English — Literature: An Introduction to Poetry — Types, Devices and Analysis — 2nd Year Secondary — Literary Stream — Algerian Curriculum

An Introduction to Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning and emotion.

Types of Poems

• Lyric poetry: expresses personal emotions (sonnet, ode, elegy).
• Narrative poetry: tells a story (epic, ballad).
• Dramatic poetry: written as dialogue (dramatic monologue).
• Free verse: no regular rhyme or meter.

Poetic Devices

• Simile: comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’. ‘Her smile is like the sun.’
• Metaphor: direct comparison. ‘Life is a journey.’
• Personification: giving human qualities to objects. ‘The wind whispered.’
• Alliteration: repetition of initial sounds. ‘Peter Piper picked.’
• Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds.
• Rhyme: repetition of end sounds.

How to Analyze a Poem

1. Read the poem carefully and note your first impressions.
2. Identify the speaker and the situation.
3. Look at the structure (stanzas, rhyme scheme, meter).
4. Analyze the language and poetic devices.
5. Determine the theme and message.

Exercise

Analyze this short poem: ‘The fog comes / on little cat feet. / It sits looking / over harbor and city / on silent haunches / and then moves on.’ – Carl Sandburg. Identify: 1. What is the poem about? 2. Find a metaphor. 3. What is the mood?

More: Literary Genres.

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