POETRY

LITERARY TERMS FOR POETRY

INTRODUCTION:

Literature:

Fiction
1.Fiction:

2.Nonfiction
A: Poetry
B: Prose
POETRY VS. PROSE:
Prose and poetry are the two common forms of
literature;
 prose is written work, which contains sentences and
paragraphs, and does not have any metrical structure.

As against, poetry is a genre of literature which is

based on a particular form, that creates a rhyme.
Key Differences Between Prose and Poetry
The difference between prose and poetry can be drawn
clearly on the following grounds:

Prose refers to a form of literature, having ordinary

language and sentence structure. Poetry is that form of
literature, which is aesthetic by nature, i.e. it has a
sound, rhyme, metre, etc., that adds to its meaning.

The language of prose is quite direct or straightforward.

On the other hand, in poetry, we use an expressive or
creative language, which includes comparisons, rhyme
and rhythm that give it a unique cadence and feel.
Key Differences Between Prose and Poetry
While the prose is pragmatic, i.e. realistic, poetry is
figurative.

Prose contains paragraphs, which includes a

number of sentences, that has an implied message
or idea. As against, poetry is written in verses,
which are covered in stanzas. These verses leave a
lot of unsaid things, and its interpretation depends
upon the imagination of the reader.

The prose is utilitarian, which conveys a hidden

moral, lesson or idea. Conversely, poetry aims to
delight or amuse the reader.
Key Differences Between Prose and Poetry
The most important thing in prose is the message or
information. In contrast, the poet shares his/her
experience or feelings with the reader, which plays a
crucial role in poetry.

In prose, there are no line breaks, whereas when it comes

to poetry, there are a number of line breaks, which is just
to follow the beat or to stress on an idea.

When it comes to paraphrasing or summarizing, both

prose and poetry can be paraphrased, but the paraphrase
of the poem is not the poem, because the essence of the
poem lies in the style of writing, i.e. the way in which the
poet has expressed his/her experience in verses and
stanzas. So, this writing pattern and cadence is the
beauty of poetry, which cannot be summarized.
Key Differences Between Prose and Poetry
The most important thing in prose is the message or
information. In contrast, the poet shares his/her
experience or feelings with the reader, which plays a
crucial role in poetry.

In prose, there are no line breaks, whereas when it comes

to poetry, there are a number of line breaks, which is just
to follow the beat or to stress on an idea.

When it comes to paraphrasing or summarizing, both

prose and poetry can be paraphrased, but the paraphrase
of the poem is not the poem, because the essence of the
poem lies in the style of writing, i.e. the way in which the
poet has expressed his/her experience in verses and
stanzas. So, this writing pattern and cadence is the
beauty of poetry, which cannot be summarized.
1. RHYME SCHEME
Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of rhymes at the
end of each line. It's annotated with letters. For
example, a four-line stanza with an ABAB rhyme
scheme means the first and third lines rhyme and the
second and fourth lines rhyme.

Many of Shakespeare's sonnets follow this rhyme

scheme. Letters that are joined together like this form a
stanza. Here's an example of a Shakespearean sonnet
(Sonnet 130) that follows an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
rhyme scheme:
1. RHYME SCHEME
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; (A)
Coral is far more red than her lips' red; (B)
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; (A)
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. (B)
I have seen roses damasked, red and white, (C)
But no such roses see I in her cheeks; (D)
And in some perfumes is there more delight (C)
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. (D)
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know (E)
That music hath a far more pleasing sound; (F)
I grant I never saw a goddess go; (E)
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. (F)
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare (G)
As any she belied with false compare. (G)
RHYTHM

Rhythm is the beat or movement of a line. This

includes the rise and fall of, say, an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
STANZA
Similar to how sentences make up a paragraph, a
group of lines make up a stanza. A stanza is
usually named based on the number of lines it
contains.
Tercet - Three lines
Quatrain - Four lines
Quintain - Five lines
Sestet - Six lines
Septet - Seven lines
Octave - Eight lines
SONNET
A sonnet is a poem containing fourteen lines of iambic
pentameter that rhyme. The best-known forms of
sonnets include:

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet - Three quatrains and

a couplet, usually following a rhyme scheme of ABAB
CDCD EFEF GG.

Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet - An octave followed by a

sestet, with rhyming iambic pentameter and a volta
(turning point) around the eighth line, usually following a
rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA CDECDE.
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Iambic pentameter describes a pattern wherein the lines
in a poem consist of five iambs, making up a total of 10
syllables. This means the line reads as an unstressed
syllable, then a stressed syllable, then an unstressed
syllable, and then a stressed syllable for ten beats.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" contains iambic

pentameter. In this example, notice there are 10
syllables. The first is unstressed, the second is stressed,
and so forth.

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

COUPLET
A couplet, as the name suggests, consists of two
lines. Typically, those two lines will have the same
meter or rhyme. In the case of the latter, you'd refer
to it as a rhyming couplet, which is very common
in poetry. Together, the two lines usually make up a
complete thought. In William Shakespeare
's Hamlet, the title character says:

"The time is out of joint, O cursed spite

That ever I was born to set it right!"
BLANK VERSE

In blank verse poetry, we usually see iambic

pentameter that doesn't rhyme. We'll still enjoy a
line with 10 syllables where the first syllable is
unstressed and the second is stressed. There just
won't be an aim to rhyme the lines.

Wallace Stevens' "Sunday Morning" is an excellent

example of a poem written in perfect blank verse.
FOOT

A foot is a basic unit of measurement in poetry. It

usually consists of two or three syllables. The
most common feet in poetry contain either a
stressed syllable followed by an unstressed
syllable (trochee) or an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed syllable (iamb).