MODULE 3: Week 4-6

By: FERNANDO BALATOC-PILI, Second Semester, AY 2021-2022

Jr.

WORLD LITERATURE

UNIVERSITY VISION: By 2024, WU-P is a Methodist institution of Learning that fosters academic excellence, innovative research,
transformative leadership, environmental stewardship and health care service at par with global standards imbued with social holiness.
UNIVERSITY MISSION: Wesleyan University-Philippines provides quality education and compassionate healthcare services imbued with
Wesleyan spirituality, to produce competent graduates committed to the healing of persons and the whole of creation for the Glory of God.

Learning outcomes:
1. Familiarize with the elements of Prose
2. Grasp the various elements of poetry

Topics:
1. Brief History of World Literature
2. Elements of prose
3. Elements of poetry

WELCOME! In your English classes, you will study a variety of literature, such as novels, short
stories, and poems. Use the study strategies to help you become a better reader and to better
understand the literature you read. By examining the literary elements in the literature you read
and using the study tips to help you remember what you’ve learned, you will better understand
the literature you read and have greater success on literature homework and tests. Literary
elements are the fundamental building blocks of writing, and they play an important role in
helping us write, read, and understand literature. You might even say that literary elements are
the DNA of literature.Fernpilijr’21

Brief History of World Literature

The term "World Literature" is a translation of the German word Weltliteratur, which was coined by Johann
Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832). Goethe was a prolific writer and is credited with beginning the literary
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movement known at Romanticism through the publication of his epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young
Werther (1774). After surviving a particularly tumultuous time period in history, Goethe realized that the
best way to help his country was to create a national identity for Germany through the medium of literature.
Once that national identity was established and accepted throughout Europe, then the literature would carry
weight and become interesting to readers in other countries, leading to translations and the dissemination
of works not only throughout Europe, but also to European colonies. His theories about Weltliteratur would
inspire not only the unification of Germany under Otto von Bismark (1871), but they also lead to a
movement that would take hold in the Twentieth Century for an expansion of inclusive literature and the
creation of departments devoted to the study of World Literature.

ELEMENTS OF PROSE
1. Setting: Where and when is the story set? Setting represents both the physical location but also
the time (i.e. past, present, future) and the social and cultural conditions in which the characters
exist.

Backdrop setting is when the setting is unimportant for the story and the story could take place in
any setting. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne is an example of a story in which could happen in any
setting.

Integral setting is when the action, character, or theme are influenced by the time and place,
setting. Controlling setting controls characters. If you confine a character to a certain setting it
defines the character. Characters, given these circumstances, in this time and place, behave in
this way. The Tail of Peter Rabbit is an example of how the setting is an integral part of Peter's
behavior. Charlotte's Web is another example of an integral setting.

Functions of setting: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare creates a setting of
Puritanical austerity: hand-rubbed copper, indicating hard work, the heavy fortress-like door, the
dim little mirror, the severe wooden bench, the unpainted Meeting House, the whipping post, the
pillory, and the stocks.

Setting as antagonist: Characters must resolve conflict created by the setting: Julie of the Wolves,
The Incredible Journey, and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Setting that illuminates character: The confining setting of the attic in Anne Frank and Flowers in
the Attic help the characters find themselves and grow as individuals.

Setting as symbolism: a symbol is a person, place, object, situation, or action which operates on
two levels of meaning, the literal and the figurative, or suggestive. Children will understand only
obvious symbols. Forest: unknown; garden: natural beauty; sunlight: hope, goodness; darkness:
evil, despair.

2. Character: A person or animal or really anything personified. There can be one main character
or many, and often there are secondary characters, but not always.

Character is the mental, emotional, and social qualities to distinguish one entity from another
(people, animals, spirits, automatons, pieces of furniture, and other animated objects).

Character development is the change that a character undergoes from the beginning of a story to
the end. Young children can note this.

The importance of a character to the story determines how fully the character is developed.
Characters can be primary, secondary, minor, or main.

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Characters are developed by

Actions: In Charlottes' Web, Templeton, creeps up cautiously to the goslings, keeping close to the
wall. Later he grins when Wilbur falls trying to spin a web. At the fair he bites Wilbur's tail as hard
as he possibly can. His actions portray him as sneaky, ill-tempered, and pleased at others'
discomfort.

