Elements of Poetry
EECE 441
Spring 2003
P. Werre
1. Rhythm – refers to the movement of words in the poem. May be a definite, repetitive cadence or meter, with certain lines containing a certain number of pronounced beats. Or may be a casual, irregular rhythm similar to that of everyday speech.
Poets use rhythm to:
o Increase enjoyment in hearing language
o To highlight and emphasize specific words.
o To create dramatic effects.
o To suggest mood.
2. Rhyme and other Sound Patterns
o Rhyme may occur at end of lines or within lines.
o Alliteration – repetition of initial consonants.
o Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds.
o Onomatopoeia – sounds of the word suggest the meaning of the word.
3. Repetition
o Repetition of words, lines, or stanzas.
o Used to enrich or emphasize words, phrases, lines, or verses.
4. Imagery – figurative language used to clarify, add vividness, and encourage readers to experience things in new ways.
o Metaphor – implied comparisons between things that have something in common but are essentially different.
o Simile – direct comparisons between things that have something in common but are essentially different. The word “like” or “as” is included in the comparison.
o Personification – human emotions and characteristics are given to inanimate objects, abstract ideas, and nonhuman living things.
o Hyperbole – exaggeration that creates specific effects.
5. Shape
o Placement of words on page to supplement meaning and to create visual impact.
o Word division, line division, punctuation, and capitalization are used to give shape to poems.
Norton, Donna E. and Saundra E. Norton. Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall, 2003.