21 Century
st
Literature from
the Philippines
and the World
Poetry
Prayer Before Class
Loving and Merciful God, Creator of all, we thank You for this day and the
chance to grow in wisdom.
We ask for Your forgiveness and strength to learn from our faults, striving
to become better in Your sight.
Bless our classroom; help us listen, communicate respectfully, and work
together harmoniously.
As we begin today's lessons, grant us understanding and the ability to
apply what we learn to our lives.
We pray for the safety and well-being of our families, teachers, and
friends.
Protect us from harm and distractions, filling us with Your love and peace
to share with others.
Poetry
Poetry
the art of rhythmical composition, written
or spoken, for exciting pleasure by
beautiful, imaginative, or elevated
thoughts (www.dictionary.com)
"poem" comes from the Greek word
"poíēma" (ποίημα), which means "a thing
made" or "a creation", eventually came to
be associated specifically with literary
works composed in verse
early poetry often served religious,
ceremonial, or cultural purposes
The Epic of Gilgamesh (circa 2100 BC), an
ancient Sumerian text, is one of the
earliest known examples.
Structure
of Poetry
Lines and Stanzas
Poetry is divided into lines, or groups of
words.
Lines are organized in units of meaning
called stanzas. The lines in a stanza work
together to express one key idea.
A blank line, called a stanza break,
signals that one stanza has ended and a
Stanzas can be of varying lengths, such as
couplet (2), tercet (3), quatrain (4),
quintet (5),
sestet (6), septet (7), and octave (8)
Refrains
a line, a part of a line, or a group of lines
that is repeated at regular intervals in a
poem, usually at the end of a stanza
similar to the chorus in a song
often carry the central theme or message
of the poem, reinforcing it through
repetition
Repetitions
broader term for any repeated word,
phrase, line, or stanza in a poem
can occur anywhere in the poem, not just
at the end of stanzas, and is used to
emphasize particular words or ideas,
create rhythm, or contribute to the overall
structure of the poem
Types of
Poetry
Narrative Poetry
tells a story and includes elements like
characters, plot, and setting
often lengthy and can be either simple or
complex in its storytelling
subtypes are epics and ballads
Epic Poetry
long, grand, and often about heroic deeds
and events that are significant to a culture
or nation
typically written in a formal style
Some examples are The Iliad by Homer,
The Aeneid by Virgil, and The Divine
Comedy by Dante Alighieri
Ballad Poetry
narrative poems that are typically written
in quatrains with a rhyme scheme of ABAB
often tell stories of love, tragedy, or
adventure
Lyric Poetry
more personal and introspective, focusing
on the poet's emotions, thoughts, and
feelings
does not tell a story but rather explores a
theme or a moment in time
often musical in nature
Sonnet
a 14-line poem, usually written in iambic
pentameter, and it often explores themes
like love, mortality, or nature
two main types: the Italian (Petrarchan,
named after the Italian poet Francesco
Petrarca) (ABBAABBA CDECDE) and the
English (Shakespearean) (ABAB CDCD
EFEF GG)
Ode
a type of lyric poem that is typically
elaborate and celebrates a person, event,
or thing
often expresses deep emotion or
admiration
Elegy
a mournful or reflective poem, often
written in honor of someone who has died
typically explores themes of loss, grief,
and mortality
Dramatic Poetry
written in verse and is meant to be spoken
or performed, often by characters in a
play
focuses on the characters’ thoughts and
spoken dialogue
Dramatic Monologue
a type of poem in which a single speaker,
who is not the poet, addresses an
audience, revealing their character and
situation
Soliloquy
a type of dramatic poem where a
character speaks to themselves, revealing
inner thoughts and feelings
Free Verse
does not adhere to regular meter or
rhyme schemes
gives the poet greater freedom to
experiment with the form and structure,
focusing more on natural rhythms and
speech patterns
Haiku
a traditional form of Japanese poetry that
consists of three lines with a syllable
pattern of 5-7-5
often captures a moment in nature,
evoking a specific mood or emotion
Limerick
a short, humorous poem consisting of five
lines with a distinctive rhythm and an
AABBA rhyme scheme
Concrete Poetry
(or visual poetry) focuses on the visual
arrangement of words on the page,
forming a shape or pattern that reflects
the poem's subject or theme
Villanelle
a 19-line poem with a specific structure:
five tercets (three-line stanzas) followed
by a quatrain (four-line stanza)
The first and third lines of the opening
tercet are alternately repeated as the last
lines of the subsequent stanzas and are
joined as the final couplet in the quatrain.
