Genre of Literature

Subject: Literature-in-English

Theme: Genre of Literature

Topic: General Introduction To Poetry

Sub Topic:

Date: dd/mm/yyyy

Class: S.S 1

Average Age: 14 years and above

Duration: 35 Minutes

No of Learners: 40

Learning Objectives:

DEFINE/MEANING OF POETRY:

Definition of Poetry: Poetry is a form of writing stimulated by emotion and expressing a deep feeling that may be very difficult to explain in literary form. This is because it is the sum total of the use of certain devices such as rhyme, rhythm, metre, the figure of speech, stanza, subject matter, the poet’s feeling, his/her attitude to the subject matter, etc. This use is expressed in a manner of language application that attracts attention to it, especially when words are found or used in unusual places or settings. From the above, it becomes necessary to note that a poet is literally permitted to use language the way it pleases him/her. And this liberty or freedom with the language used by a poet is called Poetic License. This is the freedom to change the system and rules of a language in order to achieve a particular effect. Poetry is also seen as a spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions and feelings in tranquillity by deploring rich diction. Poems can be classified on the basis of content, style and structure.

List Characteristics/Features of Poetry

1. Imagery: Poetry is often characterized by the use of vivid language that engages the senses to evoke an imaginative picture in the reader. The use of descriptive language to evoke the reader’s senses or conjure up mental images is referred to as imagery. It entails utilizing vivid and evocative language to appeal to the reader’s senses, such as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Imagery can also be employed in other literary forms like prose, and drama, to enhance the overall atmosphere or mood of a piece of writing and to convey complex ideas or themes in a more tangible and relatable way.

2. Figurative Language: Poets employ figurative language, another crucial trait of poetry to portray complicated emotions and to give their writing a deeper meaning. The use of words or phrases with connotations other than their literal ones to evoke a particular response or communicate a more nuanced concept is referred to as figurative language. Literary elements including metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, and symbolism are frequently used in this sort of language. Figurative language can be used to paint a more vivid and imaginative picture of a scene or idea in a variety of literary genres, including poetry, prose, and drama. It is frequently employed to elicit feelings or to increase the reader’s engagement and retention of the text.

3. Rhythm and Meter: Poetry often has a distinctive rhythm and meter, created through the use of syllables, stresses, and other sound patterns. To establish a particular cadence or flow of words within a poem, rhythm and meter are two essential characteristics of poetry. Poetry lines have rhythm, which is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, and meter, which is the orderly placement of those stressed and unstressed syllables.

4. Sound Devices: To give their writing a musical character, poets often utilize sound techniques like rhyme, alliteration, and assonance. Poetry often employs sound devices to add musical effects, deepen the poem’s emotional impact, and enhance its meaning. These literary devices make use of sound in a variety of ways, including onomatopoeia, alliteration, rhyme, and repetition. To establish a rhythmic pattern or highlight a certain topic, repetition includes using words, phrases or sounds repeatedly. At the end of a line, typically, rhyme is the process of matching the sounds of two or more words.

5. Using the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in close proximity is referred to as alliteration. This technique produces a musical effect and can be used to highlight specific words or concepts. Using words that mimic the sounds they describe is known as onomatopoeia. Examples include phrases like “buzz” and “whisper.” Other sound strategies in poetry include assonance, which uses the same vowel sound frequently in a line, and consonance, which uses the same consonant sound repeatedly in a line. All of these strategies can contribute to the poem’s overall power and meaning while giving it a distinctive and memorable sound.

6. Compression: Poetry frequently stands out for its capacity to succinctly and powerfully express difficult concepts and feelings. In literature, the capacity to concisely and effectively transmit a lot of information, emotion, or meaning is referred to as compression. This is possible through the use of a variety of literary devices, including symbolism, metaphor, and imagery, which enable the writer to convey intricate thoughts and feelings in only a few words.

7. Form: Each form of poetry, including sonnets, haikus, and ballads, has its distinctive characteristics and structures. Form in poetry relates to the actual arrangement of the poem, its stanza structure, and its use of rhyme and meter. A poem’s form can significantly affect how it is read and comprehended. E.t.c.

List and Explain Differrent Kinds of Poetry

1. Narrative Poetry: It is a poem that tells a story (e.g.) Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’, Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’, Wordsworth’s ‘Solitary Reaper, etc.

2. Lyrical Poetry: It was originally a poem meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument called the lyre. But these days, it neither needs to be sung nor recited with a lyre. Nor does the lyrical poet need to narrate a story. All he needs to do is to get stimulated by what he observes, say a flower or a bee at work, and as a consequence expresses his thought and emotions about that, and possibly draws conclusions. Examples of lyrical poetry in a modern sense include William Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’ and Kofi Awoonor’s ‘Songs of Sorrow’, etc.

3. Sonnet: It is a fourteen-line poem divided into the octave (8 lines) and the sestet (6 lines). However, it is not always that a sonnet is marked by any physical division. A sonnet has a well-defined subject, often focused on one idea, thought or feeling. Most known sonnets have rhyme schemes, although different sonneteers employ different types of rhyme schemes. Most English poets wrote sonnets-Shakespeare, Spenser, Milton, Byron, Wordsworth, Rossetti, etc.

4. Elegy: An elegy is a poem of serious reflection that lacks particular rules, but usually is written in mourning following a death. An elegy, in poetic terms, is a funeral song. It can be thought of as a melancholy poem, which is written to mourn the death of someone.

5. Ode: An ode is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode.

6. Villanelle: A villanelle, also known as villanesque, is a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain.

7. Ballad: The ballad is another old and traditional form of poetry that typically tells a dramatic or emotional story. Its origin traces to Europe.

List and Explain qualities of poetry language

Poetic language refers to the language poets use to make their poems seem richer and more interesting and evocative. Poetic language often includes various literary devices, and is often more compact than the language used in prose.

Poetic language, in contrast, adds beauty, multiple layers of meaning, and ambiguity to the words it uses. It aims to convey truths, most often about the human question, that transcend mere facts. It hopes that its readers will see life in a new way or make a new connection due to the way language is used. The greatest authors, such as Shakespeare, invented new words to communicate what they wanted to say or, like Virginia Woolf, invented a new way of writing novels to more accurately depict the subjectivity of experience.

Because it is trying to delight and communicate truths, poetic language is distinguished by its use of features such as metaphor, pun, and irony, as well as vivid imagery meant to appeal to the emotions. Discerning and debating how to interpret a poem or a story is, depending on your point of view, one of the joys or frustrations of a literary work.

Language of poetry has three qualities, they are:
1. Concise: It is usually written in lines and stanzas, it does not include unimportant details.
2. Unique: Poet uses language in their own unique way to portray their mind
3. High style: Poet uses language that is formal and rich in imagery and other poetic devices such as simile, metaphor etc

Explain Differences between Poetry and Prose

Poetry often uses figurative language to create images or expressive ideas, while prose is more literal.
Prose is usually used for novels, essays, and non-fiction writing, while poetry is more often associated with literature, lyrics, and storytelling.
Prose is a form of writing that is based on spoken language. It is characterized by its natural flow, as well as its use of regular grammar and punctuation. Prose is often used for novels, short stories, and essays. Poetry, on the other hand, is a form of writing that is based on musicality and rhythm.

Rationale:

Prerequisite/ Previous knowledge:

Learning Resources:

Reference Materials:

Lesson Development: