Poetry guidelines:

I just thought I’d write up a little poetry classification sheet for those of us looking to brush up our skills or lack thereof.   Enjoy.

Ok first of I all one has to say that there is not a strict definition of what poetry is and isn’t; poetry is simply an expression of one’s self.  One does not have to follow the rules to write poetry; when our writing is chaotic it is hard for others to understand or appreciate; however, as we follow some general structure our inspirations are more easily understood and thus our genius is appreciated.

 

Rhyme, meter and thought are the ingredients:

 

                RHYME:

It is probably the fist thing that comes to mind when we think of poetry; rhyme is what makes a poem “catchy.” Most everyone knows the basic “roses are red” type rhyme... but there are many others to choose from:

----alike numbers signify alike-sounding words------

1)                                               2)                                                3)                                          4)

   ----------1                          --------------1               ------------1               ---------1

   ----------1                            -----------2`            1-----------2             ----------1

   ----------2                            -----------1               2-----------3               -----2-----2

   ----------2                            -----------2              3-----------1               ----------1           

 

     5)                                6)                                  7)                            8)

 ---1----1-2                 1-----------                      1----2-----              ------------1

----3---3-2                  1-----------                      1----2-----              -----2------1

----4---4-5                    2----------                      3----4-----              --2--2—2--1

----6—6-5                   2----------                        3----4-----              ------------1

 

Ok all the rhyme schemes I mentioned are based on four-lines but there are also variations for 3 line rhyming. You notice also that the rhyming words do not necessarily need to be placed at the end of the sentence. We tend to think of rhyme as making the last vowel sounds of two words sound the same… but stem rhymes can be made by rhyming the first vowel of a word instead of the last of we can also create consonant rhymes.

            It is generally not a good idea to sacrifice meter for rhyme.

 ---- These were some ideas on how we can vary our rhyme but really we can invent any pattern we want and long as it is understandable.

 

 METER:

 Although less popular than rhyme, meter often carries more importance.  Meter is a system or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. (by stressed i mean you say it a little bit louder.. ex. "the CAT ran UP the TREE" .. notice how we automatically put the stress on the words i capitolized?)

 

Let’s classify the styles:     (x = stressed syllable. o = unstressed.)

            Iambic =   oxoxoxoxox   …starts on unstressed syllable and alternates

            Trochaic=  xoxoxoxoxo  …starts on stressed syllable and alternates

            Anapestic= ooxooxoox   …starts with two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed.

            Dactylic= xooxooxoox  …starts with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed.

            Ionic= xxooxxoo or= ooxxooxx   doubled hard/soft beats

Duplimeter = means two stressed syllables per line

Trimeter= three stressed syllables per line

Tetrameter= four “””””

Pentameter= five “””””

Hexameter=  6 is often the same as two threes.

Heptameter =7 is  often really just a four and a three combined

Octameter= is really two fours

Monometer = 1””””” (rare)

                                                                                               

….duplimeter is trite and often sounds choppy: be careful when using because it sounds so trite that it’s hard to say anything profound… Lines of pentameter are long and it can be hard to follow the thought unless done extremely well. 

 The shorter, bouncier rhythms  are more suited to lightheartedness.

Now we know what to call it. If your first line is iambic/trochaic etc. then all following lines should be the same.  Count the beats (stress, un-stress pattern) in every line to be sure that they are consistent. It is possible to ignore these guidelines at times but be sure that you have a good reason for doing so. Meter is what makes everything flow and is often the difference between a good poem and a sloppy one.

 

(Hint: if you are going to break stride in your meter it is best to do it in the last sentences... this can even lend then extra emphasis; but don’t try it at the beginningJ)

 

THOUGHT:

            Now we come to the most important part of poetry… what it is that you want to communicate. Unfortunately there is no way to define it because it all depends on you: that is why it is poetry.  The thought needs to be yours but there are some things you can do with it:

            Try metering/rhyming the thought: (ex. Placing a thought line and then elaborate on that point for three lines… this develops a though pattern.)

            Alternate questions and answers rhythmically.

            Or: develop a question throughout your writing and at the end put the answer.

……these are only ideas….. you think about it and come up with something yourself.

You yourself always know what you mean and can see the profoundness of the poem no regardless of its imperfections: the tricky thing is to express yourself in a way that others can track with what you’re saying.

Breaking the meter or fudging a rhyme can put more emphasis on a thought you want to express: detract from one to build up the other.

 

Free verse ignores the first to elements (rhyme and meter) and instead focuses its energy on thought alone; supporting itself in its choice of wording.

 

 CULMINATION:

            Now it comes to where we need to use what we know. 

 

Scrutiny:           Roses are red

                        Violets are blue,           

                        Honey is sweet

                        And I love you. 

                        Hey... that’s four lines or dactylic duplimeter with a 1,2,1,2 rhyme scheme! Now that I have examined it I can see why it’s so silly: it has one of the most basic rhyme layouts, it uses duplimeter which is choppy and not conducive to deep thought… and the thought itself, though genuine (love is noble) is poorly expressed.

Let’s look at what we write… how does it rank? What areas do we need to work on?

When writing we should generally try to keep a good balance of all the elements in our composition so that it will have depth and that other can be able to understand what it is we want to say and be able to enjoy reading it.  As we become more adept at writing each of us will develop our own style.

 

IN ENDING: like I said before... it’s all poetry; but whether others can understand it or not. There are no rules to poetry: only guidelines to make it more understandable.

 

p.s. a sonnet is loosely defined as 14 lines of iambic pentameter… do you know now what that is and how you would write one?

 

 

If you want to know more about different styles of poetry check out: http://library.thinkquest.org/3721/poems/forms/learn.html