The Most Important Elements of a Poem: Ultimate Step by Step Guide with Examples

Table of Contents

The Most Important Elements of a Poem: Ultimate Step by Step Guide with Examples. 1

What Makes Poetry Exciting?. 1

What Is Poetry?. 1

Purpose of Poetry. 1

What Are the Most Important Elements of a Poem?. 2

Voice and Tone. 2

Sound. 3

Diction. 5

Structure. 6

Types of Poetry. 7

Sonnet 7

Elegy. 7

Ballad. 7

Epic. 7

Ode. 8

Haiku. 8

Limerick. 8

How to Write a Poem.. 8

Think Deeply and Brainstorm.. 8

Develop Your Poetry Theme. 9

Devise Your Extended Metaphor 9

Make Use of All the Elements of Poetry. 9

Write Your First Draft 9

Read and Proofread. 9

Give A Friend. 10

Submit 10

Final Thoughts on Poems. 10

Your poem should evoke unsolicited feelings. 10

A good poem must have a speaker, theme, audience. 10

Your poem must make sense. 10

Your poem should be easy to remember 10

The Most Important Elements of a Poem: Ultimate Step by Step Guide with Examples

 

Have you ever received a love letter with words that soothed your heart and you felt like writing back? Well, most of us have been entertained by words spoken or written to us by people who love us. Poetry Dates back to the 7th century in ancient Greek. The Greeks used poetry to convey their feelings, which could be feelings of sadness, happiness, or disappointment with life occurrences. From the time memorial to this day, poems have been popular in all cultures.

What Makes Poetry Exciting?

Well, everything depends on individual preferences. Those of us who literature find poetry exciting due to the use of figurative language. Writing poetry has become a hobby for some people because it helps them convey or pass a message using specific techniques, such as stressed and unstressed syllables. Although modern poetry might differ from that of the past due to technological inventions, writing poetry is as crucial today as it was in ancient times.

What Is Poetry?

Perhaps you are still wondering what poetry is even as we discuss it in length. In simple terms, poetry can be defined as a piece of literature that combines certain literary devices with imagination to convey feelings and elicit emotional responses. Some of the common features of literature used in poetry will be explained later on in the article, but it suffices to state that poetry is about using creative and imaginative powers and combining them with literature to send a message to an intended target, which can be an individual or a group of people.

Purpose of Poetry

In general, poems express feelings or thoughts regarding someone or something. It helps us share what we consider the right emotions and opinions on a matter. Before they start writing, poets ask themselves the reason for writing their poems. The motive will then influence even the type of poem that an artist selects.

For example, some poets will prefer writing a descriptive poem, while others might opt for narrative poems. The purpose of a poem may also influence its structure. Some poets prefer writing poems with three line stanzas. As readers or listeners interact with a poem, they create images in their minds, and this makes a poem interesting.

 

What Are the Most Important Elements of a Poem?

Having understood the meaning and purpose of poetry, we should not shift our focus on the most important elements of poetry. This section is crucial for anyone who wants to write a poem or read one because it will make it easy for you to understand what each word represents. Therefore, read through to understand the primary elements of a poem and why each of them is important to a poet in terms of conveying feelings.

Voice and Tone

In a poem, the voice is one of the crucial elements of poetry because it helps us know the person speaking. In every poem, someone must be speaking and conveying feelings to the audience. Poets can choose to write a poem in which they themselves speak. Alternatively, poets can decide to include a persona. In poetry, a persona is someone else speaking other than the poet. A person in poetry can even be an animal or inanimate objects. It is also important to note that poetry includes a tone as well. While voice is about what is being said either by the poet or persona, tone refers to the attitude expressed in a poem.

How to Write a Poem in Persona

When it comes to writing a poem, some upcoming poets struggle to include a persona voice due to the lack of exposure. Before we get to the process of writing a persona in poetry, please review some of these poems to have a better grasp on how to write a persona voice in poetry.

