POETRY - a form of art that uses language to describe
or detail the meaning or representation of something...whether, physical,
spiritual, or emotional.
It is worth noting that POETRY should not be combined in thought with PROSE....What is prose? Prose is a form of writing that is distinguished from POETRY in that prose has a greater resemblance to everyday speech that that of POETRY. "Prose" comes from a Latin word meaning straightforward. This type of writing is usually adapted for the purpose of sharing facts, or stating one's thoughts in a straightforward manner. Prose is the type of writing that is found to be used in newspapers, magazines, letters, emails, history, encyclopedias, and the sort. Prose is a common way to simply communicate.
This does not mean that POETRY is illogical. FAR FROM IT! But, it is however, is more than simple communication.
It has been said that POETRY is a "fundamental creative act using language." POETRY is an attempt to render the beautiful or sublime without the burden of engaging the logical or narrative thought process. One might argue that there is not greater art than that!
It is worth noting that POETRY should not be combined in thought with PROSE....What is prose? Prose is a form of writing that is distinguished from POETRY in that prose has a greater resemblance to everyday speech that that of POETRY. "Prose" comes from a Latin word meaning straightforward. This type of writing is usually adapted for the purpose of sharing facts, or stating one's thoughts in a straightforward manner. Prose is the type of writing that is found to be used in newspapers, magazines, letters, emails, history, encyclopedias, and the sort. Prose is a common way to simply communicate.
This does not mean that POETRY is illogical. FAR FROM IT! But, it is however, is more than simple communication.
It has been said that POETRY is a "fundamental creative act using language." POETRY is an attempt to render the beautiful or sublime without the burden of engaging the logical or narrative thought process. One might argue that there is not greater art than that!
The use of ambiguity, symbolism, and irony as some of the
fundamental elements in POETRY often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations.
This can make the same poem meaningful to the masses and yet very -personal to
the individual.
POETRY is found in the earliest of records known to man. It was used as a way to assist in the memorization of events and stories in early civilizations. The oldest surviving poem from the 3000 BC is the "Epic of Gilgamesh." Other epic pieces of POETRY that we are familiar with include the Greek epics of Homer such as "Iliad," and "Odyssey."
It seems that Aristotle may have been among the first to classify POETRY and set forth rules to define the quality and type of POETRY written. He describes three genres of POETRY - 1. Epic, 2. Comic, 3. Tragic.
Later this classification was altered to greater identify POETRY. The three genres established were 1. Epic POETRY, 2. Lyric POETRY, 3. Dramatic POETRY - Comedy and Tragedy were classified under the later as sub-genres.
But, what must a poem have to be considered poetic and not a simple PROSE?
POETRY has rythym, meter and sometimes rhyme. The modern form is more flexible and less structured than in previous literary eras. While many modern poets write in 'free verse,' it is still distinguishable from simple prose by its basic form and structure, even if it appears to have been ignored.
Still most POETRY, even modern, will have some consistent structural elements...stanzas, verse paragraph, cantos, and these units may be combined into larger structures such as sonnets, or haiku's.
There have been specific forms of POETRY developed by many cultures. In more developed, closed or "received" poetic forms, the rhyming scheme, meter and other elements of a poem are based on sets of rules that govern the construction of verse. Still there are a number of common forms of POETRY that are widely used across a number of languages. The most common are as follows:
Sonnets- fourteen lines following a set rhyme scheme and logical structure. Sonnets are particularly associated with love poetry, and often use a poetic diction heavily based on vivid imagery, but the twists and turns associated with the move from octave to sestet and to final couplet make them a useful and dynamic form for many subjects. SHAKESPEARE is among the most famous and well known for his Sonnets and English POETRY.
Jintishi- has eight lines in four couplets, with parallelism between the lines in the second and third couplets. The couplets with parallel lines contain contrasting content but an identical grammatical relationship between words. Jintishi often have a rich poetic diction. DU FU wrote Chinese POETRY in this form in the 8th Century during the Tang Dynasty.
Sestina- six stanzas, each comprising six unrhymed lines, in which the words at the end of the first stanza’s lines reappear in a rolling pattern in the other stanzas. The poem then ends with a three-line stanza in which the words again appear, two on each line.
