Year 9

Poetry Through the Ages:

home learning

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Work through the lessons in this booklet, as listed below. At the back
of the booklet, starting on page 36, there is a glossary of poetic
terms, which will be useful for you.

Lessons:
Page 3: Beowulf

Page 7: The General Prologue

Page 9: Sonnet 18

Page 10: On My Fist Sonne

Page 13: Death, be not proud

Page 15: Easter Wings

Page 16: Songs of Innocence and Experience

Page 19: Autumn

Page 22: Bayonet Charge and The Soldier

Page 26: I am NOT Black, You are NOT White

Page 31: Why Poetry is Necessary

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Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
TASK ONE: Next to each word given below, make a list of the connotations.
Think about what the word makes you think of.

1. Mighty:
2. Creature:
3. Grabbed:
4. Escape:
5. Devil:
6. Tremble:
7. Scream:

TASK TWO: As you read this extract from Beowulf, highlight or underline any
words or phrases that suggest violence.

Mighty and canny,

Hygelac’s kinsman was keenly watching
for the first move the monster would make.
Nor did the creature keep him waiting
but struck suddenly and started in;
he grabbed and mauled a man on his bench,
bit into his bone-lappings, bolted down his blood
and gorged on him in lumps, leaving the body
utterly lifeless, eaten up
hand and foot. Venturing closer,
his talon was raised to attack Beowulf
where he lay on the bed, he was bearing in
with open claw when the alert hero’s
comeback and armlock forestalled him utterly.
The captain of evil discovered himself
in a handgrip harder than anything

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he had ever encountered in any man
on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body
quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape.
He was desperate to flee to his den and hide
with the devil’s litter, for in all his days
he had never been clamped or cornered like this.
Then Hygelac’s trusty retainer recalled
his bedtime speech, sprang to his feet
and got a firm hold. Fingers were bursting,
the monster back-tracking, the man overpowering.
The dread of the land was desperate to escape,
to take a roundabout road and flee
to his lair in the fens. The latching power
in his fingers weakened; it was the worst trip
the terror-monger had taken to Heorot.
And now the timbers trembled and sang,
a hall-session that harrowed every Dane
inside the stockade: stumbling in fury,
the two contenders crashed through the building.
The hall clattered and hammered, but somehow
survived the onslaught and kept standing:
it was handsomely structured, a sturdy frame
braced with the best of blacksmith’s work
inside and out. The story goes
that as the pair struggled, mead-benches were smashed
and sprung off the floor, gold fittings and all.
Before then, no Shielding elder would believe
there was any power or person upon earth
capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall
unless the burning embrace of a fire
engulf it in flame. Then an extraordinary
wail arose, and bewildering fear

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came over the Danes. Everyone felt it
who heard that cry as it echoed off the wall,
a God-cursed scream and strain of catastrophe,
the howl of the loser, the lament of the hell-serf
keening his wound. He was overwhelmed,
manacled tight by the man who of all men
was foremost and strongest in the days of this life.

TASK THREE: Write a description of two powerful and mythical creatures

fighting.

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The General Prologue by Geoffrey Chaucer

TASK ONE: Read through the poem: the original version is in bold, and each
line has also been given in modern English.

TASK TWO: Find the answers the questions below in the poem:
1. What month is it when the pilgrims go on their pilgrimage?
2. Where are they going on the pilgrimage?
3. How many pilgrims are in the group that the narrator meets?
4. Which pilgrim does the narrator say they will describe first?

1         Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
                  When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2         The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
                Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3         And bathed every veyne in swich licour
                 And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4         Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
                 By which power the flower is created;
5         Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
                 When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6         Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
                 In every wood and field has breathed life into 
7         The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
                 The tender new leaves, and the young sun
8         Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
                 Has run half its course in Aries,
9         And smale foweles maken melodye,
                 And small fowls make melody,
10         That slepen al the nyght with open ye
                 Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11         (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
                 (So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12         Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
                 Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
13         And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
                 And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
14         To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
                 To distant shrines, known in various lands;
15         And specially from every shires ende
                 And specially from every shire's end
16         Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,