Speech: In Charlottes' Web,Templeton after Wilbur asks him to play, frolic or have fun. Replies,
"...I never do those things if I can avoid them... I prefer to spend my time eating, gnawing, spying,
and hiding... I am a glutton not a merry-maker. Right now I am on my way to your trough to eat
your breakfast, since you haven't got sense enough to eat it yourself"

Appearance: In Charlottes' Web ,Templeton after his night at the fair returns swollen to double his
usual size. He agrees to fetch the egg sac so that he may eat first every day and grow fatter and
bigger than any other known rat.

Other character's comments: Other characters' comments help form judgment of the characters by
supporting other characters' actions speech, appearance, and author's comments.

Author's comments: The wording the author uses in the narrative adds to characterization. In
Charlottes' Web, White describes Templeton ...had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no
consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunction, no higher feeling, no
friendliness, no anything. He would kill a gosling if he could get away with it. These statements
certainly develop character.

Unity of character and action: the character must be credible. If the character changes then the
change must be shaped by events which the author is obligated to explain how they impacted to
create the character's change. Stories with main character change: Meg; A Wrinkle in Time,
Claudia; From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the Duck; The Ugly Duckling,
Wilbur; Charlotte's Web and Jess; Bridge To Terabithia.

3. Plot: The events that happen in a story are called the plot. In a plot you typically find an
introduction, rising action, a climax, the falling action, and a resolution. Plot is often represented as
an arc. To learn about plot in detail, read the article: “What is a Plot.”

 Chronological order is when a story relates events in the order in which they happened.

 Flashback is when the story moves back in time. Jean George, Julie of the Wolves or
dreams in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Dreams are easier for children to
understand because of their experience with them. Flashbacks are more problematic.

 Conflicts occur when the protagonist struggles against an antagonist (villain that goes
against the protagonist), or opposing force. Conflict and order make plot. The author
creates the conflict by describing one of the following types of interactions.

 Person-against-self: Tom Sawyer's fear of Injun Joe and guilt, can't sleep, fear of talking in
sleep, ties mouth shut, struggle with moral responsibility even in the face of danger. A
Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin. Ged struggles against the flaws in himself, as the
shadow, must make himself whole. "a man who, knows his whole true self cannot be used
or possessed by any owner other than himself. He will now live his life for its own sake, not
for hatred, pain, ruin, or the darkness of evil.

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  Person-against-person: Meg and IT in A Wrinkle in Time, Michael and his mother in The
Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little
Pigs Vs. the wolves.

 Person-against-society: Child will probably call it "will Wilbur live?", but it is really Wilbur Vs.
dinner table, Wilbur Vs. good business. Kit Vs. the Puritans in The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare.

 Person-against-nature: Julie in Julie of the Wolves by Jean George. Karana in Island of the
Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.

Types of plots

 Progressive plots have a central climax followed by denouement. Charlotte's Web and A
Wrinkle in Time are examples.

 Episodical plots have one incident or short episode linked to another by a common
character or unifying theme (maybe through chapters). Used by authors to explore
character personalities, the nature of their existence, and the flavor of a certain time period.

 Pattern of action

 Rising action builds during the story and reaches a peak at the end. The Borrowers by Mary
Norton.

 Steady action maintains the same amount of action through out the story, rising and falling
from time to time. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 Rise and fall action: the action rises to a climax and then trails off. Roll of Thunder Hear My
Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.

 Suspense is what makes us read on. Charlotte's Web: Wilbur's fate. Will he live? Will
Charlotte run out of words? Is Templeton too selfish to help? Will Wilbur win at the fair?
Can Charlotte go? Lose to Uncle? New category? Dead pig! Templeton bites tail...

 Cliffhanger: Trouble River by Betsy Byars, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, and the High
King by Lloyd Alexander.

 Foreshadowing is the planting of clues to indicate the outcome of the story. Not all readers
will be alert to these. Some may notice them subconsciously and describe their inferences
as guesses or feelings.

 Sensationalism: the thrilling and the startling. Achieved at the expense of the character and
the idea. A writer must be careful with sensationalism, so as not to weaken the character or
theme, to balance suspense over action, and then hint at the outcome, as not to overpower
small children but provide relief as needed.

 Climax: The peak and turning point of the conflict, the point at which we know the outcome
of the action. Children call it the most exciting part. In Charlotte's Web when the pig
survives. The Borrowers when the boy ventilates the fumigation. A Wrinkle in Time when
Meg discovers what she has that IT does not.

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  Resolution is the falling action after the climax. When the reader is assured that all is well
and will continue to be, so the plot has a closed ending. If the reader is left to draw their
own conclusions about the final plot then the ending is open. Many adults as well as
children are disturbed by open endings.