Villanelle- nineteen-line poem made up of five triplets with a closing quatrain; the poem is characterized by having two refrains, initially used in the first and third lines of the first stanza, and then alternately used at the close of each subsequent stanza until the final quatrain, which is concluded by the two refrains. Examples of this type of POETRY are DYLAN THOMAS and ELIZABETH BISHOP.
Pantoum- The pantoum is a rare form of poetry similar to a villanelle. It is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next.
Tanka- five lines structured in a 5-7-5 7-7 patterns. The 5-7-5 phrase (the "upper phrase") and the 7-7 phrase (the "lower phrase") generally show a shift in tone and subject matter. Tanks is Japanese in origin but shorter than formal Japanese POETRY and was more about personal and not public things.
Haiku - 17 verse traditional Japanese POETRY comprising three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 onji. The onjiis a linguistic idea that indetifies a unit of sound...not necessarily a syllable. Some syllables may have multiple onji.
Ruba'i - four lines of verse practised by Arabian and Persian poets.
Sijo - usually 3 lines of musical lyric practised by Korean poets. The lines average 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46. There is a pause in the middle of each line and so, in English, sometimes they are printed in six lines instead of three.
Ode- an ode usually has three parts: a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode. The antistrophes of the ode possess similar metrical structures and, depending on the tradition, similar rhyme structures. In contrast, the epode is written with a different scheme and structure. Odes have a formal poetic diction, and generally deal with a serious subject. The strophe and antistrophe look at the subject from different, often conflicting, perspectives, with the epode moving to a higher level to either view or resolve the underlying issues. Odes are often intended to be recited or sung by two choruses (or individuals), with the first reciting the strophe, the second the antistrophe, and both together the epode. Commonly, MUSIC is derived from ODES!
Ghazal- five to fifteen rhyming couplets that share a refrain at the end of the second line (which need be of only a few syllables). Each line has an identical meter, and there is a set pattern of rhymes in the first couplet and among the refrains. Each couplet forms a complete thought and stands alone, and the overall ghazal often reflects on a theme of unattainable love or divinity. The last couplet generally includes the signature of the author.
Acrostic - writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message. An acrostic is most commonly used as a device to aide memory retrieval....(Who of us didn't use this in school to remember things? We were all poets and didn't even know it! :)
Cinquain- fixed-form five line tanka or cinquain image poem with no title, 17 syllables, with a surprise or turn in line 4 or 5. This concise form of POETRY was created by DENIS GARRISON, an American poet. Taken from this form is the didactic cinquain- an informal cinquain. It is widely taught in elementary schools and has been featured in, and popularized by, children's media resources. It is embraced by young adults and older poets for its expressive simplicity.
POETRY is found in the earliest of records known to man. It was used as a way to assist in the memorization of events and stories in early civilizations. The oldest surviving poem from the 3000 BC is the "Epic of Gilgamesh." Other epic pieces of POETRY that we are familiar with include the Greek epics of Homer such as "Iliad," and "Odyssey."
It seems that Aristotle may have been among the first to classify POETRY and set forth rules to define the quality and type of POETRY written. He describes three genres of POETRY - 1. Epic, 2. Comic, 3. Tragic.
Later this classification was altered to greater identify POETRY. The three genres established were 1. Epic POETRY, 2. Lyric POETRY, 3. Dramatic POETRY - Comedy and Tragedy were classified under the later as sub-genres.
But, what must a poem have to be considered poetic and not a simple PROSE?
POETRY has rythym, meter and sometimes rhyme. The modern form is more flexible and less structured than in previous literary eras. While many modern poets write in 'free verse,' it is still distinguishable from simple prose by its basic form and structure, even if it appears to have been ignored.
Still most POETRY, even modern, will have some consistent structural elements...stanzas, verse paragraph, cantos, and these units may be combined into larger structures such as sonnets, or haiku's.