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                 Of England to Canterbury they travel,
17         The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
                 To seek the holy blessed martyr,
18         That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
                 Who helped them when they were sick.
19         Bifil that in that seson on a day,
                 It happened that in that season on one day,
20         In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay
                 In Southwark at the Tabard Inn as I lay
21         Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
                 Ready to go on my pilgrimage
22         To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,
                 To Canterbury with a very devout spirit,
23         At nyght was come into that hostelrye
                At night had come into that hostelry
24         Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye
                 Well nine and twenty in a company
25         Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
                 Of various sorts of people, by chance fallen
26         In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
                 In fellowship, and they were all pilgrims,
27         That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
                 Who intended to ride toward Canterbury.
28         The chambres and the stables weren wyde,
                 The bedrooms and the stables were spacious,
29         And wel we weren esed atte beste.
                 And we were well accommodated in the best way.
30         And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste,
                 And in brief, when the sun was (gone) to rest,
31         So hadde I spoken with hem everichon
                 I had so spoken with everyone of them 
32         That I was of hir felaweshipe anon,
                 That I was of their fellowship straightway,
33         And made forward erly for to ryse,
                And made agreement to rise early,
34         To take oure wey ther as I yow devyse.
                 To take our way where I (will) tell you.
35         But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space,
                 But nonetheless, while I have time and opportunity,
36         Er that I ferther in this tale pace,
                 Before I proceed further in this tale,
37         Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun
                 It seems to me in accord with reason
38         To telle yow al the condicioun
                 To tell you all the circumstances
39         Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,
                 Of each of them, as it seemed to me,
40         And whiche they weren, and of what degree,

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                 And who they were, and of what social rank,
41         And eek in what array that they were inne;
                 And also what clothing that they were in;
42         And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.
                 And at a knight then will I first begin.

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

TASK ONE: Read through the poem and answer these questions.

1. How many lines are there in this poem?

2. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? ABAB
3. How many syllables are in each line?
These are the conventional features of a Shakespearean sonnet, which is a
form of poem often used for love poetry.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?  A

Thou art more lovely and more temperate: B
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:  B
thee = you
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
thou = you
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; 
art = are
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
hath = has
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
thy = your
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st; 
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. 

TASK TWO: Consider the effects of the language devices in this poem.
1. What is the effect of the rhetorical question, “Shall I compare thee to a
summer’s day?”

2. What does the metaphor “thy eternal summer shall not fade” suggest about
the person the poem is describing?

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 3. What is the effect of personifying death – “Death brag”?

On My First Sonne by Ben Jonson

TASK ONE: Read through the poem and answer these questions.

1. How many lines are there in this poem?

2. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? AABB
3. How many syllables are in each line?
4. Ben Jonson wrote this poem about the death of his son. The form of this
poem can be describe as an ‘incomplete’ sonnet. Why do you think Jonson
may have done this?

Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;  A

My sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy.  A
Seven years tho' wert lent to me, and I thee pay,  B
thou = you
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.  B
wert = were
O, could I lose all father now! For why 
thee = you
Will man lament the state he should envy? 
thy = your
To have so soon 'scap'd world's and flesh's rage, 
doth = does
And if no other misery, yet age? 
henceforth = from this time on
Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say, "Here doth lie 
Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry." 
For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such, 
As what he loves may never like too much.

TASK TWO: Consider the effects of the language devices in this poem.
1. Jonson writes that his son was “lent” to him. What does this verb suggest?

2. Jonson writes that his son has, “so soon escaped world’s and flesh’s rage”.
What does this personification suggest Jonson thinks of the world?

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 3. Jonson writes that his son is “his pest piece of poetry.” What does this
metaphor suggest about how Jonson feels about his son?

TASK THREE: How does Jonson use language to present ideas about loss?
You may wish to use these sentence starters to help you frame your analysis:
(Point) Jonson explores loss by writing about…
(Evidence) Jonson writes, “[quotation].”
(Technique) Jonson’s use of [technique] suggests…
(Analysis) The word “ ” has connotations of…
The reader is given the impression that…
(Link) Jonson seems to be suggest that the world is… and death is…

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Death, be not proud by John Donne

TASK ONE: Read through the poem and answer these questions.

1. How many lines are there in this poem?

2. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? ABBA
3. How many syllables are in each line?

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee  A

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;  B
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow  B
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.  A
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,  thee = you
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,  art = are
And soonest our best men with thee do go,  thou = you
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.  dost = does
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,  thy = your
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, 
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well 
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? 
One short sleep past, we wake eternally 
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. 

TASK TWO: How does Donne and Jonson present death differently in their
poems?

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Easter Wings by George Herbert

TASK ONE: What do you notice about the shape of this poem?

Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, 

      Though foolishly he lost the same, 
            Decaying more and more, 
                  Till he became 
                        Most poore: 
                        With thee 
                  O let me rise 
            As larks, harmoniously, 
      And sing this day thy victories: 
Then shall the fall further the flight in me. 

