ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

INFORMATION SHEET

MYP YEAR 1

UNIT 1

A WORLD OF POETRY

By Ms. Nartekie Azina-Nartey

&
Ms. Adwoa Asiedu
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
✓ Introduction to literature

✓ Forms of Literature

✓ Examples of the various forms of literature

✓ Literary devices

✓ What is poetry.

✓ Types of poems

✓ Typical examples of these types of poems.

✓ Poetic terms

✓ Identifying the rhyme scheme of a poem

✓ Style in Literature

✓ Identifying the theme of a poem

 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material. It is
derived from the Latin word literature which means "writing formed with letters,”
Literature most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination, including
poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism, and song.
Reference Link: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-literature-740531

FORMS OF LITERATURE
There are three main forms of literature namely
a. Drama
b. Poetry
c. Prose (fiction and non-fiction)

Drama: A story for stage performance by actors.

Some examples of drama are Shakespearean comedies. These include the following;
• All’s Well That Ends Well
• As You Like It
• Measure for Measure
• The Merchant of Venice
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Poetry: This is a form of writing, usually in verse that expresses feelings and emotions.
This is an example of a poem, Still I Rise by Maya Angelou.
Prose (fiction): Invented stories with imaginative characters and events
Prose (non-fiction): Stories of actual events or characters.
 LITERARY DEVICES
Literary devices are tools writers use to help readers analyze their writing in interesting ways.
These literary devices include figurative language or figures of speech, imagery and sound
devices.
There are several literary devices implored in literary texts to make them more interesting. Here
are some commonly used ones.
SIMILE
A comparison between two unlike things, using like, as as, or than in the comparison
Example: The leaf spun to the ground like a descending helicopter; more nervous than a long-
tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs; he was as mad as a hornet.

REPETITION
The author purposely repeats words or phrases; the author is trying to create rhythm or suspense,
or is trying to really emphasize a certain idea.
Example: It was all gone. Burned to ashes. He had no clothing, no blankets, no bow, no hatchet,
and no map. It was all gone.

HYPERBOLE
An obvious exaggeration which is not meant to be taken literally.
Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!

IMAGERY
Mental pictures which are created by descriptions of the senses, so that we can see and feel what
the character is experiencing.
Example: Even the dark, shiny leaves which usually clung to the chimney of my grandmother’s
house hung dry and brittle on that hot summer day.

PUN
A humorous use of a word or phrase that has more than one meaning (or two similarly spelled
words that sound alike).
Examples: “If you really want to keep warm, try bear skin,” said the trapper. “But won’t I be
really cold in my bare skin?” asked the boy. Why is it easy for an elephant to travel? He can carry
his own trunk.

POINT OF VIEW
The perspective from which a story is seen or told; there are three main forms:
First Person: (I and me are used; the narrator is actually a part of the story) I woke up first, alarmed
that I had slept too late and missed my chance. A look at my brother’s bed told me he was still
asleep, snuggled up under the covers.
Third Person: (he and she are used; the narrator simply helps tell the story, and lets all character
speak for themselves) Pete woke up first. A look at his brother’s bed told him that Sam was still
asleep, snuggled up under the covers.
Omniscient: (he and she are used; BUT the narrator not only lets characters speak, but can also
“get inside their heads” to read their thoughts) Pete woke up first, feeling somewhat alarmed that
he might have overslept and missed his chance. He looked at his brother’s bed and was glad to see
that Sam was still asleep, snuggled up under the covers.

PERSONIFICATION
A description in which an object (or animal, or idea, or force of nature) takes on human
characteristics or actions.
Examples: The tornado stooped to snatch the house; the sun hid its face behind the clouds; the
rain tapped against the window with its wet, insistent fingers.

