Ch 1: Introduction to Poetry: Help & Review
About This Chapter
Who's It For?
Anyone who needs help learning or mastering the basics of poetry will benefit from the lessons in this chapter. There is no faster or easier way to learn about poetry. Among those who would benefit are:
- Students who have fallen behind in understanding different approaches to and the importance of reading poetry aloud
- Students who struggle with learning disabilities or learning differences, including autism and ADHD
- Students who prefer multiple ways of learning poetry (visual or auditory)
- Students who have missed class time and need to catch up
- Students who need an efficient way to learn about basic poetry
- Students who struggle to understand their teachers
- Students who attend schools without extra English learning resources
How It Works:
- Find videos in our course that cover what you need to learn or review.
- Press play and watch the video lesson.
- Refer to the video transcripts to reinforce your learning.
- Test your understanding of each lesson with short quizzes.
- Verify you're ready by completing the Introduction to Poetry chapter exam.
Why It Works:
- Study Efficiently: Skip what you know, review what you don't.
- Retain What You Learn: Engaging animations and real-life examples make topics easy to grasp.
- Be Ready on Test Day: Use the Introduction to Poetry chapter exam to be prepared.
- Get Extra Support: Ask our subject-matter experts any fundamental poetry question. They're here to help!
- Study With Flexibility: Watch videos on any web-ready device.
Students Will Review:
This chapter helps students review the concepts in an introduction to poetry unit of a standard English course. Topics covered include:
- Rhythm, rhyme schemes, and assonance
- Literary devices used in Shakespeare's Sonnet 130
- Examples of poetic devices
- Techniques for reading poetry
- Close reading and big picture reading
- Poetry and emotions
1. Poetry as Literary Form: Overview and Examples
As a literary form, poetry finds meaning in the spacing and quality of its words. Learn about the differences between poetry and prose, using meter to organize poetry, arranging rhyme schemes, structuring stanzas, and common poetic forms.
2. Poetic Devices: Definition, Types & Examples
Poetic devices are tools used to create rhythm, enhance meaning, and intensify mood using a variety of writing strategies. Using rhyme to create rhythm is only one of several poetic practices. Learn more about the types of poetic devices and examples of how poets enhance meaning through them.
3. Different Approaches to Reading Poetry
Different approaches to reading poetry include reading aloud, examining structure, and analyzing emotions and connections. Explore Emily Dickinson's poem 'Wild Nights' and discover structural observations and analytical approaches to poetry.
4. Close Reading vs. Big Picture Reading Strategies
Examining literature with close-reading and big-picture reading techniques can aid in getting a firm grasp on understanding the text. Explore these two strategies and how they can be applied to many texts, including Shakespeare's 'Romero and Juliet.'
5. Intense Emotional Experiences in Poetry
Some poems are based on thoughts, while others are based on feelings. Occasionally, poems convey intense emotional experiences. In this lesson you'll examine one intense poem to analyze how the poet expresses her feelings.
6. The Importance of Reading Poetry Aloud
Poems may be written texts, but they are meant to be read aloud. In this lesson you'll learn why poetry is best experienced out loud, and you can test your new knowledge with a short quiz.
7. The Relationship Between Poetry & Form
Like music, poetry has rules that it must follow, and depending on which rules a poet chooses, the effect of the poem can change. In this lesson you'll learn about a few common poetic forms and some ways that poetry and form are linked.
8. The Importance of Rhythm in Poetry
Rhythm is a tool a poet uses that brings flow and continuity into a piece of poetry for the enjoyment of the reader. Learn more about rhythm, why it is needed, and its influence on poetry and writing.
9. Poems with ABAB Rhyme Scheme: Examples & Definition
In poems with the ABAB rhyme scheme, for every four lines, the first and third lines rhyme and the second and fourth lines rhyme. Explore the definition and examples of this rhyme scheme and discover it within the works of Robert Frost and Shakespeare.
10. Shakespeare's Sonnet 130: Summary, Tone & Literary Devices
Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 130' is substantially different in theme than his other sonnets. Discover a summary of 'Sonnet 130', dissect the poem line by line, review how the tone affects the meaning, and discuss literary devices used, including metaphor and hyperbole.
11. Ahmad Zahir: Biography, Songs & Poems
Ahmad Zahir was a musical icon in Afghanistan who reached the height of his popularity in the early 1970's. This lesson will discuss his start, his career, his personal life, and his death.
12. Christina Rossetti: Biography, Themes & Famous Poems
This lesson details the life of the poet Christina Rossetti. Learn about her works, particularly her most famous piece, Goblin Market, as well as common themes in her writing, then test your knowledge with a short quiz.
13. Delight in Disorder: Summary & Analysis
'Delight in Disorder' is an erotic poem by Robert Herrick that is only seven couplets long but has plenty to say. Explore a summary and analysis of 'Delight in Disorder,' and learn how erotic poetry differs from romantic poetry.
14. Derek Walcott: Biography & Poems
Aside from Bob Marley, how many wordsmiths do you know from the Caribbean? Keep reading to meet one more when you learn about the life and work of Derek Walcott, a true poet of the Caribbean.
15. Gary Soto: Biography, Books & Poems
Gary Soto has been widely praised for his entertaining stories for people of all ages. He has a unique writing style in which he integrates his past experiences, feelings, and Mexican culture. Learn more about Gary Soto through this lesson.
16. Internal Rhyme in Poetry: Definition & Examples
Poetry utilizes internal rhymes as part of phrases to introduce a new form of writing lines. Learn about the definition of internal rhymes and understand why poets make use of internal rhymes in their poems.
17. Omar Khayyam: Biography & Poems
Omar Khayyam is known for his poetry, but did you know that he was also an accomplished mathematician and astronomer? In this lesson, you will learn about the life and works of Omar Khayyam.
18. Rhyme Structure: Definition & Types
There are many different rhyme structures, or rhyme patterns, in poetry. Discover different rhyme structure types including end, half, identical, internal, feminine, and masculine, with examples.
19. The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde: Summary & Analysis
While spending two years in prison at Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde witnessed the execution of another inmate that prompted him to write 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol.' In this lesson, explore the lengthy poem in parts, including the use of ballad and refrain.
20. The Prelude by William Wordsworth: Poem Analysis & Overview
William Wordsworth's 'The Prelude' is a long autobiographical poem that explores the poet's childhood and personal life. Review an introduction to 'The Prelude,' explore an overview of the poem, and analyze its central themes, structure, and rhyme scheme.
21. William Carlos Williams: Biography, Famous Poems & Writing Style
William Carlos Williams was a beloved American Imagist poet famous for his sparse writing style. In this lesson, explore his biography, his most famous poems, and how he was impacted by the political climate of his time.
22. Reading Music Notes: Symbols & Names
Learning to read music begins with knowing the symbols and names for the music notes presented on sheet music. In this lesson, we will go over the different music symbols and their respective names.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the Poetry: Help & Review course