Fionúir Mc Bennett, What is poetry?

What is poetry?

— Poetry the best words in the best order.—

 Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Poetry can be written alone or with others and even with a whole bunch of people. You can transform poetry into many types of entertainments such as drama performance, comedy, reading sessions, etc.

I must say poetry is a very creative way of using language. It has mostly got a rhyme and a rhythm, but not always! If you ever write one or read one, you should think of “RR” (rhyme and beat or rhythm).

The history of poetry and poetry in the 20^th century

CLAY TABLET

The oldest existing epic poem is the Epic of Gilgamesh, from the 3^rd millennium BC in Mesopotamia now known as Iraq, which was written on clay tablets. The Chinese also used them to write on.

But also many other cultures were working at that time on their delightful poems such as the Greeks, the Romans, the Iranians and the Indians.

During the 20^th century poetry traditions changed due to the spread of European colonialism and an increase in global trade.

Poetry styles

How it looks, how it sounds …

The style of writing poetry varies from person to person—long or short meters, three or four lines to a stanza. A poem is always full of great emotions. There is no right or wrong way to write poetry. You just let it flow!!

Wonderful writing tools that makes poetry almost sing

   

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is one of the easiest techniques to use for poetry but not to spell! The spelling is hard and long but it is easy to understand. It copies a sound such as ‘moo, achoo or beep’! You can feel it all the way down to your feet!!

Alliteration

Alliteration is another technique. This one we all know from class. This process starts by choosing three or more words with the same letter at the beginning. An example of this is ‘the fantastic funny frog’. Alliteration is an amazing tool as the method grabs people’s attention. It is often used in ads on the radio, for instance.

Rhyming

Rhyming is another style. This we all know from reading nursery rhymes with our parents and grandparents! An example of this is ‘all the way down to your feet’. If you write a poem, it doesn’t always have to rhyme. You can use other tools such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphors and so on.

Simile

Simile is yet another method. They compare one thing to another by using ‘like’ or ‘as’ or ‘than’. An example of this is ‘the stars shine like polished gold’ or ‘as fast as lightning’ or ‘bigger than life’.

Metaphor

Metaphor is another technique. We all know about metaphors from class. It is used one way to mean something else! An example of this is ‘his face was like the moon on a clear winter’s night’. Writers often use metaphors to express their writing more powerfully.

All these techniques are all very useful when writing a poem.

What is your favourite method? Do you have a favourite poet?

Do you write poetry? Do you read poetry?

An example of a funny poem

Get out of bed!

Get out of bed you silly fool!

Get up right now, it’s time for school.

If you don’t dress without a fuss,

I’ll throw you naked on the bus!    

Poet unknown

Get your homework done! 

Get your homework done, no time to fool!

As it’s an intelligent tool.

Move your pencil — faster and faster

You little master! 

Written by Fionúir Mc Bennett