 Coincidence: events that happen by mere chance. The Incredible Journey has some
coincidental events that remove credibility from the plot. First, a handwritten note blows into
the fire and leaves the housekeeper baffled. She therefore does not know that the two dogs
and cat have struck out on their own, and does not search for them. Later a crumbling
beavers' dam gives way at just the right moment to sweep the frightened cat downstream.
Later a boy hunting for the first time with his own rifle saves the cat from a lynx with one
remarkable shot.

 Sentimentality is a natural concern or emotion for another person. The way a soap opera or
a tear-jerker plays on its viewers.

4. Conflict: Every story must have a conflict, i.e. a challenge or problem around which the plot is
based. Without conflict, the story will have no purpose or trajectory.

5. Theme: Idea, belief, moral, lesson or insight. It’s the central argument that the author is trying to
make the reader understand. The theme is the “why” of the story.

Explicit theme is when the writer states the theme openly and clearly. Charlotte's Web: friendship.
Primary explicit themes are common in children's literature, as the author wants to be sure the
reader finds it.

Implicit themes are implied themes. Charlotte's Web: If two such unlikely animals as a spider and
pig can be friends, then so can we. Even a Tempelton can be a friend to a degree. Friendship is
giving of ones self, as Wilbur did for the egg sac and devotion to the babies. Best friends can do
no wrong. Friendship is reciprocal.

Multiple and secondary themes: Since a story speaks to us on our own individual level of varying
experiences, many individual themes will be obtained from a good piece of literature. Charlotte's
Web secondary themes could include: People don't give credit where credit is due, Youth and
innocence have a unique value, Be what you are, There is beauty in all things, Nature is a miracle,
Life is continuous.

6. Point-of-view: “Who” is telling the story? First person (“I”) or third person (“he/she/it”). Limited
(one character’s perspective), multiple (many characters’ perspectives) or omniscient (all knowing
narrator). Second person (“you”) is not often used for writing stories.

Point of view is determined by the authors' descriptions of characters, setting, and events told to
the reader throughout the story.

First-person is told with I, as in Island of the Blue Dolphins, A Ring of Endless Light; Madeleine
L'Engle, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Huckleberry Finn, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, It's Like This Cat,
Pigman and The Slave Dancer. The first person point of view may present difficulties for small
children, because they are learning their own "I" identity, and may have trouble identifying with the
strange "I" of the story.

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Omniscient: third person (he, she, they) is all-knowing in every detail of action, thought, and
feeling (conscious or unconscious) Charlotte's Web.

7. Tone: The overall emotional “tone” or meaning of the story. Is it happy, funny, sad, depressed?
Tone can be portrayed in multiple ways, through word and grammar choices, choice of theme,
imagery and description, symbolism, and the sounds of the words in combination (i.e. rhyme,
rhythm, musicality).

Humor is an important tone in children's literature. Types of humor include: exaggeration,

incongruent, surprise, absurd, parody, ridicule, slapstick, situational, defiant, violent, verbal

Unexpected humor: The cow jumping over the moon, the dish running away with the spoon, the
barber shaving a pig.

Absurd: Winnie-the-Pooh, sailing off on an overturned umbrella or disguising oneself as a black

cloud.

Parody is a device that retains the original form but changes the words and the tone for humorous
effect. "An hour of freedom is worth a barrel of slops, is a parody for "an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure." This device is usually for older readers, since readers must have previous
knowledge of the original writing.

Tone related to the story: although each reader has their own opinion as to the tone created by the
author and their own personal preference for enjoyment, there is a limit to the range of tone for
each story.

8. Style: This is how things are said. Word choices, sentence structure, dialogue, metaphor, simile,
hyperbole. Style contributes significantly to tone.

Exposition: narrator or third person passages to provide background information to explain story
events.

Dialogue between characters.

Vocabulary words used. Two kinds of words are combined to add meaning: connotation and
denotation:

Connotation is the associative or emotional meaning of a word.

Denotation is the dictionary meaning of a word.

Sentence structure

Imagery words used to create mental sensory impressions (sights, sounds, textures, smells, and
tastes). It creates setting, establishes mood, or describes characters.

Figurative language is language used in a non literal context to add intensity of meaning.

Figure of speech is an expression used in a non literal context to add intensity of meaning.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

WHAT IS A POEM?

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Before we take a look at some specific elements of poetry, it’d be useful to make a brief attempt at
defining just what a poem is.

What exactly is it that makes a poem different, for example, to a piece of prose? Or song lyrics,
even?

