Poetic+Form

=Poetic Form=

When we say that poetry has form, we mean it has design or structure. All poems have some kind of form. Many elements go into making the forms of poetry, but they all involve arranging words in patters. Sometimes sound controls the pattern; sometimes the number of words or the length of the lines determine the form.

What are the Forms of Poetry?
Poetic forms can be divided into those that use sound effects (rhythm, rhyme), those that involve the length and organization of lines (stanza), and those that artistically manipulate word order (syntax).

Rhythm and Rhyme
Sound effects are produced by organized repetition. Systematically stressing or accenting words and syllables produces //rhythm//; repeating similar sounds in an effective scheme produces //rhyme//. Both effects intensify the meaning of a poem, arouse interest, and give pleasure. Once we notice a pattern of sound, we expect it to continue, and this expectation makes us more attentive to subtleties in the entire poem. ' ' ' We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf;... ' ' ' Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.
 * Rhythm** can affect us powerfully. We respond almost automatically to the beat of a drum, the thumping of our heart, the pulsing of an engine. Poetic rhythm, usually more subtle, is made by repeating stresses and pauses. Rhythm conveys no verbal meaning itself, but when used skillfully it enforces the meaning and tone of a poem. Consider how Theodore Rothke captures the raucous spirt of "My Pap's Waltz" in the recurring three- stress rhythm of these lines:

//Rhyme//, a recurring pattern of similar sounds, also enhances tone and meaning. Because rhymed language is special language, it helps to set poetry apart from ordinary expression and calls attention to the sense, feeling, and tone of the words. Ryhme also gives a certain pleasure to the reader by fulfilling the expectation of the sound patterns. Ryhme, which usually depends on sounds, not spelling, occurs when accented syllables contain the same or similar vowel sound with idntical consonants following the vowel: right and bite, knuckle and buckle. Rhymes are commonly used at regular intervals witin a poem, often at the end of lines:

Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views For the Union reports that he paid his dues.

Closely alled to rhme are other verbal devices that depend on the correspondence of sounds. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds either at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables: "The Soul selects her own Society - " or "Peter Pipe picked a peck of pickeled peppers." Assonance is the repetition of similar vowel sounds that are not followed by identical consonant sounds: grave and gain, shine and bright. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds that do not have to come at the beginning of the word. Alliteration, assonance, and consonance are likely to be used occasionally and not in regular, recurring patterns; but these devices of sound do focus our attention and affect the tone, melody, and tempo of poetic expression.

Stanzaic Form: Closed and Open Forms
In the past, almost all poems were written in //closed form//: poetry with lines of equal length arranged in fixed patterns of stress and rhme. Although these elements of form are still much in evidence today, modern poets prefer the greater freedom of //open form poetry//, which uses lines of varying length and avoids rigid patterns of rhyme or rhythm. Closed forms give definiton and shape to poetic expression. Rhyme schemes and stanza patterns demand the careful arrangement of words and lines into units of meaning that guide both writer and reader in understanding poetry. Stanzas can be created on the basis of the number of lines, the length of the lines, the patterns of stressed syllables (the meter), and the rhyme scheme (the order in which rhymed words recur.) The simplest stanza form is the //couplet//: two rhymed lines, usually of equal length land similar meter. The most common stanza in English poetry is the **quatrain**, a group of four lines with any number of rhyme schemes. The fixed form that has been used most frequently by the greatest variety of notable poets in England and America is the //sonnet//. The form of the sonnet is firmly fixed: fourteen lines, with ten syllables per line, arranged in a set rhyme scheme. A poem written in open form generally has no rhyme scheme and no basic meter for the entire selection. Rhyme and rhythm do occur, of course, but not in the fixed patterns that are required of stanzas and sonnets.

Syntax
Poets can also manipulate the way the words are arrange into sentences. Sometimes poets will use inverted order to creat effect.

//Source: Literature and the Writing Process: Second Edition//