Examples of Persona-Based Poems

• “Lady Lazarus”- In this poem, Sylvia Plath assumes the Biblical character named Lazarus and educates the readers about the issue of death and why humans desire to live more than die any time soon.
• “Siren Song”- Margaret Atwood wrote the poem using a persona voice of a Greek in a bid to expose the gender stereotypes that existed in Greek society as well as in modern times. When reading the poem, you will notice that Atwood is not speaking from her perspective.
• “Personae“- In this poem, Ezra Pound uses various personas to understand the human ego. You need to pay special attention to identifying the persona in the poem.

Steps to Follow When Writing Personas in A Poem

You may want to write a poem in a persona but do not know where to start. Well, many students struggle to come up with a persona. Admittedly, it is not an easy step; otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and there would be no use for this article. Here are the steps to follow when writing a persona for your poetry work.

1. a)     Craft Your Message–The first thing you need to do when writing a persona in a poem is to be specific about the statement or message you want your character to convey. As noted in the examples of persona, the poets identified with characters that would help them pass their message. You need to know the message that you want to pass to your audience. Is it about gender equality, crime, love, or supernatural experiences? Capture your reader’s attention by having provocative two or more lines in the introduction.
2. b)     Choose The Right Character–The character you choose depends on the message you want to send. If your poem is about humans, then you need to choose a character with human qualities. Having a persona with human characteristics helps readers resonate with the ideas shared. Otherwise, it would be weird to have animal characters in a story revolving around humans.
3. c)     Adopt The Character’s Voice- Although it is a poet who writes, the voice should be that of the persona. This approach makes it possible for readers to identify the character. For example, you can use words that a character is known to have used or likely to have spoken in public or on any other platform.
4. d)     Project The Message- as a poet, you should always remember to convey the message you want through the character. The persona is not the writer. Your poetry is about the message you want to pass to the audience, not the feelings the persona is likely to have. You only use the persona’s feelings to drive your message.

Sound

Sound is another aspect of the several elements of poetry. Typically, sound emphasizes specific words. Many poets use the sound element in poetry to elicit an emotional response from the audience. The common features of sound in poetry are repetition, alliteration, consonance, onomatopoeia, assonance, and rhyme and rhythm. We now expound more on these elements for your better comprehension.

1. a)     Rhythm and Rhyme- In poetry, rhythm refers to the flow created in a poem. Poets achieve this element by using stressed and unstressed syllables in a line or verse. On the other hand, rhyme refers to the sounds produced by the final syllables in a stanza. Many times, poets use this element to appeal to readers and create a sense of flow. The following is an example of a rhyme in a poem.

The thug lived on his own

His location remained unknown

Yet he took a huge loan

In the above example, the last syllables create one sound without interfering with the flow of the poem. Readers feel motivated to read the next line. That is the purpose of rhythm and rhyme.

1. b)     Repetition–In simple terms, repetition can be explained as the act of repeating certain words in a poem. In repetition, poets manage to emphasize the primary thematic ideas they want.

Poets use this technique throughout a poem for several reasons. First, repetition creates rhythm by ensuring the recurrence of sounds. Poets also achieve rhythmic goals by utilizing rhyme schemes. Repetition further forms metrics, which come through stressed and unstressed syllables. It is imperative to note that repetition can be done in the form of stanzas, phrases, or just a single word.

1. c)     Assonance– This sound feature refers to the repetition of a sound, particularly vowel sounds. A poet considers it before writing a poem and uses it as a way of appealing to human qualities of imagination. The following is an example of assonance: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. As you can see, vowels “e” and “i” occur repeatedly and do not interfere with the logic of the message.
2. d)     Onomatopoeia- These are words whose sounds match their description. Most poets use them to achieve the goal of describing a scene. For example, “I heard a loud Boom before a Crash!” In the example, we can tell that the word “Boom” suggests an explosion, while Crash signals some accidents.
3. e)     Alliteration– Most poets use alliteration, which is repeating the first letter in a stanza, to create an emotive effect. This here is an example of alliteration: Pizza place was poorly structured. In this example, the letter “p” acts as the alliteration, even without having to appear as a whole word. In other words, alliteration requires only the repetition of the first letter, even if the entire word will be different.
4. f)      Consonance– While assonance is about the repetition of vowel sounds, consonance repeats consonant sounds. See the following example: Stooping below the table, Stephen Stashed the Steel in a pit. In this example, the letter “s” is a consonance.