The truth is that when we get down to it poetry isn’t all that easy to pin down. Even poets
themselves disagree about what constitutes a poem. What chance then do our struggling students
have?

Luckily, there are some broad, general characteristics that can be agreed upon. In this article we
will look at these common features of poetry and how we can best instill an understanding of these
in our students.

COMMON FEATURES OF POETRY

● It looks like a poem - if it looks like a poem and it reads like a poem, then the chances are
pretty good that it is, indeed, a poem. Poetry comes in lines, some of which are full sentences, but
many of which are not. Also, usually these lines don’t run out to the margins consistently, like in,
say, a novel. All this gives poetry a distinctive and recognisable look on the page.

● It often has some underlying form holding things together - while this isn’t always true (in
some free verse, for example) a lot of poetry conforms to a prescribed structure such as in a
sonnet, a haiku etc.

● It uses imagery - if the poet is worth his or her salt, they’ll endeavour to create images in the
reader’s mind using lots of sensory details and figurative language.

● It has a certain musicality - we could be forgiven for thinking that poetry’s natural incarnation
is the written word and its habitat the page, but the printed word is not where poetry’s origins lie.
The earliest poems were composed orally and committed to memory. We can still see the
importance the sound of language plays when we read poems out loud. We can see it too in the
attention paid to musical devices that are incorporated into the poem. Devices such as alliteration,
assonance, and rhyme, for example. We will look at many of these later in this article.

THE PURPOSE OF POETRY: WHAT IS POETRY FOR?

Of all the forms professional writers can take, it is the professional poet who most often finds
themself struggling to make ends meet financially. Poetry can be difficult to understand and
require a lot of effort on the part of the reader. Students can be forgiven for wondering what
exactly is the point of this difficult to write and difficult to read genre that is apparently used to
torture the less literary minded during their school years.

It may be a hard sell to some of our more reluctant students, but there is a point behind all this
word-smithery.

Poetry’s purpose is essentially to help us understand the world around us. It endeavors to show us
things anew that we may have previously taken for granted. It offers us new perspectives on the
familiar.

Poetry’s purpose is to enable us to see the world with fresh eyes again, like those of a child. In
doing this, it helps us understand our world in a deeper way.

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THE STRUCTURE OF POETRY
We’ve mentioned already that though poetry’s origins lie in the spoken word, it does take a very
recognizable shape when put down on the page. This is largely due to the overall organization of
the lines on the page, often in the form of stanzas.

THE STANZA
Though some modern forms of poetry eschew traditional poetic conventions such as rhyme
schemes and meter etc, the stanza still plays an important role in the overall look of printed poetry.

But, just what exactly is a stanza? - your students may well ask.

Stanzas are basically the poetic equivalent of a prose paragraph. They are a series of lines that
are grouped together and separated from other groups of lines or stanzas by a skipped line.

Stanzas come in a variety of lengths, dependent either on the whim of the poet or the conventions
of a particular poetic form. There is a variety of technical vocabulary often used to refer to stanzas
of specific lengths. Here are the most common of these,

Stanzas of:

● 2 lines are called a couplet

● 3 lines are called a tercet
● 4 lines are called a quatrain
● 5 lines are called a cinquain
● 6 lines are called a sestet, or occasionally a sexain
● 7 lines are called a septet
● 8 lines are called an octave

POEM STRUCTURES: TYPES OF POETRY AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS

There are many different types of poetry, some of which we will look at below. But, regardless of
the specific type of poetry in question, most likely a poem will fit into one of these three
overarching types of poetry: lyric, narrative, and descriptive.

Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry concerns itself largely with the emotional life of the poet, that is, it’s written in their
voice and expresses strong thoughts and emotions. There is only one voice in a lyric poem and
we see the world from that single perspective. Most modern poetry is lyric poetry in that it is
personal and introspective.

Narrative Poetry

As its name implies, narrative poetry is concerned with storytelling. Just as in a prose story, a
narrative poem will most likely follow the conventions of plot including elements such as conflict,
rising action, climax, resolution etc. Again, as in prose stories, narrative poems will most likely be
peopled with characters to perform the actions of the tale.

Descriptive Poetry

Descriptive poetry usually employs lots of rich imagery to describe the world around the poet.
While it most often has a single poetic voice and a strong emotional content, descriptive poetry

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differs from lyric poetry in that its focus is more on the externalities of the world, rather than the
interior life of the poet.

