{"id":88,"date":"2020-03-24T04:47:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T04:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/chapter\/lesson-9-understanding-levels-in-poetry\/"},"modified":"2022-08-19T16:13:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T16:13:01","slug":"lesson-9-understanding-levels-in-poetry","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/chapter\/lesson-9-understanding-levels-in-poetry\/","title":{"raw":"Lesson 9: Understanding Levels in Poetry","rendered":"Lesson 9: Understanding Levels in Poetry"},"content":{"raw":"Introduction to Poetry<\/strong>\n\nPoetry may be a lost art because somewhere and somehow between middle school and high school, some students find poetry difficult to understand. They don't want to read it. They don't want to listen to it, and they certainly don't want to write it.\n\nHowever, understanding poetry doesn't have to be difficult or feared. Like a toy model or lego set, poetry is put together piece by piece\u2013word by word. Each level builds on the foundation before it\u2013line by line and stanza by stanza.\n\nTypographical Level of a Poem<\/b>\n\nThe typographical level of a poem is how it is typed on the page. Generally, a poem is typed in lines and stanzas like song lyrics. However, a well-known writer, E. E. Cummings, was known for pushing the boundaries for how a poem should be typed. Read his poem \"Buffalo Bill's\":\n

Buffalo Bill's\nAuthor<\/strong>: E. E. Cummings\n\u00a91920<\/p>\n\"\"\n\n \n\nNotice the typography. Some words are run together. Some lines are indented. Most of the words are in lowercase letters; only the proper nouns are capitalized.  Finally, there's no punctuation. Readers need to ask the question, \"How do all these decisions, made by Cummings, impact the meaning of the poem?\"\n\nSound Level of a Poem<\/b>\n\nThe sound level is the musicality of the language when the poem is read aloud. It may include rhyme, rhythm, repetition, alliteration, assonance, consonance, caesura, or other techniques. Read aloud this stanza (excerpt) from Edgar Allan Poe's poem \"The Bells\":\n\n \n

The Bells<\/strong>\nAuthor: Edgar Allan Poe\n\u00a91849<\/p>\n\n

\n
\n

I.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

Hear the sledges with the bells\u2014\nSilver bells!\nWhat a world of merriment their melody foretells!\nHow they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,\nIn the icy air of night!\nWhile the stars that oversprinkle\nAll the heavens, seem to twinkle\nWith a crystalline delight;\nKeeping time, time, time,\nIn a sort of Runic rhyme,\nTo the tintinnabulation that so musically wells\nFrom the bells, bells, bells, bells,\nBells, bells, bells\u2014\nFrom the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

Notice the use of rhyme: bells, foretells, wells and tinkle, oversprinkle, twinkle.  Notice the repetition of words in some lines. Tinkle, time, and bells have repeating words three times each. Notice the alliteration\u2013words that sound the same at the beginning. Notice the assonance\u2013words that have the same vowel sounds. Notice the consonance\u2013words that have the same consonant sounds.<\/p>\n

Imagery Level of a Poem<\/strong><\/p>\n

Poets create snapshots of life through word pictures. That imagery can be a description using the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Like fiction, it will focus on specific nouns and action verbs. Imagery can also be achieved through figures of speech: similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, etc.  In the early 20th Century, William Carlos Williams was part of the Imagism Movement. Read his poem \"The Red Wheelbarrow\":<\/p>\n

The Red Wheelbarrow\nAuthor<\/strong>: William Carlos Williams\n\u00a91923<\/p>\n

so much depends\nupon<\/p>\n

a red wheel\nbarrow<\/p>\n

glazed with rain\nwater<\/p>\n

beside the white\nchickens.<\/p>\n

Notice the isolation of a single image\u2013the red wheelbarrow. Notice the use of specific nouns\u2013wheelbarrow, rain,  chickens. Notice the strong action verb\u2013glazed. Notice how the poem is a snapshot of a particular moment in life.<\/p>\n

Idea Level of a Poem<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea level is the poem's theme\u2013the central idea that the poet is conveying in the poem. A theme can be overemphasized by writers. The poet has to allow the imagery and words to unfold the theme like a person opening a gift. If they directly state the theme, the poetic elements are lost.<\/p>\n

Like fiction, a poem's theme can be a universal theme such as childhood, nature, aging, death, etc. For example, here's Emily Dickinson's poem first published as \"The Chariot,\" also known as \"Because I Could Not Stop for Death\":<\/p>\n

The Chariot\nAuthor<\/strong>: Emily Dickinson\n\u00a91890<\/p>\n

Because I could not stop for Death,\nHe kindly stopped for me;\nThe carriage held but just ourselves\nAnd Immortality.<\/p>\n

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,\nAnd I had put away\nMy labor, and my leisure too,\nFor his civility.<\/p>\n

We passed the school where children played,\nTheir lessons scarcely done;\nWe passed the fields of gazing grain,\nWe passed the setting sun.<\/p>\n

We paused before a house that seemed\nA swelling of the ground;\nThe roof was scarcely visible,\nThe cornice but a mound.<\/p>\n

Since then 'tis centuries; but each\nFeels shorter than the day\nI first surmised the horses' heads\nWere toward eternity.<\/p>\n\nCombining Levels<\/strong>\n