Diction

Diction is among the elements of poetry and plays a crucial role in conveying a message in any structured poem. In brief, diction can be explained as the choices of words that a poet uses to pass a message. A writer can choose to use various literary devices to send a message. For example, figurative language is common in poetry and can take many forms, including metaphors, imagery, personification, simile, and hyperbole. Let’s sample some of the main elements of figurative language used in poetry.

1. a)     Metaphors– In literary writing, metaphors are words that are used in place of others and should not be taken literary. In the following example, you will see what we mean by a metaphor: “Jared has a heart of stone.”In this case, you should not interpret ‘the heart of stone’ literary. The poet is simply showing that Jared has a strong heart that is not easy to convince or manipulate. Whether you are doing lyrical poetry, descriptive poetry, or any poetry work, never interpret metaphors literary. You should note that some poets can use extended metaphors in their work.

Typically, extended metaphors go beyond one word, with some extending to a few sentences of paragraphs. The following example is an extended metaphor: “This friend of yours called Joyce is a snake.” Again, the word ‘snake’ here is not to be taken literary. As you can see, metaphors form part of poetic elements that influence readers to read an entire poem.

1. b)     Imagery– This is another one of the poetic devices that fall under diction and help to elicit a mental reaction. Most poets use imagery to ensure readers develop a mental picture of the word mentioned in a poem. Most people agree that the use of imagery makes a poem memorable and creates a metrical pattern. The following example shows imagery: “Her words pierced my heart like a dagger.” In this case, the immediate response a reader gets is pain. If the whole poem contains those words, readers keep forming mental pictures of the words used. Poets assume that readers will realize that imagery is not literal. Normally, imagery in poetry can elicit visual, auditory, or kinesthetic images.
2. c)     Simile- In all poetry work, whether a lyric poem, descriptive poem, narrative poem, or any other work, smiles are used to compare elements. The use of “like” and “as” is common, as seen in the following example. “He ate the food like a hyena.” Another example is: “She is as cool as a cucumber.” Again, similes should not be interpreted literary.
3. d)     Personification– Poets use personification to compare abstract things that have no human characteristics with human qualities. Professional writers who are not familiar with this poetic device get confused editing the whole poem. However, poets use this strategy to make readers develop an interest. See the following example: “The car complained as soon as I drove in the ignition key.” This sentence is intriguing because it suggests that the car complained. However, the writer is simply stating that the car produced an unpleasant sound. When using this style, poets’ main focus is to pass the message, not to create rhyming words or a metrical pattern.

Structure

The structure forms parts of poetry elements, and it is vital when writing or analyzing a poem. In simple words, the structure has to do with the organization that a poet chooses for a poem. Previously, most poets paid much attention to structures, but modern poetry adopts what we call free verse structures, which simply means that the poems do not have a specific style that readers can identify. Nonetheless, let’s focus on the two important parts of structures.

