Types of Poetry

Format: Definition
Example
* narrative
A poem that tells a story.
Casey at the Bat is a type of narrative, mock-hero poem.
* ballads
A poem that tells a story about love, death or tragic stuff.
A ballad can be very sad.
* epic
A long poem that tells a story about a hero.
Beowulf is an example of an epic.
* lyric
A poem that expresses deep emotion.
A sad poem can be a lyric one.
* sonnets
A poem consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
A sonnet can be a-b-b-a rhyme scheme
* odes
An ode is a poem to thank something.
You can write an ode to a friend.
* elegies
An elegy poem talks about the death of someone.
An elegy for Darlene's puppy.
* free verse
A poem that does not have a rhyme.
Free verse poem must follow elements of poetry.

18th term: Onomatopoeia

Definition: words that imitate the sound they denote
Usage of term: "Meow" is an example of onomatopoeia
Significance: Onomatopoeia adds spices to a poem as it is descriptive.

17th term: Assonance

Definition: the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words.
Usage of term: (Can't think of one)
Significance: (We didn't learn this yet)

16th term: Alliteration

Definition: repetition of consonants at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other.
Usage of term: "No not now" is a kind of alliteration.
Significance: Alliteration adds a little fun to the poem.

15th term: Meter

Definition: Basic rhythm structure of a verse.
Usage of term: All poems have a meter.
Significance: Understand meter helps understanding the mood of the poem.

14th (and last term for this week): Elegy

Definition: a mournful poem

Usage of term: Elegies can be very tragic and sad.

Significance: Elegy poems can be very emotionally-touching.

13th term: Couplet

Definition: Couplet is a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse.

Usage of term: Couplets can be very difficult to create in a poem.

Significance: Couplets can be extremely useful when an event in a poem requires more than one line to express.