UNIVERSAL SCHOLASTIC ACADEME

Sinisian East, Lemery, Batangas

Creative Writing
MODULE 4 : POETRY (Week 4)

I. INTRODUCTION

Have you ever written a poem before? How does it feel after writing the piece? Poetry is another way of
expressing self. Like all the other type of creative writing, poetry liberates the soul of the writer. This lesson
will introduce you to the world of poetry. This will also showcase poems of known poets which will give you a
clear view of the characteristic of poetry.

II. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module, you are expected to:
 Define poetry
 Enumerate the characteristics of poetry
 Exercise the use of different themes and tones in making a poem
 Appreciate the importance of theme and tone in writing

III. DISCUSSION

POETRY

 Poetry is a combination of words in lines, rhyme, tone, voice, theme, language, and emotion which
makes it a creative means to liberate the poet’s thoughts and feelings. While one can freely write a
poem, it is still necessary to know the different elements of poetry. This is to create a poem that will
make a huge impact on the reader.
 Poetry is a word composition arranged in a rhythmic pattern. It is used to express one’s creative thoughts
and feelings through a specialized and heightened language.
 It has identifiable characteristics regarding its structure, form, word arrangement, word choice, and
usage.

KINDS OF POETRY

1. Acrostic
In acrostic poems, the first letter of each line of the poem are aligned vertically to form a word.
Generally, the word formed thus, is the subject of the poem.
2. Ballad
Ballads are narrative that are supposed to be sung. The narrator usually starts with a dramatic scene
and relates the narrative with dialog and actions.
3. Epic
This genre of poetry is a type of narrative literature that narrates stories of mythological heroes.
Longest poetry of all times is Mahabharata.
4. Haiku
A Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking
images of natural world.
5. Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is personal in nature, wherein a poet expresses his/her perceptions and ideas through
poetry. Lyric poems deal with subject like love, peace, loss and grief. T.S. Eliot is one of the prominent
names in lyric poetry.
6. Narrative poetry
This is a genre of poetry that involves story-telling and is one of the very old forms of poetry. The
content of these types of poems is intended to appeal the masses.
7. Sonnet
Derived from Occitan and Italian words meaning “a little song.” It is a fourteen-line stanza that was
based on a strict rhyme scheme and structure.
Two types of Sonnet

Petrarchan sonnet (Italian)

- this sonnet is split into two parts, an octave and a sestet. The octave is composed of two envelope quatrains
rhyming "abba abba" (Italian octave). The sestet's rhyme pattern varies, though it is most often either "cde cde" (Italian
sestet) or "cdc dcd" (Sicilian sestet).

Shakespearian sonnet (English)

- it has fourteen lines, consisting of three groups of four lines each, followed by a single rhyming
couplet. The rhyme scheme is “abab cdcd efef gg.”

8. Couplet
A pair of successive lines of meter in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that
rhyme and have the same meter. A couplet may be formal or run-on. In a formal couplet, each of the two
lines is end-stopped, implying that there is a grammatical pause at the end of a line of verse.

CHARACTERISTIC OF POETRY

Poetry has unique characteristics if compared to other forms of creative writing which include the following:

1. It expresses creative thoughts in much briefer way than a short story and novel.
2. It uses elements such as rhythm, imagery, verse and meter, and poetic devices.
3. It has musical quality.
4. It has structure.
5. It is used to express intense personal emotions and experiences.
6. The content of a poem shows the universal truth and connotes a deeper meaning.
7. It does not use everyday language.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

1. Theme – it is the summarized statement containing the main thought or meaning of the poem.
2. Tone – refers to the attitude and mood of the poem. It is the overall atmosphere of the poem which
influences the emotional response of the reader.
3. Rhyme – the link between music and poetry. It adds music quality to the poem which gives the
readers reading pleasure. The following are the different types of rhymes:
Types Characteristics Sample
True rhyme Rhyme that occurs on the “Here Captain! Dear Father!
words This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the
deck, You’ve fallen cold and
dead.”
(Oh Captain My Captain, Walt
Whitman)
Internal rhyme Rhyme that occur within the “Once upon a midnight
lines dreary, while I pondered,
weak and weary.”
(The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe)
Off rhyme or slant rhyme Not a true rhyme but the sound “In the sun and in the snow,
of the words are alike Without pleasure, without
pain, On the dead oak tree
bough.”
(The Gallows, Edward Thomas)
4. Line and Meter – the line is the line of words in poetry. The verse is the line of a poem arranged in
a metrical pattern. Stanza is referred as the “unit of poetic lines.” There are different stanza forms.
Below are the following:
Forms Number of Lines
Couplet 2
Tercet 3
Quatrain 4
Quintet 5
 Sestet 6
Septet 7
Octave 8

The meter is poetry’s measured accents and syllables arrangement. It is the systematic sound pattern
of a poem.
Metrical Patterns Characteristics
Accentual Meter Lines have the same number of stresses and varied count of
syllables
Syllabic Meter Lines have the same number of syllables and varied count of
stresses
Accentual-Syllabic Meter Lines have the same number of syllables, both stressed and non-
stressed; arranges in fixed order
Free Verse Lines have irregular number of stresses and syllables

5. Genre
The following are the three types of poetry:
Type Characteristics Sample forms
Descriptive Poem Focuses on details Didactic poem
Narrative Poem Tells a story Epic, ballad
Lyric Poem Expresses the feelings and Ode, sonnet, dramatic
thoughts of the poet monolog

6. Literary Devices
The literary devices should also be incorporated in the poem such as imagery, figures of speech,
and figurative language. This is to make the poem appealing to the readers.

Prepared by:

Mr. CHARLIEMAR S. AGUELO

SHS Instructor
 UNIVERSAL SCHOLASTIC ACADEME
Sinisian East, Lemery, Batangas

Name: Score:
Section:

Creative Writing
Activity Sheet
Module 4
Task 1
Choose a genre and write a poem based on the genre chosen. Make sure that the elements discussed
such as theme, tone, rhyme, line and meter are present in your poem. (15 points)

Task 2
Write down five reasons why you chose to write the poem in activity 1. (5 points)

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