My tender age in sorrow did beginne 

      And still with sicknesses and shame. 
            Thou didst so punish sinne, 
                  That I became 
                        Most thinne. 
                        With thee 
                  Let me combine, 
            And feel thy victorie: 
         For, if I imp my wing on thine, 
Affliction shall advance the flight in me. 

TASK TWO: What is the difference between the tone in the first half of each
stanza (in bold) and the second half? What might this suggest?

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 Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake
William Blake was born in 1757 and was a poet and painter. He published a pair of
collections of poems, called Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Songs of Innocence
was published in 1789 and explores ideas of happiness, innocence and rural harmony. Songs
of Experience was published in 1794 and explores harsher ideas. Some critics believe that
together the collections explore ideas about the effects of modernity.

In the two collections, there are some pairs of poems. The Chimney Sweeper poems are one
of these pairs. The version in Songs of Innocence has a hopeful, even if naïve, tone while the
version in Songs of Experience is much bleaker.

Chimney sweeps were children, mostly boys, around the age of six, who would be
apprenticed to a master chimney sweep. They would climb chimneys and use their brush to
dislodge soot.

Songs of Innocence: The Chimney

Sweeper
TASK ONE: As you read through the poem, highlight or underline any words
or phrases that suggest Tom’s feelings.

When my mother died I was very young, 

And my father sold me while yet my tongue 
Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" 
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep. 

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head 

That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said, 
"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare, 
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair." 

And so he was quiet, & that very night, 

As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight! 
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack, 
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black; 

And by came an Angel who had a bright key, 

And he opened the coffins & set them all free; 
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run, 
And wash in a river and shine in the Sun. 

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Then naked & white, all their bags left behind, 
They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind. 
And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy, 
He'd have God for his father & never want joy. 

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark 

And got with our bags & our brushes to work. 
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm; 
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

Songs of Experience: The Chimney

Sweeper
TASK TWO: As you read through the poem, highlight or underline any words
or phrases that suggest the narrator’s feelings.

A little black thing among the snow, 

Crying "weep! 'weep!" in notes of woe! 
"Where are thy father and mother? say?" 
"They are both gone up to the church to pray. 

Because I was happy upon the heath, 

And smil'd among the winter's snow, 
They clothed me in the clothes of death, 
And taught me to sing the notes of woe. 

And because I am happy and dance and sing, 

They think they have done me no injury, 
And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King, 
Who make up a heaven of our misery." 

TASK THREE: Answer these questions in relation to both poems.

1. In Innocence, Tom dreams of “an Angel who had a bright key.” What do you
think this “key” might be a metaphor for?

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 2. In Experience, Blake uses the metaphor “clothes of death.” What does this
suggest about the chimney sweep’s life?

3. Focus on the final lines of the two poems. How is the tone at the end of each
very different?

4. Why do you think Blake chose to write about a chimney sweep’s experience
from two very different perspectives?
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Autumn by John Clare
TASK ONE: Draw pictures in the empty space on this page, based on the
descriptions of Autumn in the poem.

I love the fitful gust that shakes

The casement all the day,
And from the glossy elm tree takes
The faded leaves away,
Twirling them by the window pane
With thousand others down the lane.
I love to see the shaking twig
Dance till the shut of eve,
The sparrow on the cottage rig,
Whose chirp would make believe
That Spring was just now flirting by
In Summer's lap with flowers to lie.
I love to see the cottage smoke
Curl upwards through the trees,
The pigeons nestled round the cote
On November days like these;
The cock upon the dunghill crowing,
The mill sails on the heath a-going.
The feather from the raven's breast
Falls on the stubble lea,
The acorns near the old crow's nest
Drop pattering down the tree;
The grunting pigs, that wait for all,
Scramble and hurry where they fall.

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TASK TWO: Write a description of another season – winter, spring or
summer.

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Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes
Suddenly he awoke and was running- raw
In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy,
Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge
That dazzled with rifle fire, hearing
Bullets smacking the belly out of the air -
He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm;
The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye
Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest, -

In bewilderment then he almost stopped -

In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running
Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs
Listening between his footfalls for the reason
Of his still running, and his foot hung like
Statuary in mid-stride. Then the shot-slashed furrows

Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide
Open silent, its eyes standing out.
He plunged past with his bayonet toward the green hedge,
King, honour, human dignity, etcetera
Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm
To get out of that blue crackling air
His terror’s touchy dynamite.