1. a)     Stanzas- In poetry, stanzas are the lines that are grouped together. You could consider them paragraphs, which are divided by white space, unlike prose writing, which is continuous. There is no specific for writing lyric poetry, descriptive poetry, or any other work. Poets can employ couplet, which means two lines, a tercet, which comprises just three lines, or quatrain, cinquain, sestet, septet, or octave, which have four, five, six, seven, and eight lines, respectively. It is in these stanzas that poets use a poetic device to either create a metrical pattern, rhyming words, or any other style of voice and diction.
2. b)     Form– As we have mentioned, modern poetry does not have a specific way of assessing their structure. In that case, you can identify them through their forms. We have three forms of poetry, as explained below.
3. Descriptive Poetry- If you cannot use stanzas to identify a poem, you can analyze it using this method. A descriptive poem explains more about the world in which a speaker lives and tends to use adjectives and a series of imagery. Descriptive poetry is more emotional than lyrical poetry. Therefore, you can tell look for emotional words to examine the type of a poem you are dealing with.
4. Lyric Poetry- In this type of poem, the speaker relays strong emotions. In fact, the majority of modern poems are lyric poems. Please note that the emotions expressed in lyric poetry do not always represent those of the poet.

iii.          Narrative Poetry- narrative poems are interesting because it tells readers a story. It starts with a plot in the introduction and highlights conflicts. Later, it climaxes into the central message.

Types of Poetry

It is imperative to note that there are other poems that fall in one of the categories addressed above. Let us sample a few of them because they are critical.

Sonnet

A sonnet is an example of a lyric poem, and it contains at least 14 lines and often follows the iambic pentameter. In poetry, iambic pentameter refers to the use of an unstressed syllable, which is then followed closely by a stressed syllable. One example is the Shakespearean sonnet. You can also use this example to comprehend the sonnet: “It is a deLIGHT to see you here.” In this example, the word ‘delight’ stresses the last parts. Therefore, a sonnet is a type of lyric poem. Historians classify lyric poetry into two groups. First, there is the Petrarchan sonnet, which originated from Italy and was promoted by a Renaissance poet called Petrarch. Second, there is the Shakespearean sonnet.

Elegy

Another lyric poem whose purpose is to mourn a deceased. It follows a logical sequence, starting with reminiscing about the dead, explaining the cause of death, before climaxing in a sense of hope that death is not the final part of humanity.

Ballad

While elegy and sonnet are lyric poems, a ballad is classified as a narrative poem. It has a musical element, and its elevated style means one can sing along. It does not follow grammar rules, but its end rhyme, Shakespearean sonnet, and iambic rhythm are considered important in passing the message.

Epic

This is another narrative poem that thrives on an elevated style talking about the history and achievements of a hero. Although it is regarded as part of creative writing, the contents are factual and tend to cause emotional insight and make a poem memorable because people can relate with the hero being praised. Oftentimes, epic poems use a single poetic voice to avoid confusing readers, and the poet repeats stressed syllables to convey a message.

Ode

This subtype of poetry falls under the narrative. Poets do not employ a recurring pattern of iambic pentameter but choose to address someone or something in the poem. Ode traces its roots in Ancient Greece, yet most modern poetry writers often use it. Besides addressing an event, individual, or object, a poet in an ode uses a serious tone and attaches a lot of emotions. Ode poems adhere to metrical patterns, although modern poets may use free verse modes. The use of three line stanzas is common among ode poem writers, but internal rhyme occurs once or twice.

Haiku

As for Haiku, it comes from Japanese society, and it has three line stanzas. It does not have many rules, such as line breaks, recurring patterns, constant beat pattern, or even iambic pentameter. In fact, it can even contain an irregular rhythm. As a result, it can be used for creative nonfiction or fiction work. Many times, poets 5 syllables in the first line, with the second and third lines having 7 and 5 syllables, respectively.

Limerick

In limerick, poets write a total of 5 lines, with the last one being an anecdote. The use of the same letter to produce initial sounds of vowels or consonants may be utilized. However, Limerick uses the rhyme scheme of AABBA. It is often used for younger populations, such as children, and tend to promote humor.

 

How to Write a Poem

We have spent the larger part of this article addressing the elements of poetry. You can now use your creative writing capabilities to come with up with various poems. It could be descriptive poetry, lyric poetry, narrative poetry, free verse poetry, which we also call modern poetry, or any other types of poetry. Nonetheless, let’s outline the exact method you should follow when writing poetry.

