Elements of Poetry

Elements of

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Poems express meaning through words as well as how those words are arranged on the page. The structure of a poem includes graphic elements such as line length, word position, punctuation placement, and breaks between lines. Lines in poems may or may not be full sentences. In some poems, lines are separated into groups called ​

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. Readers of poetry analyze the prosody of a poem—its sounds, meter, intonation, and rhythm. ​

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is a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line. It refers to stress patterns in words, loudness variations, pauses, and rhythm. ​

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is a strong, regular, repeated pattern of sound in a poem. Poets may repeat words or lines for emphasis. A ​

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is a regularly recurring line or verse, often used at the beginning or end of stanzas. A group of two lines sharing meter and rhyme is called a ​

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. Structure is often meaningful even in free verse poems, which lack regular rhyme or meter.

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stanzas

Meter

Rhythm

refrain

couplet

Multiple Choice

Which of these describes the structure of the poem?

• Free verse with no rhyme or meter

• A regular pattern of rhyming couplets

Multiple Choice

How do the line breaks in lines 4 through 6 help convey the poet's ideas?

• They emphasize the disorder and unpredictability of nature.

• They emphasize the slowness and stillness of the nighttime scene.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence describes a shift in the poem's focus?

• In stanza 1, the speaker describes lush tropical crops, while in stanza 2,

  he expresses how these things remind him of happy times from his past.

• In stanza 1, the speaker remembers various scenes and events from his

  life prior to immigration, while in stanza 2, he describes events occurring

  in the present.

• In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on the beauty of natural things, while in

  stanza 2, he questions the actual beauty of nature.

Multiple Choice

Which of these best describes the structure of the poem?

• In stanza 1, the speaker describes lush tropical crops, while in stanza 2,

  he expresses how these things remind him of happy times from his past.

• In stanza 1, the speaker remembers various scenes and events from his

  life prior to immigration, while in stanza 2, he describes events occurring

  in the present.

• In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on the beauty of natural things, while in

  stanza 2, he questions the actual beauty of nature.

Literary Devices & Language

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The STAAR Reading test will ask you about the literary devices and language that authors use in selections. Some examples of literary devices include irony and oxymorons, as well as a focus on the mood and tone of a text. ​

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is the use of words to express something other than literal meaning. ​

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are figures of speech in which contradictory terms are used together. The ​

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of a piece of writing is the atmosphere of a text or the emotional feeling it creates for the reader. The ​

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of a piece of writing is the author's attitude or feelings toward the subject or intended audience as expressed through the author's use of language.

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Irony

Oxymorons

tone

mood

Multiple Choice

Why does the author use irony?

• To show that his dog is really a coward

• To explain why the family has many wild experiences

Multiple Choice

The mood of the selection can best be described as —

• humorous

• sad

Multiple Choice

What effect does the oxymoron have on the poem?

• It establishes that the speaker of the poem is unreliable.

• It creates a setting that is ominous and dangerous.

• It creates an image that emphasizes the poem's theme.

Multiple Choice

The mood of the poem is best described as —

• lighthearted

• ominous

• cautious