TASK ONE: Identify the device being used in each of these quotations:

1. “Bullets smacking the belly out of the air”

2. “He lugged his rifle numb as a smashed arm;”
3. “Sweating like molten iron”
4. “In What cold clock work of the stars and nations/ Was he the hand pointing
that second?”
5. “rolled like a flame”
6. “His terror’s touchy dynamite.”

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 The Soldier by Rupert Brooke
TASK TWO: Read through the poem and answer these questions.

1. How many lines are there in this poem?

2. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? ABAB
3. How many syllables are in each line?
4. The sonnet form is often use for love poetry, why do you think Brooke has
used a sonnet form for this poem?

If I should die, think only this of me:  A

      That there’s some corner of a foreign field  B
That is for ever England. There shall be  A
      In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;  B
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, 
      Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; 
A body of England’s, breathing English air, 
      Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. 

And think, this heart, all evil shed away, 

      A pulse in the eternal mind, no less 
            Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; 
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; 
      And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, 
            In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

TASK THREE: How do Hughes and Brooke present different ideas about war?
You may wish to use these sentence starters to help you frame your analysis:
(Point) Hughes presents war as , while Brooke presents war as .
(Evidence) Hughes writes, “[quotation].”
(Technique) Hughes’ use of [technique] suggests…
(Analysis) The word “ ” has connotations of…
(Evidence) In contrast, Brooke writes, “[quotation].”
(Technique) Hughes’ use of [technique] suggests…
(Analysis) The word “ ” has connotations of…
(Link) Both poets explore ideas about war, however they have very different perspectives…

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I am NOT Black, You are NOT White by Prince Ea
TASK ONE: This is the opening of Prince Ea’s poem. Read it carefully; what do
you think the message is?

I am not Black
I mean, that’s what the world calls me, but it’s not... me
I didn't come out of my mother's womb saying, “Hey everybody, I'm... Black.”
No, I was taught to be black
And you were taught to call me that
Along with whatever you call yourself
It’s just a.... label

See, from birth the world force feeds us these.... labels

And eventually we all swallow them
We digest and accept the labels, never ever doubting them
But there's one problem:
Labels are not you and labels are not me
Labels are just ...labels
But who we truly are is not... skin... deep
See, when I drive my car, no one would ever confuse the car for.... me
Well, when I drive my ....body, why do you confuse me for my... body?
It's.... my ....body....get it? Not me

Let me break it down

See, our bodies are just cars that we operate and drive around
The dealership will call society decided to label mine the "black edition,"
Yours the "Irish" or "White edition"
And with no money down, 0% APR, and no test drive
We were forced to own these cars for the rest of our lives
Forgive me, but I fail to see the logic or pride
In defining myself or judging another by the cars we drive
Because who we truly are is found inside.

TASK TWO: How does Prince Ea use language to present ideas about racism?

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You may wish to use these sentence starters to help you frame your analysis:
(Point) Prince Ea suggests that racism is…
(Evidence) He writes, “[quotation].”
(Technique) His use of [technique] suggests…
(Analysis) The word “ ” has connotations of…
The reader is given the impression that…
(Link) Prince Ea clearly expresses his belief that…

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TASK THREE: Write a poem about a world issue that is important to you.
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  your poem can rhyme, but it doesn’t have to
 you must use language devices in your poem: metaphor, simile,
personification, etc.
 you must use interesting vocabulary throughout your poem
PLAN:

What world issue will I focus on?

What message do I want to give to my readers/listeners?

What vocabulary will I use? What language devices will I use?

Write your poem:

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Why Poetry is Necessary
TASK ONE: Read this extract of an article about the importance of poetry
from the HufPost.

In the last few years I have spent much of my time writing books on poetry.
Sometimes, while sitting alone in front of my computer, I have wondered whether I
was wasting my time. After all, the world is in trouble. It has always been in trouble.
Surely there must be something more useful, more pressing, to give my time to than
reflecting on poetry?

But no; I wrote more books in my Ten Poems series, wondering all the while whether
they and I were doing little more than making ourselves progressively irrelevant.

On my good days, I knew better, which is why I kept writing. I knew that great poetry
has the power to start a fire in a person’s life. It can alter the way we see ourselves.
It can change the way we see the world. You may never have read a poem in your
life, and yet you can pick up a volume of Mary Oliver say, or Neruda, or of Rumi,
open it to any page, and suddenly find yourself blown into a world full of awe, dread,
wonder, marvel, deep sorrow, and joy.