Think Deeply and Brainstorm

When you decide to write poetry, you need to think about what you want. If you are an introvert, you can spend time alone coming up with a good topic. Alternatively, you can ask your friends to help. Brainstorming is a good way of writing poetry. You can interact with your peers on Google classroom if you want fresh ideas. Think of everything that you want in your poem, including the sound patterns, the initial sounds of your words, internal vowel sounds, and all other elements of poetry. At this thinking stage, considering these elements even without writing them will help come up with a good topic.

Develop Your Poetry Theme

Once you settle on a topic, you may need to identify the theme. Let’s say your poem is about love. You need to go ahead to be clear on what exactly this love is all about. Is it about betrayal? Is it about expressing deep feelings? Settle on one theme to avoid confusing your readers.

Devise Your Extended Metaphor

You will need an extended metaphor to make your poem exciting. Refresh your mind on what we said about extended metaphors. You can ask your friends in Google classroom to express their views about your metaphor. You can use line breaks in Microsoft Word to organize your metaphors if you feel the need to do so.

Make Use of All the Elements of Poetry

Organize your poem according to the elements of poetry discussed here. This means that you will need to use the voice, diction, structure, and sound. When planning about the diction, remember to identify the figurative language you will use. Do not forget that it is figurative language that makes poems exciting. Do not let your reader feel bored by literal language; use as many elements of figurative language as you can. In the structure, choose whether you want free verse poetry or traditional poetry. Remember, free verse poems do not adhere to the principles of traditional poetry, which requires specific numbers of lines. When settling on elements, you may need to specify the type of poem you want. It could be descriptive poetry, lyric poetry, or other poems.

Write Your First Draft

If you have settled on your free verse poems or any other, it is time to write a draft. Do not worry so much about grammar rules as long as the words you use are easy to decipher. For example, you are allowed to use “goin’” for ‘going’, but spelling mistakes should be avoided. Do not worry if at first you seem to come with words containing the same letter. In other words, you are likely to think that your reader wants a rhyme scheme. While a rhyme scheme makes your reader feel entertained, do not be obsessed with it. You could also be tempted to think that all of your words must have similar sounds, but that is not the case. As long your written word makes sense, the rest should fall in place.

Read and Proofread

You should now read and re read your poem to ensure it makes sense to you. If a poem does not make sense to you first, it is unlikely that it will to your readers. Make your reader feel excited to read your poem. This editing process can be daunting, but enlist professional writers to help you. Make sure they do not change the theme of your poem. Let them know what the editing process should entail.

Give A Friend

It is natural to feel inadequate at first after writing your free verse poems, lyric poems, or any other type of poetry you choose. However, do not feel bad about yourself as long as you have incorporated all the specific elements of poetry in your poem. Give it to a friend who understands poetry and ask for honest reviews. Make changes where necessary and pat yourself on the back.

Submit

Your draft is now ready for presentation. Hand it out to whoever ordered it or the person you were writing for, and ensure it is legible. You will realize that you will keep improving with time.

 

Final Thoughts on Poems

Your poem should evoke unsolicited feelings

Your poem should make the reader feel happy, sad, or express any other emotion without external influences. In short, reading a poem alone is enough to evoke feelings. Your poem is not good enough if it does not elicit an emotional response from your readers.

A good poem must have a speaker, theme, audience

Readers should know who is speaking, the message conveyed, and the intended target. You can achieve the above by utilizing all the elements of poetry and using the rhyme scheme.

Your poem must make sense

The problem with people who write poems for the first time is that they want everything to be perfect. They want words with similar words, internal vowel sounds to follow each other, figurative language elements to be everywhere, and rhyme schemes to occur in every word. They end up messing up the whole poem and making it sound illogical. The key thing in poetry is to ensure it makes sense.

Your poem should be easy to remember

Do not write a long title for your poem. A standard poem should have two or more words but not longer than four words. Readers want to remember the title and content of your poem. Therefore, keep it short and simple. One to three stanzas are enough, although most modern poetry goes up to a page.

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