In poetry, the writer blends all the levels\u2013typography, sound, imagery, and ideas\u2013when writing a poem. Readers need to ask, \"How do all the parts work together?\" in order to understand the poem.<\/p>","rendered":"

Introduction to Poetry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Poetry may be a lost art because somewhere and somehow between middle school and high school, some students find poetry difficult to understand. They don’t want to read it. They don’t want to listen to it, and they certainly don’t want to write it.<\/p>\n

However, understanding poetry doesn’t have to be difficult or feared. Like a toy model or lego set, poetry is put together piece by piece\u2013word by word. Each level builds on the foundation before it\u2013line by line and stanza by stanza.<\/p>\n

Typographical Level of a Poem<\/b><\/p>\n

The typographical level of a poem is how it is typed on the page. Generally, a poem is typed in lines and stanzas like song lyrics. However, a well-known writer, E. E. Cummings, was known for pushing the boundaries for how a poem should be typed. Read his poem “Buffalo Bill’s”:<\/p>\n

Buffalo Bill’s
\nAuthor<\/strong>: E. E. Cummings
\n\u00a91920<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Notice the typography. Some words are run together. Some lines are indented. Most of the words are in lowercase letters; only the proper nouns are capitalized.  Finally, there’s no punctuation. Readers need to ask the question, “How do all these decisions, made by Cummings, impact the meaning of the poem?”<\/p>\n

Sound Level of a Poem<\/b><\/p>\n

The sound level is the musicality of the language when the poem is read aloud. It may include rhyme, rhythm, repetition, alliteration, assonance, consonance, caesura, or other techniques. Read aloud this stanza (excerpt) from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Bells”:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bells<\/strong>
\nAuthor: Edgar Allan Poe
\n\u00a91849<\/p>\n

\n
\n

I.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Hear the sledges with the bells\u2014
\nSilver bells!
\nWhat a world of merriment their melody foretells!
\nHow they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
\nIn the icy air of night!
\nWhile the stars that oversprinkle
\nAll the heavens, seem to twinkle
\nWith a crystalline delight;
\nKeeping time, time, time,
\nIn a sort of Runic rhyme,
\nTo the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
\nFrom the bells, bells, bells, bells,
\nBells, bells, bells\u2014
\nFrom the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Notice the use of rhyme: bells, foretells, wells and tinkle, oversprinkle, twinkle.  Notice the repetition of words in some lines. Tinkle, time, and bells have repeating words three times each. Notice the alliteration\u2013words that sound the same at the beginning. Notice the assonance\u2013words that have the same vowel sounds. Notice the consonance\u2013words that have the same consonant sounds.<\/p>\n

Imagery Level of a Poem<\/strong><\/p>\n

Poets create snapshots of life through word pictures. That imagery can be a description using the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Like fiction, it will focus on specific nouns and action verbs. Imagery can also be achieved through figures of speech: similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, etc.  In the early 20th Century, William Carlos Williams was part of the Imagism Movement. Read his poem “The Red Wheelbarrow”:<\/p>\n

The Red Wheelbarrow
\nAuthor<\/strong>: William Carlos Williams
\n\u00a91923<\/p>\n

so much depends
\nupon<\/p>\n

a red wheel
\nbarrow<\/p>\n

glazed with rain
\nwater<\/p>\n

beside the white
\nchickens.<\/p>\n

Notice the isolation of a single image\u2013the red wheelbarrow. Notice the use of specific nouns\u2013wheelbarrow, rain,  chickens. Notice the strong action verb\u2013glazed. Notice how the poem is a snapshot of a particular moment in life.<\/p>\n

Idea Level of a Poem<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea level is the poem’s theme\u2013the central idea that the poet is conveying in the poem. A theme can be overemphasized by writers. The poet has to allow the imagery and words to unfold the theme like a person opening a gift. If they directly state the theme, the poetic elements are lost.<\/p>\n

Like fiction, a poem’s theme can be a universal theme such as childhood, nature, aging, death, etc. For example, here’s Emily Dickinson’s poem first published as “The Chariot,” also known as “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”:<\/p>\n

The Chariot
\nAuthor<\/strong>: Emily Dickinson
\n\u00a91890<\/p>\n

Because I could not stop for Death,
\nHe kindly stopped for me;
\nThe carriage held but just ourselves
\nAnd Immortality.<\/p>\n

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
\nAnd I had put away
\nMy labor, and my leisure too,
\nFor his civility.<\/p>\n

We passed the school where children played,
\nTheir lessons scarcely done;
\nWe passed the fields of gazing grain,
\nWe passed the setting sun.<\/p>\n

We paused before a house that seemed
\nA swelling of the ground;
\nThe roof was scarcely visible,
\nThe cornice but a mound.<\/p>\n

Since then ’tis centuries; but each
\nFeels shorter than the day
\nI first surmised the horses’ heads
\nWere toward eternity.<\/p>\n


\nCombining Levels<\/strong><\/p>\n

In poetry, the writer blends all the levels\u2013typography, sound, imagery, and ideas\u2013when writing a poem. Readers need to ask, “How do all the parts work together?” in order to understand the poem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-88","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":85,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/88","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/88\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/88\/revisions\/89"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/85"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/88\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=88"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=88"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=88"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}