There have been specific forms of POETRY developed by many cultures. In more developed, closed or "received" poetic forms, the rhyming scheme, meter and other elements of a poem are based on sets of rules that govern the construction of verse. Still there are a number of common forms of POETRY that are widely used across a number of languages. The most common are as follows:
Sonnets- fourteen lines following a set rhyme scheme and logical structure. Sonnets are particularly associated with love poetry, and often use a poetic diction heavily based on vivid imagery, but the twists and turns associated with the move from octave to sestet and to final couplet make them a useful and dynamic form for many subjects. SHAKESPEARE is among the most famous and well known for his Sonnets and English POETRY.
Jintishi- has eight lines in four couplets, with parallelism between the lines in the second and third couplets. The couplets with parallel lines contain contrasting content but an identical grammatical relationship between words. Jintishi often have a rich poetic diction. DU FU wrote Chinese POETRY in this form in the 8th Century during the Tang Dynasty.
Sestina- six stanzas, each comprising six unrhymed lines, in which the words at the end of the first stanza’s lines reappear in a rolling pattern in the other stanzas. The poem then ends with a three-line stanza in which the words again appear, two on each line.
Villanelle- nineteen-line poem made up of five triplets with a closing quatrain; the poem is characterized by having two refrains, initially used in the first and third lines of the first stanza, and then alternately used at the close of each subsequent stanza until the final quatrain, which is concluded by the two refrains. Examples of this type of POETRY are DYLAN THOMAS and ELIZABETH BISHOP.
Pantoum- The pantoum is a rare form of poetry similar to a villanelle. It is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next.
Tanka- five lines structured in a 5-7-5 7-7 patterns. The 5-7-5 phrase (the "upper phrase") and the 7-7 phrase (the "lower phrase") generally show a shift in tone and subject matter. Tanks is Japanese in origin but shorter than formal Japanese POETRY and was more about personal and not public things.
Haiku - 17 verse traditional Japanese POETRY comprising three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 onji. The onjiis a linguistic idea that indetifies a unit of sound...not necessarily a syllable. Some syllables may have multiple onji.
Ruba'i - four lines of verse practised by Arabian and Persian poets.
Sijo - usually 3 lines of musical lyric practised by Korean poets. The lines average 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46. There is a pause in the middle of each line and so, in English, sometimes they are printed in six lines instead of three.
Ode- an ode usually has three parts: a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode. The antistrophes of the ode possess similar metrical structures and, depending on the tradition, similar rhyme structures. In contrast, the epode is written with a different scheme and structure. Odes have a formal poetic diction, and generally deal with a serious subject. The strophe and antistrophe look at the subject from different, often conflicting, perspectives, with the epode moving to a higher level to either view or resolve the underlying issues. Odes are often intended to be recited or sung by two choruses (or individuals), with the first reciting the strophe, the second the antistrophe, and both together the epode. Commonly, MUSIC is derived from ODES!
Ghazal- five to fifteen rhyming couplets that share a refrain at the end of the second line (which need be of only a few syllables). Each line has an identical meter, and there is a set pattern of rhymes in the first couplet and among the refrains. Each couplet forms a complete thought and stands alone, and the overall ghazal often reflects on a theme of unattainable love or divinity. The last couplet generally includes the signature of the author.
Acrostic - writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message. An acrostic is most commonly used as a device to aide memory retrieval....(Who of us didn't use this in school to remember things? We were all poets and didn't even know it! :)
Cinquain- fixed-form five line tanka or cinquain image poem with no title, 17 syllables, with a surprise or turn in line 4 or 5. This concise form of POETRY was created by DENIS GARRISON, an American poet. Taken from this form is the didactic cinquain- an informal cinquain. It is widely taught in elementary schools and has been featured in, and popularized by, children's media resources. It is embraced by young adults and older poets for its expressive simplicity.
Concrete - referred to as visual POETRY, because the words themselves form a picture and are therefore important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on.
Free Verse - various styles of POETRY that are not written using strict meter or rhyme, but are still recognizable as POETRY by virtue of complex patterns of one sort or another that readers will perceive to be part of a coherent whole. WALT WHITMAN is a fine example of this type of POETRY.
Additionally, POETRY is often thought of in terms of different generes and sub-genres. A poetic genre is generally a tradition or classification of poetry based on the subject matter, style, or other broader literary characteristics. Some of the most common are:
Narrative POETRY- Narrative POETRY may be the oldest genre of POETRY. It tells a story. Who wrote this kind of POETRY? - Egan Allen Poe, Dante, Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Alenxander Pope....others, as well, but these are my favorites...
