ELEMENTS AND

FORMS OF
POETRY
Learning Module in 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE
GRADE 11 HUMSS/ABM
GRADE 12 STEM
First Quarter, Week 3 Module No.3
LEARNING
COMPETENCIES  
Compare and contrast the various 21st
century literary genres and the ones from
the earlier genres/periods citing their
elements, structures and traditions
( EN12Lit-Id-25 )
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES  
√ Identify the different elements
and forms of Poetry .
√ Construct a poem in a Creative
way.
√ Appreciate poem through relating
it in 21st Century .
 
INTRODUCTION OF THE
LESSON
Poetry continues to be an important force in the
world in the twenty-first century, and is
arguably reaching, and being enjoyed by, more
readers than ever before, as the rise of
Instagram poetry and prominent YouTubers
 demonstrates. But what are some of the best
poems of the twenty-first century – the best
poems of the century so far, anyway – which
the poetry novice should read to get a sense of
how poetry is being kept alive, and developed,
in the present century?
WHAT I KNOW
Watch this to have an
overview what is poetry .
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=314oyFLD2vc
LESSON PROPER
REVIEW
What are the different Genres of Literature?
Can you name some genres that you can
remember ?

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience
expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language
choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry is
the chiselled marble of language; it's a paint-spattered
canvas - but the poet uses words instead of paint, and the
canvas is you.
COMMON FEATURES OF POETRY
●      It looks like a poem – if it looks like a poem and it reads like a
poem, then the chances are pretty good that it is, indeed, a poem. Poetry
comes in lines, some of which are full sentences, but many of which are
not. Also, usually, these lines don’t run out to the margins consistently,
like in, say, a novel. All this gives poetry a distinctive and recognisable
look on the page.
●      It often has some underlying form holding things together –
while this isn’t always true (in some free verse, for example) a lot of
poetry conforms to a prescribed structure such as in a sonnet, a haiku etc.
●      It uses imagery – if the poet is worth his or her salt, they’ll
endeavour to create images in the reader’s mind using lots of sensory
details and figurative language.
It has a certain musicality – we could be forgiven for thinking that
poetry’s natural incarnation is the written word and its habitat the page,
but the printed word is not where poetry’s origins lie. The earliest poems
were composed orally and committed to memory. We can still see the
importance the sound of language plays when we read poems out loud. We
can see it too in the attention paid to musical devices that are incorporated
into the poem. Devices such as alliteration, assonance, and rhyme, for
example. We will look at many of these later in this article.
THE PURPOSE OF POETRY: WHAT IS POETRY FOR?
Poetry’s purpose is essentially to help us understand the world around us. It
endeavors to show us things anew that we may have previously taken for granted. It
offers us new perspectives on the familiar.
Poetry’s purpose is to enable us to see the world with fresh eyes again, like those of
a child. In doing this, it helps us understand our world in a deeper way.
THE STRUCTURE OF POETRY
Rhythm:
This is the music made by the statements of the poem, which includes the syllables
in the lines. The best method of understanding this is to read the poem aloud, and
understand the stressed and unstressed syllables.
Meter:
This is the basic structural make-up of the poem. Do the syllables match with each
other? Every line in the poem must adhere to this structure. A poem is made up of
blocks of lines, which convey a single strand of thought. Within those blocks, a
structure of syllables which follow the rhythm has to be included. This is the meter or
the metrical form of poetry.
Stanza:
Stanza in poetry is defined as a smaller unit or group of lines or a paragraph in a
poem. A particular stanza has a specific meter, rhyme scheme, etc. Based on the
number of lines, stanzas are named as couplet (2 lines), Tercet (3 lines), Quatrain (4
lines), Cinquain (5 lines), Sestet (6 lines), Septet (7 lines), Octave (8 lines).
Rhyme:
A poem may or may not have a rhyme. When you write poetry that has rhyme, it
means that the last words or sounds of the lines match with each other in some
form. Rhyme is basically similar sounding words like cat and hat, close and shows,
house and mouse, etc. Free verse poetry, though, does not follow this system.
Rhyme Scheme:
As a continuation of rhyme, the rhyme scheme is also one of the basic elements of
poetry. In simple words, it is defined as the pattern of rhyme. Either the last words of
the first and second lines rhyme with each other, or the first and the third, second
and the fourth and so on. It is denoted by alphabets like aabb (1st line rhyming with
2nd, 3rd with 4th); abab (1st with 3rd, 2nd with 4th); abba (1st with 4th, 2nd with
3rd), etc.
Theme:
This is what the poem is all about. The theme of the poem is the central idea that the
poet wants to convey. It can be a story, or a thought, or a description of something or
someone; anything that the poem is about.
Symbolism:
Often poems will convey ideas and thoughts using symbols. A symbol can stand for
many things at one time and leads the reader out of a systematic and structured
method of looking at things. Often a symbol used in the poem will be used to create
such an effect.
Imagery:
Imagery is also one of the important elements of a poem. This device is used by