Poetic
Devices
Poetic
Language
Denotation
refers to the literal, dictionary definition of
a word—the explicit meaning that is
universally recognized
o Rose - a type of flowering plant known
for its thorny stems and fragrant
blooms
Connotation
refers to the emotional, cultural, or
associative meanings that a word carries
beyond its denotative meaning
o Rose - love, romance, beauty, passion
o "My love is like a red, red rose." (Robert
Burns) - The connotation of the rose
includes feelings of love, beauty, and
passion, making the line rich with
emotional meaning.
Diction
refers to the poet’s choice of words, which
affects the tone and meaning of the poem
Poets may choose formal, informal,
colloquial, or even slang language,
depending on the desired effect
Imagery
involves the use of vivid and descriptive
language to create pictures in the reader’s
mind, appealing to the senses (sight,
sound, touch, taste, smell)
Symbolism
using symbols—objects, characters, or
events that represent something beyond
their literal meaning
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both... "
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
The roads in the poem symbolize life
choices. The speaker stands at a fork in
the road, representing a point of decision
in life.
Tone
refers to the poet’s attitude toward the
subject of the poem, which could be
serious, humorous, sarcastic, etc.
"I have measured out my life with coffee
spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room."
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by
T.S. Eliot
The tone in this poem is melancholic and
reflective, as the speaker, J. Alfred
Prufrock, contemplates his own
Mood
refers to the emotional atmosphere that a
poem creates in the reader
"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of
each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic
terrors never felt before."
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
The mood of "The Raven" is dark, eerie,
and filled with a sense of impending
doom.
Figurative Language
involves the use of words or expressions
with meanings different from their literal
interpretations
enriches writing by creating vivid imagery,
expressing complex ideas, and evoking
emotions
Metaphor
a direct comparison between two unlike
things without using "like" or "as"
implies that one thing is another
o "Time is a thief. "
Simile
a comparison between two unlike things
using "like" or "as"
explicitly shows how one thing is similar to
another
o "Her smile was as bright as the sun."
Personification
involves giving human qualities or
characteristics to non-human objects,
animals, or ideas
o "The wind whispered through the
trees."
Hyperbole
an intentional exaggeration for emphasis
or comedic effect, not meant to be taken
literally
o "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
Sound
Devices
Alliteration
repetition of initial consonant sounds in
neighboring words
o "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers."
o The repetition of the "p" sound at the
beginning of multiple words creates
alliteration.
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds in nearby
words
o "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the
plain.“
o The repetition of the long "a" sound
in "rain," "Spain," "stays," and "plain"
is an example of assonance.
Consonance
repetition of consonant sounds, typically
at the end of words
o " He gives his harness bells a shake
… " (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening’ by Robert Frost)
o The repetition of the "s" sound in
“gives," “harness," “bells" creates
consonance.
Onomatopoeia
words that imitate sounds
o "The bees buzzed."
o The word "buzzed" imitates the sound
that bees make.
Rhythm
refers to the pattern of stressed
(accented) and unstressed (unaccented)
syllables in a line of poetry
Meter
refers to the rhythmic structure of a
poem, determined by the number of
syllables and the pattern of emphasis on
those syllables
gives poetry its musical quality
Feet
basic unit of rhythm in a line of poetry
usually consists of one stressed syllable
and one or more unstressed syllables
o monometer: one foot
o dimeter: two feet
o trimeter: three feet
o tetrameter: four feet
o pentameter: five feet
o hexameter: six feet
o heptameter: seven feet
o octameter: eight feet
Iambic Pentameter
Trochaic Tetrameter
Rhyme
refers to the repetition of similar sounding
words
often used to create rhythm, musicality,
and unity within a poem
o The sun is shining bright
This is a lovely sight
Rhyme Scheme
pattern of rhymes at the end of each line
of a poem
typically described using letters to
indicate which lines rhyme with each
other
The people along the sand (A)
All turn and look one way. (B)
They turn their back on the land. (A)
They look at the sea all day. (B)
“Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” by Robert
Frost
Prayer After Class
Loving and Merciful God, Source of light and wisdom, we thank You for the
opportunity to study and for the presence of our teachers, classmates, and
friends who enrich our learning.
As we conclude today's class, help us fully grasp the knowledge gained
and nurture it within us.
Grant us the grace to stay enthusiastic in our studies, deepening our
connection with You and empowering us to help others.
May we become vessels of Your love and peace.
We look forward to our next study session, which we humbly offer to You.
Deo
gratias!
