Elements Of A Poem

WHAT IS A POEM?

A piece of creative writing that usually consists of lines and words, often with rhymes and rhythm, to produce a musical effect. It may be descriptive, narrative, abstract or just nonsense and is used to express feelings, emotions, experiences and ideas.

THEME
The main subject or idea of a poem. A poem can sometimes have many themes.

SETTING

      The place, time or background of the poem. It can be specific or general, depending on the poem.

LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE MEANINGS

a)    Literal Meaning – the basic, original meaning of the poem

b)    Figurative Meaning – the deeper, imaginative meaning of the poem

TONE AND MOOD

a)    Tone – the poet’s attitude in the poem (e.g. defensive, positive or negative vibe)

b)    Mood – The feelings experienced by the reader (e.g. happiness, anger, pleasure)

POETIC DEVICES
Refers to the way words are used creatively by the poet to convey his ideas to the readers.

a)   Sound Devices – The arrangement of words to produce the effect of sounds

·         Alliteration – repetition of an initial or beginning sound or consonant in two or more words next to each other.

lovely land and languages

·         Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words in a line.

hear the mellow wedding bells

·         Onomatopoeia – a word that imitates a noise or sound.

The people rustle in and out

b)   Literary Devices – The use of special words or expressions to give emphasis to colour, sound, image and emotions

·         Metaphor – an indirect comparison between two things. (e.g. She is a star)

·         Simile – a direct comparison between two things with the use of words ‘like’ and ‘as ____ as’. (e.g. As still as a brooding dove)

·         Personification – an object or animal that is given human qualities or personalities. (e.g. The trees whispered in the breeze)

·         Hyperbole –extreme exaggeration of something (e.g. we are drowning in our own sweat)

·         Repetition – stating something more than once to highlight the matter or for dramatic effect.

·         Symbol/Image – a word or object that has a few meanings and represents several things at one time.

·         Rhetorical question – a question that is asked without really needing an answer. (e.g. O’ wind, If winter comes, can spring be far behind?) 

POINT OF VIEW (POV)

·         Refers to the particular way of thinking about the subject. POV can be expressed in the following manner:

a)    First Person – The speaker is the character of the poem and tells it from his perspective. The pronouns ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘we’ or ‘us’ are used.

b)    Second Person – Not a very common POV. The speaker is not in the poem but mentions the character(s) several times. The pronoun ‘you’ is used.

c)    Third Person – The speaker is not in the poem but is all-knowing and is able to tell what all the characters are thinking. The pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ or ‘they’ are used.