Friday, July 26, 2019

What are the characteristics of poetry?

Because poetry encompasses a broad range of styles and forms, each with its own set of characteristics, any given poem may display some but not all the characteristics of poetry as a whole. Here are some devices or approaches poets have at their disposal:
Rhyme: Many people expect poems to rhyme, but blank verse and free verse are two types of poetry that don't. Rhyme is the use of words, usually at the ends of lines but sometimes in the middle, that have the same internal vowel and end consonant sounds, such as meet and greet. Rhyme can also include near rhyme or slant rhyme—words that almost rhyme but don't quite—like chime and line.
Rhythm and meter: Traditional poetry uses prescribed rhythmic patterns such as iambic, trochaic, and anapestic in regular line lengths. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, many poets have forsaken such formal rhythms for the rhythms of natural speech. In both cases, the words are placed within the lines in a way that creates a pleasing cadence.
Sound devices: In addition to rhyme, poetry uses other techniques to make the sound of the lines pleasant or evocative. These include consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia.
Figurative language: Poetry has been called "condensed language." Poets often use figures of speech to communicate a great deal in just a few words. Some figures of speech are simile, metaphor, personification, irony, and hyperbole.
Repetition: A common characteristic of poetry is strategic repetition of words, phrases, or lines. Repetition can enhance the lyrical quality of the poem, create rhythm, and add emphasis.
Poetic form: Poems are written in lines rather than in paragraph form. Some poems use specifically designed spacing of lines or words to add meaning or visual appeal.
Emotion: William Wordsworth said that poetry is "emotion recollected in tranquility." Most poetry is written to produce strong emotions and feelings in the reader.
Not all poetry contains each of the above characteristics, but these are commonly seen in both traditional and modern verse.
https://literary-devices.com/content/assonance/

https://literary-devices.com/content/rhythm-rhyme/

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