the poet for readers to create an image in their imagination. Imagery appeals to
all the five senses. For e.g., when the poet describes, the flower is bright red, an
image of a red flower is immediately created in the readers mind.
POEM STRUCTURES: TYPES OF POETRY AND THEIR
CHARACTERISTICS
Lyric Poetry
Lyric poetry concerns itself largely with the emotional life of the poet, that is, it’s
written in their voice and expresses strong thoughts and emotions. There is only
one voice in a lyric poem and we see the world from that single perspective.
Most modern poetry is lyric poetry in that it is personal and introspective.
Narrative Poetry
As its name implies, narrative poetry is concerned with storytelling. Just as in a
prose story, a narrative poem will most likely follow the conventions of plot
including elements such as conflict, rising action, climax, resolution etc. Again,
as in prose stories, narrative poems will most likely be peopled with characters
to perform the actions of the tale.
Descriptive Poetry
Descriptive poetry usually employs lots of rich imagery to describe the
world around the poet. While it most often has a single poetic voice and
strong emotional content, descriptive poetry differs from lyric poetry in
that its focus is more on the externalities of the world, rather than the
interior life of the poet.
SUBTYPES OF POETRY
Sonnet
Sonnets are predominantly concerned with matters of the heart. If you see a
sonnet’s recognisably blocky form on a page, there’s a good chance the theme will
be love. There are two common forms of sonnet: Shakespearean and Petrarchan.
They differ slightly in their internal structure, but both have 14 lines. Let’s take look at
some more of the internal characteristics of both forms:
Petrarchan
●      Comprises 2 stanzas
●      The First 8 lines pose a question
●      2nd stanza answers the question posed
●      The rhyme scheme is: ABBA, ABBA, CDECDE
Shakespearean
●      Comprises 3 quatrains of 4 lines each
●      Ends with a rhyming couplet which forms a conclusion
●      The rhyme scheme is: ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG
Haiku
Haiku is a disciplined form of poetry that has its origins in 17th-century Japanese
poetry. Usually, it is concerned with nature and natural phenomena such as the
seasons, weather etc. They are often quite meditative in tone.
However, there are no real rules regarding themes, the only real demands here
relate to structure:
  They are written in three-line stanzas
●      1st line contains 5 syllables
●      2nd line contains 7 syllables
●      3rd line contains 5 syllables
Due to their short length and limited requirements, these are usually a lot of fun for
students to write. They can serve as a great introduction for students to attempt to
write poetry according to specific technical requirements of a form.
Elegy
Elegies are a type of poem that don’t really come with specific structural requirements
but still constitute a recognisable form of poetry. What makes an elegy an elegy is its
subject, that is, death. Elegies are poems of lamentation – the word elegy itself comes
from the Greek word elegeia which means to ‘lament’.
●      A poem of reflection on death, or on someone who has died
●      Usually comes in three parts expressing loss:
○      grief
○      praise for the deceased
○      and, finally, consolation.
Limerick
Favorites of school children everywhere, the most defining characteristic of limericks
are their renowned humor. Given their well-deserved reputation for being funny and,
on occasion, crude, it’s easy to overlook the fact that beneath the laughs lie quite a
tightly structured verse form.
  5 lines in total
●      Distinct verbal rhythm
●      2 longer lines of usually between 7 to 10 syllables
●      2 shorter lines of usually between 5 to 7 syllables
●      1 closing line containing the ‘punchline’
●      Rhyme scheme is AABBA
Ballad
Ballads are a type of narrative poetry that has close ties to musical forms. Ballads
written as poetry can often easily be adapted as song lyrics. While ballads don’t have
tight formal constrictions like some other forms of poetry, there are enough in the way
of distinguishable features to identify it as a form.
●      Tells a story, often using simple language
●      Often romantic, adventurous, or humorous
●      Arranged in groups of 4 lines or quatrains
●      Often uses alternating 4 and 3 beat lines
●      Rhyme scheme is usually ABAB or ABCB
Ode
Another poetry form that traces its origins to Ancient Greece, odes were originally
intended to be sung. Nowadays, though no longer sung, the term ode still refers to a
type of lyrical poem that addresses and often praises a certain person, thing, or event.
●      The author addresses a person, thing, or event
●      Usually has a solemn, serious tone
●      Explores universal elements of the theme
●      Powerful emotional element, often involving catharsis
Odes written in the classical vein can follow very strict metrical patterns and rhyme
schemes, however, many modern odes are written in free verse involving irregular
rhythm and without adherence to a rhyme scheme.
Epic
These are long narrative poems that recount heroic tales, usually focused on a
legendary or mythical figure. Think of works of literature on a grand scale such
as The Odyssey, The Cattle Raid of Cooley, or Beowulf.
●      Employs an objective and omniscient narrator
●      Written in an elevated style
●      Recounts heroic events
●      Grand in scale

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

A.Give 2 Common Feature of Poetry and explain it on your own idea. ( 5 points each )
 
B.Direction: Enumerate the Types of Poetry and there characteristics
1.
2.
3.
C. Give two examples of each Poetic Devices.