Adjectives: Poetry Reading with Voices and Its Elements

Elements of Poetry

• Stanzas
• Verse
• Rhyme
• Rhythm
• Rhyme Scheme
• Consonance
• Figurative Language

Stanzas

A stanza is a unit of measurement in poetry that represents the primary structure of a poem. It is a poetic unit made up of lines that connect to the same theme or subject. Each stanza in a poem has its own theme and serves a certain function. Rhyming patterns and meters – the syllabic beats of a line – can be used to organize a stanza. It can also be a free-flowing piece of a poem with no conventional pattern.

Verse

A verse is a group of metrical poetry lines. It serves to distinguish between poetry and prose. It has rhythm, pattern, and rhyme quite frequently.

There are Three Types of Verse – Rhymed, Blank & Free:

• Rhymed Verse – It is the most commonly found verse and usually has a metrical form that rhymes throughout.
• Blank Verse – It is described to have a metrical form but has no rhyme.
• Free Verse – It has no set meter but may or may not be rhymed.

Rhyme

Is the syllable repetition, usually towards the end of a verse line. Rhymed words traditionally share all sounds after the last stressed syllable. Thus, “tenacity” and “mendacity” rhyme, while “jaundice” and “John does” do not, nor do “tomboy” and “calm bay.” A rhyme scheme is a pattern of end rhymes in a stanza, with each rhyme encoded by a letter of the alphabet beginning with a. (ABBA BCCB, for example).

The degree of similarity between sounds inside words, as well as their location within lines or stanzas, are used to classify rhymes.

Rhythm

The repetition of distinct sounds based on long and short patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables is defined as rhythm in poetry, specifically poetry in verse form. Beats in a poem supply the rhythm, which is decided by the ear and is related to the tempo and structure of the poem, giving it a specific beat.

Rhyme Scheme

A rhyme scheme is a sound pattern that repeats at the end of a line or stanza. Rhyme patterns can alter from line to line, stanza to stanza, or throughout a poem. Formal poetry, with a strict meter: a repeating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, is used to write poems using rhyme schemes. Rhyme scheme patterns can be formatted in a variety of ways.

Letters of the alphabet are used to encode the patterns. Lines beginning with the same letter rhyme with one another. The rhyme scheme ABAB, for example, signifies that the first and third lines of a stanza, or the “A”s, rhyme with each other, while the second and fourth lines, or the “B”s, rhyme together.

Consonance

Rhyme isn’t the only approach to incorporating memorability and melody into poetry. Consonance gives poets the opportunity to experiment with the repetition of consonant sounds. It can be useful to consider consonance in connection to other literary terms. It is the inverse of assonance, which refers to the recurrence of vowel sounds rather than consonant sounds, and shares some similarities with alliteration, which is limited to sounds that repeat at the beginning of syllables.

Figurative Language

Figurative language can be found in literature, particularly in poetry, when writers appeal to the readers’ senses. Writers use figurative language to express something other than the literal meaning of a term or word.

Figurative language is sometimes employed in poetry to express a contrast in an interesting way. When writers wish to provide their readers with a deep insight into the subject of their work, they must utilize this style of language. The importance of figurative language is obvious since it allows writers to connect with their readers.

Figurative Language Comes in a Variety of Forms.

Metaphor: In literature, metaphor is used to express a connection between two words and to represent a meaning that is not literal. For example, you are a couch potato.

Simile: A simile is a literary device that includes the words ‘as’ or ‘like’ to present a comparison. For example, He’s as busy as a bee.

Personification: Is the process of imbuing ideas, animals, and inanimate objects with human traits. It is employed in literature to influence how the reader imagines each object. This phrase is commonly seen in poetry, children’s novels, and fictional works of literature. For example, The radio stopped singing music.

Hyperbole: When writers utilize hyperbole, they frequently accentuate a point in a humorous way. However, it is an exaggeration, and it is usually utilized in fiction to provide color and depth to the characters. For instance, you snore louder than a freight train. He’s so illiterate that he thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone provider.

“That time of the year.” -Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was a 17th-century English poet, playwright, and actor. From about 1594 onwards, he was a significant member of the King’s Men theatrical company.

Shakespeare’s writings, which have been celebrated for over 400 years, portray the breadth of human emotion and struggle. Nonetheless, William Shakespeare’s personal life is shrouded in mystery.

Historians can gain an overview of his life from two key sources. The first is his oeuvre, which includes plays, poems, and sonnets, while the second is official paperwork, such as church and court records. These, however, are merely quick sketches of individual incidents in his life and provide little insight into the man himself.

That Time of the Year

 -Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see’s the twilight of such day

As after sunset faded in the west,

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see’s the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the deathbed whereon it must expire

Consumed with that which it was nourished by.

This thou perceive, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.