ONOMATOPOEIA
Words that imitate, or sound like, the actions they describe.
Examples: bang, slurp, ping, slam, hiss, squish

METAPHOR
A suggested comparison between two unlike things in order to point out a similarity; a metaphor
DOES NOT use the word like, as as, or than.
Example: Hot orange coals burned at the edge of the woods as the wolves watched and waited
with hungry eagerness. (the wolves’ eyes are compared to orange coals because of their brightness
and color)
IRONY
Contrast between the expected outcome and the actual way things turn out.
Example: In the book Holes, no one in the courtroom believes that Stanley Yelnats is innocent.
Once he gets to Camp Green Lake he lies about committing the crime, but then no one there
believes he is guilty! He just can’t seem to win.

ALLITERATION
Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words or within words. It is used to establish mood
and rhythm in a story. True alliteration has three words beginning with the same sound (two words
beginning with the same sound would be called alliterative)
Examples: bucking bronco; miserable morning; Bed, Bath, and Beyond

ALLUSION
A reference in one story to a well-known character or event from another story, history, or place
Examples: the rise of the baseball team from last place to first was a real Cinderella story; at times
teachers need the wisdom of Solomon to make decisions.
Reference Link: https://teachingreadingandla.pbworks.com/f/Literary+Devices.pdf
 POETRY
Poetry is the creative expression of emotions or feelings usually by the use of poetic terms such
as rhythm and rhyme to communicate a particular message.

Reference Link: https://www.slideshare.net/teachingideas/the-poetry-pack-teaching-

resources
TYPES OF POEMS
POETIC TERMS
 RHYME SCHEME
Rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming words in a poem. The rhyme scheme of a poem is
indicated by using different letters of the alphabet for each new rhyme. By default, the first line of
poem begins with the letter A. The letters repeat themselves if they rhyme or change to the next
alphabet if they do not rhyme with the previous line. Let us look at an example.

Mary had a little lamb A (every line ending with a word that rhymes with
“lamb”gets an “A”)
Her fleece was white as snow B (does not rhyme with “lamb”)

And everywhere that Mary went C (does not rhyme with “lamb” or “snow”)
The lamb was sure to go B (because “go” rhymes with “snow,” this gets a B)
It followed her to school one day, D (everything that rhymes with “day” gets a D)

Which was against the rules. E (everything that rhymes with “rules” gets an E)
It made the children laugh and play, D

To see a lamb at school E

And so the teacher turned it out F (everything that rhymes with “out” gets an F)

But still it lingered near G (everything that rhymes with “near” gets a G)

And waited patiently about, F

Till Mary did appear G

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?" B (rhymes with “snow” from line 2)

The eager children cry H

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know." B

The teacher did reply H

 STYLE IN WRITING (LITERATURE)
Style is a manner or “way” of writing.
• It involves how something is said rather than what is actually said.
• A writer’s style is determined by his or her choice of words which is known as DICTION.
For example, in communicating someone’s death, different styles of writing can take the
following:

• He kicked the bucket.

• He is gone to see His maker.
• He died
• He passed away etc.

THEME OF A POEM
Before you can understand the poem as a whole, you have to start with an understanding of the
individual words. Get a good dictionary. Look up, and write down, the meanings of:
• Words you don’t know

• Words you “sort of know”

• Use an encyclopedia or the Internet to look up people and places mentioned in the poem.
These allusions may be a key to the poet’s attitudes and ideas. As you pay attention to the literal
meanings of the words of the poem, you may see some patterns emerging. These patterns may
relate to the diction of the poem:
• Does the poet use “street talk” or slang, formal English, foreign language phrases, or
jargon, as his style of writing?
Your goal, now that you’ve understood the literal meanings, is to try to determine the theme of the
poem – the purpose the poet has in writing this poem, the idea he wants to express.
In order to discover the theme, however, you need to look at the poem as a whole and the ways the
different parts of the poem interact.

• Start your search for the theme by looking at the title of the poem. It was probably carefully
chosen. What information does it give you? What expectations does it create?
Reference Link: https://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/tlc/files/2016/08/How-to-Analyze-a-Poem.pdf
After all these aspects of the poem have been looked at, the theme of the poem can easily be
identified.
Theme is therefore the universal lesson learnt from the poem that is applicable in real-life.
Kindly follow this link to have a deepened understanding of theme.
Reference Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHqCBI489Ok
Reference Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQtEQR76gnM