Basic Elements of Poetry

BASIC ELEMENTS OF POETRY
Writing poetry is quite a daunting task. It sounds easy at the outset, but
when one gets down to it, it becomes more and more complicated. Some of
us can go ahead and create a magical flow with words quite easily, while it is
a long-winded and onerous task for others. Needless to say, when one
contemplates writing poetry, one must be up to the challenge.
There are several things that one must consider while wondering how to
write poetry. Here is a list of things to think about that, hopefully, will make
the process easier for you.
The
Subject
THE SUBJECT:
commonly known as the ‘theme’ of the poem, this is the important starting
point and central point of your work. What is the poem all about? What are
you trying to get across to the world at large, via your poem? Is it a story,
an experience, a description of events, or a description of a place?
An interesting way to take the jump from this point is writing down the
words, phrases or sentences that come to your mind when you are thinking
about the subject or the theme of your poem. Don’t worry if nothing sounds
or feels right, just write it down for now.
The wintering forest seems to be a still desolate place,
Yet, under the snow and autumn leaves of a tree's base,
Beats the promising pulse of new life that patiently waits,
For spring's warmth and rain to open wide nature's gates;
Roam with me under the trees standing strong over it all,
To watch them quietly sleep until nature's beckoning call.
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/the-forests-blessed-abode
The
feeling
• THE FEELING:
A poem, no matter how descriptive it may be, is not to be used to state the
obvious. We all know that the grass is green, for example. What you need to
express in your poem is what you felt when you saw the green grass. What
emotions did it evoke within you? What were you going through at the time
and how did seeing the green grass change or enhance your feelings at that
moment of time? With your words, you have to convey what you feel or felt.
The readers have to understand the depth of what you were going through.
A poem is essentially about the emotions of the poet.
A way to get past the barrier of writing about emotions is to take ordinary
things from your daily life and write down whatever ‘feeling’ words come to
your mind when you see the object. Such a list will come in handy and is a
good way to practice.
If I could love you, I’d love you strong If I could love you, I’d love you so deeply
with the strength of a million dreams your heart would beat wildly with my whispers
my rains would flood you with passion my desires would fill your every need
my storms, blow every leaf from your tree your heart would hunger for no one but me
leaving you bare
so you’d share your soul with me I’d love you with vigorous colors
of rainbows and sunsets and vivid skies
If I could love you the way you deserve My light would bring you to your knees -
I’d search you as if searching for answers then maybe I could show you
to all the questions that are left unasked all the beauty in you that I see
I’d pursue you like dawn chases night,
relentlessly I'd show you how to set that beauty free ~
reach into your shadows, If only I could love you <3
explore you completely
The Mood
THE MOOD:
•
How do you want to portray your thoughts, ideas and feelings

via this poem? Do you want to make it a serious poem, or a
funny one, a sarcastic one or an irreverent one? The mood
can often help you convey the feelings more effectively.
Once you have your feeling words in place, you can choose
different moods of the poem and try to write a sentence or
two that contains the theme and the feeling in these various
moods. Which mood do you like the best? Which mood
conveys what you feel about the subject more effectively?
• Example: Some words that can describe
the mood of a poem might be: romantic,
realistic, optimistic, pessimistic, gloomy,
mournful, sorrowful, etc. Some words that
can describe the tone of a poem might be:
serious, humorous, amused, angry,
playful, cheerful, sad, gloomy, etc.
The
Style
• THE STYLE:
Choose a style of writing the poem from among several – from classical to the
modern contemporary styles of writing poetry, there are many to choose from.
Pick a style which is easier for you to work with. Most modern poets often use
the free verse style of poetry. Although, to the beginner, this style may not have
a formal structure and sound easy to write in, look closely at the work of
popular free verse poets and you will find a basic form lurking somewhere.
An exercise to try out at this juncture is to write down your thoughts about
something or someone in free verse and then trying to see if you can put those
lines into another well-known structure or style of writing poetry. Perhaps a few
changes here and there and it might do the trick. Try doing that with two or
three styles and find one which you are more comfortable with. This process
will help you revise your work and find your style at the same time.
This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.
from “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

• Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to,
And love leaves exactly when love must.
When love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”
If love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her.
Turn off the music, listen to the quiet, whisper,
“Thank you for stopping by.”” Love arrives exactly when love is
supposed to,
And love leaves exactly when love must.
When love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”
If love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her.
Turn off the music, listen to the quiet, whisper,
“Thank you for stopping by.””
• excerpt from Sarah Kay’s “When Love
Arrives”
The
Audience
•
THE AUDIENCE:
Who are you writing for? The audience of the poem can help you
choose the language, the style and the words to be used in your
piece. Experiment with forms and words to find your unique
‘Voice’ as a poet.
Read out your poem to a few of your friends, relatives, and

neighbors etc .who fit in with your description of your target
audience. Ask for their feedback and what they felt about the
poem. Don’t take negative feedback or criticism to heart – it is in
fact a learning experience all the way. Try and try till you get it just
right.
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:
• It makes sense to study the forms and styles used by poets across the world to become
more familiar with structure, format, rhythm, rhyme and meter along with several other
elements used in poetry.
• A dictionary or a thesaurus is very handy to have. Often, a search for meanings of words
can help you take a jump off to another wonderful dimension within your poetry.
• Keep a journal, notebook or a diary where you record your thoughts, feelings and
experiences, even dreams. You may never know where they may lead you off to.
• Attend as many poet / poetry groups as you can. This helps you get your work read and
critiqued by other people and can provide you with valuable insights on your work.
• And to conclude, (and this is perhaps the best tip of all), don’t be afraid to edit and re-
write. Don’t take all the criticism personally. Keep a good sense of humor while showing
your work. Keep working at it till you feel it is just right and every single word is exactly
where it should be.
WHAT IS POETRY?
•
When we begin analyzing the basic elements of poetry, we
should first know what poetry is all about in the first place.
Poetry can be defined as 'literature in a metrical form' or 'a
composition forming rhythmic lines'. In short, a poem is
something that follows a particular flow of rhythm and
meter. Compared to prose, where there is no such
restriction, and the content of the piece flows according to
story, a poem may or may not have a story, but definitely
has a structured method of writing.
ELEMENTS OF POETRY
•
There are several elements which make up a
good poem. In brief, they are described below.
RHYTHM:
• Rhythm: This is the music made by the statements of the
poem, which includes the syllables in the lines. The best
method of understanding this is to read the poem aloud.
Listen for the sounds and the music made when we hear
the lines spoken aloud. How do the words resonate with
each other? How do the words flow when they are linked
with one another? Does sound right? Do the words fit with
each other? These are the things you consider while
studying the rhythm of the poem.
METER:
• This is the basic structural make-up of the poem. Do the

syllables match with each other? Every line in the poem
must adhere to this structure. A poem is made up of blocks
of lines, which convey a single strand of thought. Within
those blocks, a structure of syllables which follow the
rhythm has to be included. This is the meter or the metrical
form of poetry.
RHYME:
• A poem may or may not have a rhyme. When you write
poetry that has rhyme, it means that the last words of the
lines match with each other in some form. Either the last
words of the first and second lines would rhyme with each
other or the first and the third, second and the fourth and so
on. Rhyme is basically similar sounding words like 'cat' and
'hat', 'close' and 'shows', 'house' and 'mouse' etc. Free verse
poetry, though, does not follow this system.
ALLITERATION:
• This is also used in several poems for sound effect.
Several words in the sentence may begin with the
same alphabet or syllable sound. For example, in the
sentence "Many minute miniature moments," the
sound of the alphabet 'M' is repeated in all the four
words continuously. When you say those words
aloud, the sound effect generated is called
Alliteration.
SIMILE:
• A simile is a method of comparison using the words 'like' or
'as'. When, in a poem, something is said to be 'like' another
it means that the poet is using Simile to convey his feelings
about what (s)he is describing. For example, in the
statement 'Her laughter was like a babbling brook', the
poet is comparing the laughter of the girl to the sound
made by a babbling brook. Note that 'babbling brook' is an
example of Alliteration.
METAPHOR:
• A metaphor is a method of comparison

where the words 'like' and 'as' are not used.
To modify the earlier example, if the
statement had been 'Her laughter, a babbling
brook', then it would be the use of Metaphor.
THEME:
• This is what the poem is all about. The theme of

the poem is the central idea that the poet wants
to convey. It can be a story, or a thought, or a
description of something or someone - anything
which is what the poem is all about.
SYMBOLISM:
• Often poems will convey ideas and thoughts using
symbols. A symbol can stand for many things at
one time and leads the reader out of a systematic
and structured method of looking at things. Often
a symbol used in the poem will be used to create
such an effect.
IMAGERY
Is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses. Despite
"image" being a synonym for "picture", images need not be only visual; any of the
five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) can respond to what a poet writes.
•CONCLUSION:
These are the basic elements of poetry. They are

an essential part of what any good poem is all
about, structurally. Of course, it does not mean,
that all poems must have all these elements. It
depends entirely upon the poet, who has all these
tools at his disposal, to use in order to convey his
ideas effectively.

Basic Elements of Poetry

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Basic Elements of Poetry

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Basic Elements of Poetry

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BASIC ELEMENTS OF POETRY

How do you want to portray your thoughts, ideas and feelings

from “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Read out your poem to a few of your friends, relatives, and

• This is the basic structural make-up of the poem. Do the

• A metaphor is a method of comparison

• This is what the poem is all about. The theme of

These are the basic elements of poetry. They are

You might also like