We have mentioned that poetry often hangs on the conventions of specific underlying structures.
Let’s now take a look at some of the more common of these subtypes and their defining
characteristics.

SUBTYPES OF POETRY
Sonnet

Sonnets are predominantly concerned with matters of the heart. If you see a sonnet’s recognisably
blocky form on a page, there’s a good chance the theme will be love. There are two common
forms of sonnet: Shakespearean and Petrarchan. They differ slightly in their internal structure, but
both have 14 lines. Let’s take look at some more of the internal characteristics of both forms:

Petrarchan
● Comprises 2 stanzas
● First 8 lines pose a question
● 2nd stanza answers the question posed
● Rhyme scheme is: ABBA, ABBA, CDECDE

Shakespearean
● Comprises 3 quatrains of 4 lines each
● Ends with a rhyming couplet which forms a conclusion
● Rhyme scheme is: ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG

Haiku

The Haiku is a disciplined form of poetry that has its origins in 17th century Japanese poetry.
Usually it is concerned with nature and natural phenomenon such as the seasons, weather etc.
They are often quite meditative in tone.

However, there are no real rules regarding themes, the only real demands here relate to structure:

● They are written in three line stanzas

● 1st line contains 5 syllables
● 2nd line contains 7 syllables
● 3rd line contains 5 syllables

Due to their short length and limited requirements, these are usually a lot of fun for students to
write. They can serve as a great introduction for students to attempt to write poetry according to
specific technical requirements of a form.

Elegy

Elegies are a type of poem that don’t really come with specific structural requirements, but still
constitute a recognisable form of poetry. What makes an elegy an elegy is its subject, that is,
death. Elegies are poems of lamentation - the word elegy itself comes from the Greek word
elegeia which means to ‘lament’.

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● A poem of reflection on death, or on someone who has died

● Usually comes in three parts expressing loss:

○ grief
○ praise for the deceased
○ and, finally, consolation.

Limerick

Favorites of school children everywhere, the most defining characteristic of limericks are their
renowned humor. Given their well-deserved reputation for being funny and, on occasion, crude,
it’s easy to overlook the fact that beneath the laughs lie quite a tightly structured verse form.

● 5 lines in total
● Distinct verbal rhythm
● 2 longer lines of usually between 7 to 10 syllables
● 2 shorter lines of usually between 5 to 7 syllables
● 1 closing line containing the ‘punchline’
● Rhyme scheme is AABBA

Ballad

Ballads are a type of narrative poetry that has close ties to musical forms. Ballads written as
poetry can often easily be adapted as song lyrics. While ballads don’t have tight formal
constrictions like some other forms of poetry, there are enough in the way of distinguishable
features to identify it as a form.

● Tells a story, often using simple language

● Often romantic, adventurous, or humorous
● Arranged in groups of 4 lines or quatrains
● Often uses alternating 4 and 3 beat lines
● Rhyme scheme is usually ABAB or ABCB

Ode

Another poetry form that traces its origins to Ancient Greece, odes were originally intended to be
sung. Nowadays, though no longer sung, the term ode still refers to a type of lyrical poem that
addresses and often praises a certain person, thing, or event.

● The author addresses a person, thing, or event

● Usually has a solemn, serious tone
● Explores universal elements of the theme
● Powerful emotional element, often involving catharsis

Odes written in the classical vein can follow very strict metrical patterns and rhyme schemes,
however, many modern odes are written in free verse involving irregular rhythm and without
adherence to a rhyme scheme.

Epic

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These are long narrative poems that recount heroic tales, usually focused on a legendary or
mythical figure. Think of works of literature on a grand scale such as The Odyssey, The Cattle
Raid of Cooley, or Beowulf.

● Employs an objective and omniscient narrator

● Written in an elevated style
● Recounts heroic events
● Grand in scale

POETIC DEVICES
Though we refer to these devices here as ‘poetic devices’, the devices below are not the exclusive
domain of poetry alone. Many of these are to be found in other writing genres too, particularly
other creative forms such as short stories, novels, and creative nonfiction.

Many of these devices have their origins in poetry’s roots as a spoken literary form. They rely on
the musicality of words; their rhythm and rhyme. They focus on various sound effects that can be
created by the carefully chosen word.

Other devices are more concerned with imagery. They forge connections between various ideas
and conjure pictures in the minds of the readers. Together, these devices lift poetry into the realm
of art.

The following devices are organized into two sections. The first section titled Sound Devices deals
with the following devices: alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme, and
rhythm.

