Unit 3: Introduction to Poetry

The word “poem” comes from the Greek poiema, which means “work,” and is derived from poieín, “to make.” Finding a good definition for poetry is difficult, however, because poems can take so many forms. Poetry uses imaginative and musical language to communicate experiences, thoughts, or emotions.

An essential part of any poem is its speaker. The speaker of a poem is the character who speaks in, or narrates, the poem—the voice assumed by the writer.

Since the speaker is the voice of the poem, the voice sets the tone. Tone is the emotional attitude toward the reader or toward the subject implied by a poem.

The setting of a literary work is the time and place in which it occurs, together with all the details used to create a sense of a particular time and place.

In poetry, context refers to the conditions in which the poem occurs. Context is closely related to setting but focuses more on the environment of the time and place.

Figurative language is writing or speech that is meant to be understood imaginatively instead of literally. Figurative language may be used in all types of writing but is especially common in poetry.

A metaphor is a comparison in which one thing is written about as if it were another.

A simile is a comparison that uses like or as.

Personification is a figure of speech in which an animal, a thing, a force of nature, or an idea is described as if it were human or is given human qualities.

Rhythm is the pattern of beats, or stresses, in a line of poetry.

A regular rhythmic pattern is called a meter.

Rhyme is the repetition of sounds in words, as in day and away.

Imagery is descriptive language that creates a vivid picture in the mind of the reader and appeals to the senses—primarily sight but also sound, touch, taste, and smell.