Epic POETRY- This POETRY recounts, in a continuous narrative, the life and works of a heroic and sometimes mythical person or persons. These works of POETRY are generally LONG poems and are less common in recent history. Who wrote this type of POETRY? - Homer, and more recently, Derek Walcott.
Dramatic POETRY - This POETRY is written in verse and can be spoken or sung, and appears in varying and sometimes related forms in many cultures. Verse drama may have developed out of earlier oral epics, such as the Sanskrit and Greek epics. How do we know this type of POETRY today? - OPERA!
Satirical POETRY- Filled with controversy, this type of POETRY is based on satire - In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with an intent to bring about improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humor in itself so much as an often quite angry attack on something the author strongly disapproves, using the weapon of wit! Therefore, Satirical POETRY has the punch of an insult delivered in verse and can be many times more powerful and memorable than that of the same insult, spoken or written. The Greeks and Romans had a strong tradition of satirical poetry, often written for political reasons, and at times, the insults delivered applied to entire cultures. As might be expected, the English as well as many other societies have become rather proficient in creating this type of POETRY.
Verse Fable POETRY - The fable is an ancient and near-ubiquitous genre set in verse form. It is a brief, succinct story that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature with very human-like attributes that share or illustrate a moral or lesson.
Prose POETRY - Prose POETRY is a combined genre that demonstrates attributes of both prose and poetry. It may also be identified as a short-story. Most critics argue that it qualifies as POETRY and not simple prose because of its conciseness, use of metaphor and special attention to language.
And last, but favorite on my list...
Lyrical POETRY- This genre of POETRY does not attempt to tell a story but instead is of a more personal nature. Rather than characters, places, or action, this POETRY is a portrayal of the poet's emotions, feelings, state of mind or perceptions. Much of this type of POETRY is purely for reading, not requiring a purpose. The most popular form for western lyric poetry may be the 14-line rhyming sonnet. This type of POETRY is usually written in the first person and therefore is a out-pouring of one's soul....some may consider it a self-centered form of POETRY, as the poet speaks of self and their ideas or perceptions almost exclusively.
POETRY AND WRITING TODAY... AND THOUGHTS FOR DISCUSSION...
In the day and age in which we live, I am saddened by the fact that writing, in many forms is becoming a LOST ART. Technology has all but eliminated the need for letter writing. Email and text messaging replace the letters written to family and friends that have proven to provide history great detail.
While there is much to be said for the convenience of picking up the telephone and being able to connect to someone a world away, and with the click of a mouse, we can almost instantly write and see the words written via the Internet...I still find that I feel sad at the thought that we are loosing our ability to express our thoughts and emotions by means of writing. And of even greater concern, I am plagued by the idea that while these quick emails and words are floating out there in cyber-space, there are no written words to pass on to the generations yet to come.
Maybe it is the "romantic" in me, but I like the idea of pulling out a ribbon bound stack of letters and notes at the age of 80 and sharing with my grand-children, hand-written notes that make my life ART!
Truly what is more artful that taking simple words and constructing them into powerful ways to express the emotion, and feeling of the moment???
ONE OF MY POETIC EXPRESSIONS:
(All content is protected by Copyright Laws - Autumn Boyet Stinton)
AND THE WIND BLOWS…By Autumn Stinton February 5, 2008
The burn of cold,
How fierce the sting.
The February wind,
No sign of spring.
A chill so deep,
It cracks the bone.
A fearsome howl,
By myself and all alone.
And the wind blows…
Relentless, yes,
The wind does creep.
And whilst it blows,
Hence no one sleeps.
The angry wisps,
Swirl all around.
No peace above,
None found along the ground.
And the wind blows…
You gather strength,
And steal sweet breath.
A warrior’s cry,
Avoided only by death.
Your hostile grips,
Can reach us all.
In havens we hide,
But still hear your call.
And the wind blows…
She shudders, yes,
The Earth does ache.
Brittle and weak,
Yet she will not break.
Scurry then on,
You’ll find no home.
You wicked fiend,
Catch you not, you must roam.
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