ENGLISH 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Trochee, Spondee, Lyric Poetry
23 Jun 2018
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The Elements of Poetry
What is Poetry?
Series of words, phrases, images, and observations taken from the flow of “everyday life” and
made to signify more or differently than they usually do – makes us look at everyday life
different
“Reframes” language—takes words out of their everyday context in which we usually gloss
over them and makes them visible to our renewed attention.
Uses all aspects – words, sound – to generate meaning.
Visual play: line breaks and white space on the page are important to the meaning of the
work.
Sound play: the repetition, juxtaposition, and combination of sounds. The stress of particular
syllables, the tempo (quickness or slowness) of a line, the pauses, the cadence. Read poetry
aloud.
Reframe words: No Turn On Red
1) NO; TURN ON RED
Opposite meaning from the original, pause changes the meaning by mimicking punctuation
which reorganizes the grammar of the phrase.
2) NO TURN ON; RED
Becomes a figure of speech to do with sexual excitement. The idiomatic significance of the
phrasing has been emphasized by its placement in the line.
3) NO TURN; ON RED
Placement emphasizes the symmetry of “NO and “ON”, which can even be read vertically -
produces a visual version of chiasmus.
Chiasmus comes from the Greek word meaning to make something look like an X. In this
case, the placement of the words on the page in relation to each other creates a visual design
where elements are repeated in reverse order.
Prose is designed to be read in a straightforward, left-to-right linear way, poetry encourages
the eye to roam more freely on the page, which shows words adopting multiple relations to
one another simultaneously.
The Music of Poetry, learning to listen
Many poems are designed to be heard as well as seen—layers of meaning build into the
sound of the language
“Poker Face” - The lyrical quality of poetry: The line between poetry and music is very
blurry.
“Lyric” poetry derives from a classical form of verse set to the music of the lyre.
Metaphor
A comparison that is made literally, either by a verb or, less obviously, by a combination of
adjective and noun, noun and verb, etc., but in any case without pointing out a similarity by
using words such as "as," "like," or "than”
Example – The snow is a white blanket
Simile
A comparison made with "as," "like," or "than” to carry meaning over
Example: You were as brave as a lion
Rhyme
the repetition of sound in the end of two or more words
Example: If you drop the ball it will fall on the doll
Assonance
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Series of words, phrases, images, and observations taken from the flow of everyday life and made to signify more or differently than they usually do makes us look at everyday life different. Reframes language takes words out of their everyday context in which we usually gloss over them and makes them visible to our renewed attention. Uses all aspects words, sound to generate meaning. Visual play: line breaks and white space on the page are important to the meaning of the work. Sound play: the repetition, juxtaposition, and combination of sounds. The stress of particular syllables, the tempo (quickness or slowness) of a line, the pauses, the cadence. Reframe words: no turn on red: no; turn on red. Opposite meaning from the original, pause changes the meaning by mimicking punctuation which reorganizes the grammar of the phrase: no turn on; red. Becomes a figure of speech to do with sexual excitement.