The second section Figurative Language deals with metaphor, personification, and simile. These
are not meant as an exhaustive list, but to give an indication of the possibilities for these elements
of poetry. You can find many more examples of these in our article on figurative language.

Students will benefit from learning the definitions of each of these devices over time. While it is
important that they learn to recognize their use in the poetry of others and to learn to appreciate
the effects these devices can create, it is equally important that the students get a chance to have
a go at creating their own examples of these devices in their own writing.

It is only by trying their hand at employing these devices in their own work that students can really
internalize how these devices operate. So, in the section below we’ll first look at a working
definition of the poetic device, then an example to illustrate it in action, before offering a simple
exercise students can undertake to gain more practice with it themselves.

SOUND DEVICES
Alliteration

Meaning: This device involves the repetition of the initial consonant sound of a series of words,
often consecutively. Alliteration is most easily explained to students through looking at a few
simple tongue twisters, such as Peter Piper or She Sells Seashells.

Example:
Betty Botter bought a bit of butter
But, the bit of butter Betty Botter bought was bitter
So Betty Botter bought a better bit of butter

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Assonance

Meaning: Similarly to alliteration, assonance involves the repetition of sounds in a series of words,
often consecutive words. However, rather than repeating the initial sounds, assonance focuses on
the internal vowel sounds that are repeated.

Example:
We can find many examples of assonance in poetry and song. Here’s an example from the poetry
of Edgar Allen Poe: Hear the mellow wedding bells

Consonance
Meaning: Consonance is the consonant-focused counterpart to assonance. It involves the
repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words, as distinguished from
alliteration where the initial sound is repeated.

Example: The crow struck through the thick cloud like a rocket

Onomatopoeia

Meaning: Onomatopoeia refers to the process of creating words that sound like the very thing
they refer to. For many students, the first introduction to onomatopoeia goes back to learning
animal sounds as an infant. Words such as Oink! Chirp! Woof! and Meow! can all be thought of as
onomatopoeic.

Example: Aside from animal noises, the names of sounds themselves are often onomatopoeic, for
example: Bang! thud! Crash!

Rhyme

Meaning: Rhyme refers to the repetition of sounds in a poem. Various types of rhyme are
possible, however in English we usually use the term rhyme to refer to the repetition of the final
sounds in a line, or end rhyme. Letters are often used to denote a rhyme scheme. A new letter is
ascribed to each of the different sounds. For example, in the following example the rhyme scheme
is described as ABAB.

Example:
The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land.
They look at the sea all day.
[From Neither Out Far Nor In Deep by Robert Frost]
Rhythm

Meaning: Rhythm in poetry involves sound patterning. A lot of classical poetry conforms to a
systematic regularity of rhythm which is referred to as the poem’s meter. This involves the
combining of stressed and unstressed syllables to create a constant beat pattern that runs
throughout the poem. Each pattern of beats is called a foot. There are various possible
combinations of stressed and unstressed syllables, or feet, and these patterns have their own
names to describe them. While it is impossible to explore all of these in this article, we take a look
at one of the more common ones below.

Example:

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Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day

[Iambic pentameter i.e. five metrical feet of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables]

Figurative / Connotative Language

Metaphor

Meaning: Metaphors make comparisons between things by stating that one thing literally is
something else. Metaphors are used to bring clarity to ideas by forming connections. Often,
metaphors reveal implicit similarities between two things or concepts.

Example: We can find lots of examples of metaphors in our everyday speech, for example:
She’s an old flame
Time is money
Life is a rollercoaster

Simile

Meaning: Unlike metaphors that make comparisons by saying one thing is something else, similes
work by saying something is similar to something else. They commonly come in two forms. Those
that make a comparison using ‘as’ and those that make a comparison using ‘like’.

Example:
She is as strong as an ox
She sings like a nightingale

Personification
Meaning: Personification is a particular type of metaphor where a non-human thing or idea is
ascribed human qualities or abilities. This can be in the form of a single phrase or line, or extended
in the form of a stanza or the whole poem.

Example:
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done -
“It’s very rude of him,” she said,
“To come and spoil the fun.”
[From the Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll]

The elements of poetry are many and while the elements explored above represent the most
important of these, it is not an exhaustive list of every element. It takes lots of exposure for
students to become comfortable recognizing each and confident employing these elements in their
own writing.

References:
Elements: Poetry (coloradomesa.edu)
Elements of Poetry — Literacy Ideas
Elements of Prose. - LITERATURE (weebly.com)
What Are the Elements of Prose? (reference.com)

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