker of the poem? Hint: Look at the title.What do you think about the author's choice of speaker? Speaker - Notes In your notes, write a sentence like this: The poem “Hyena” is written by _, but the speaker of the poem is _.Fill in the blanks in your sentence with the author and the speaker of the poem. Stanza - Definition Stanza - Two or more lines that are grouped together (a paragraph in poetry terms) Stanza - Read the example poem. Stanza - Discuss or write your response. What text-to-self connections can you make with this poem?When have you felt like the speaker feels in the first stanza?When have you made a surprising discovery like the speaker does in the second stanza? Stanza - Notes A stanza is a whole section of a poem, so you don't have to write down an example in your notes. Repetition - Definition Repetition - A repeated sound, syllable, word, phrase, line, or entire stanza to emphasize something or to create a certain effect Repetition - Example Song lyrics are poetry. Watch the video. It has the lyrics to the intro. song for an old TV show about a talking horse named Mr. Ed.Discuss: What was repeated in the lyrics and why? Repetition - Example Read the following poem. Notice the repetition in the poem.I'll Be Thereby Nubia ValleI'll be thereWhen you feel lonely and frightened,When you need help with something,When you feel hopeless.I'll be thereWhen you feel betrayed by someone you trusted,When you feel broken-hearted,When you are in difficult times.I'll be thereWhen you fall,When you need a hug,When you need some love.I'll be there.No matter what happens,I'll be there. Repetition - Discuss or write your response. Why does the speaker repeat the phrase “I’ll be there” in this poem? Repetition - Notes For the example in your notes, write the last stanza (last three lines) of the poem "I'll be There". Imagery - Definition and Example Imagery- Use of detailed words to paint a picture in the reader’s mind, appealing to the sensesRead the following poem. Notice the imagery. What do the author's words allow us to visualize or imagine?Excerpt from Harlem Night Song by Langston HughesAcrossThe Harlem roof-topsMoon is shining.Night sky is blue.Stars are great dropsOf golden dew. Imagery - Notes For the example in your notes, write the last two lines the above poem excerpt. Imagery - Discuss or write your response. What imagery can you come up with to describe what it’s like outside at night?Can you use at least 4 senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound)?How is it different in the summer and the winter? Theme - Definition Theme - The lesson or universal message of a written workExample Themes"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" - Be respectful of others' property."Cinderella" - Good things happen to good people. Theme - Example Poem Theme - Discuss or write your response. A theme of this poem is Keep hope even when things seem bad.Explain why this is a theme of this poem. What is evidence of this theme?