Secondary One Literature

Poetry (+ Prose) Revision Notes (Secondary One) (Part 1) Introduction to Poetry Descriptions of poetry: • less common than prose, typically reserved • for expressing something artisticaly • often uses rhyme and rhythm to create a • particular mood or feeling • ideas are written in lines that may or may • not be sentences and grouped into stanzas • does not need to follow grammar rules • language is figurative and “decorated” • tend to use a limited number of words and • are of shorter length • the shape of the text varies depending on • what meaning the author wants to convey Key parts of a poem: Verse: a single line in a poem. Stanza: a group of lines. Space: gap between stanzas. Couplet: t wo lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit. Title: the name of the poem. Capital letters : e ach line of a poem must begin with capital letters. Speaker / Persona: tells the story To analyse poems, annotation is the most effective way to ‘think with your pen’ and it pushes you to go beyond surface or literal meaning • highlight striking words or phrases and jot • down your interpretation 1 • mark out techniques used by the poet, and • consider their effects and meanings • make notes about important ideas, feelings • and thoughts you uncover Types of poems: (1) Acrostic - first letters of each line spell out a word - word is usually the subject of the poem (2) Free Verse - free of rules and limitations - do not have to use rhyme - need not use a specific form or number of - syllables (3) Haiku - exactly 3 lines and 17 syllables - syllables are arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern (4) Rhyming Poem - uses rhyme to create rhythm and musicality - *refer to ‘Additional Tips: [Sound] - rhyme’ (5) Shape Poem - plays with line length and format - shapes take the form of the topic or images - seen in the poem - interesting shapes to add meaning (Part 2) Level Up Analysis - Devices 1. Diction A poet carefully chooses each word and the order in which they appear to convey feelings and thoughts. Analysing Words • denotation - connotation 2 • word intensity • why (this word), not (that word)? • subtext Examples: hungry peckish starving talk whisper shriek (shy) (insane) Striking words | Absolute words | Repetition Capitalisation | Punctuation 2. Imagery It is the picture created in our minds through words used in a text. This mental picture engages one or more of our senses. Visual - how things appear Aural - how things sound Tactile - sense of touching things Olfactory- descriptions of smell & odour Gustorial - how things taste Examples (respectively): “The boy had rosy cheeks” “And thud! Fump! Thud! Down to the steep steps came thumping and splashing in the flood!” “... in the furry dark” “Seasons