Poetry at its best calls forth our deep being. It dares us to break free from the safe
strategies of the cautious mind; it calls to us, like the wild geese, as Mary Oliver
would say, from an open sky. It is a magical art, and always has been — a making of
language spells designed to open our eyes, open our doors and welcome us into a
bigger world, one of possibilities we may never have dared to dream of.

This is why poetry can be dangerous as well as necessary. Because we may never
be the same again after reading a poem that happens to speak to our own life
directly. I know that when I meet my own life in a great poem, I feel opened, clarified,
confirmed somehow in what I sensed was true but had no words for. Anything that
can do this is surely necessary for the fullness of a human life.

TASK TWO: Find quotations in which the writer has used these devices:

1. Repetition:
2. Rhetorical question:

3. Metaphor:
4. Anaphora:
5. Simile:
6. List of three:

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TASK THREE: How has the writer used language to express their ideas about the
importance of poetry?

You may wish to use these sentence starters to help you frame your analysis:
(Point) The writer suggests that poetry is importance because…
(Evidence) They write, “[quotation].”
(Technique) Their use of [technique] suggests…
(Analysis) The word “ ” has connotations of…
The reader is given the impression that…
(Link) The writer clearly expresses their belief that poetry is…

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TASK FOUR: Imagine the government has suggested that poetry should be
removed from the English curriculum. Write a letter to a local politician
explaining why you think poetry should be taught in all schools.

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Glossary of poetic terms

Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sounds at any place, but often at the
beginning of words. Some famous examples of alliteration are tongue twisters.

She sells seashells by the seashore, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers.
 
Assonance
The repetition or a pattern of (the same) vowel sounds, as in the tongue
twister:
"Moses supposes his toeses are roses."
 
Ballad
A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a
repeated refrain. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
is an example of a ballad.
  
Couplet
In a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length, (usually) rhyme and form
a complete thought. Shakespearean sonnets usually end in a couplet.
 
Elegy
A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and
thoughtful. An example of this type of poem is Gray's "Elegy Written in a
Country Churchyard.”

Enjambment
A line ending in which the sense continues, with no punctuation, into the
following line or stanza.
But in contentment I still feel
The need of some imperishable bliss.

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Hyperbole
A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis.
Many everyday expressions are examples of hyperbole:
tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears, etc.
Hyperbole is the opposite of litotes.

Imagery
The use of pictures, figures of speech and description to evoke ideas, feelings,
objects, actions, states of mind etc.
 
Limerick
A light, humorous poem of five lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba.
  
Lyric
A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings
of the poet. A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style.
 
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one
thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more
common or usual word that would be expected. Some examples of metaphors:

the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of
troubles.

Narrative
Telling a story. Ballads, epics, and lays are different kinds of narrative poems.

Ode
A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise,
formal structure.

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Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of
onomatopoeic words are:
buzz, hiss, zing, clippety-clop, cock-a-doodle-do, pop, splat, thump, tick-tock.
Another example of onomatopoeia is found in this line from Tennyson's Come
Down, O Maid:
"The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable
bees”
The repeated "m/n" sounds reinforce the idea of "murmuring" by imitating the
hum of insects on a warm summer day.

Pastoral
A poem that pictures country life in a peaceful, idealised way.
 
Personification
A figure of speech in which nonhuman things or abstract ideas are given
human attributes:
the sky is crying, dead leaves danced in the wind, blind justice.
 
Refrain
A phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually
after every stanza.
 
Rhyme
The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more
words.
The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different
letter for each final sound. In a poem with an aabba rhyme scheme, the first,
second, and fifth lines end in one sound, and the third and fourth lines end in
another.
 
Rhyme scheme
The pattern that is made by the rhyme within each stanza or verse.

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Simile
A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or
"as." An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem
‘Harlem’:
"What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?"
 
Sonnet
A lyric poem that is 14 lines long. Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided
into two quatrains and a six-line "sestet," with the rhyme scheme abba abba
cdecde (or cdcdcd). English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are composed of three
quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg.
English sonnets are written generally in iambic pentameter. The volta
(“break”) marks a change in the initial line of thought or feeling at the end of
the octave or eighth line.

Stanza
Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a
poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the
same pattern of meter and rhyme.
 
Stress
The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables. Stressed syllables
usually stand out because they have long rather than short vowels, or because
they have a different pitch or are louder than other syllables.
 
Symbol
When a word, phrase or image 'stands for' an idea or theme.
The sun could symbolize life and energy or a red rose could symbolize romantic
love.
 

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