Turns Within

Definition

Thefreedictionary.com defines the term “poetry” in a number of specific ways. One in particular stands out because it is the literal terminology associated with the art of writing
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“A verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme”

To convey experiences, ideas or emotions in an imaginative manner, these or the grounds on which decide the making of ideas and how they will be formatted throughout a piece of poetry. In order to maintain the reader’s attention throughout the body of the poem there must be a theme attached to the words, or a manner in which the words create situational circumstances for the reader, including turns to give suspense and intrinsic décor to the manner in which one delivers meaning. Examples include well implementation of irony. A dream to waking structure that carries the reader from a place of deep expression, be it sleeping or daydreaming, and brings the reader to consciousness while in the process revealing a hidden agenda. And a circular format that begins in one aspect of discussion and transcends to another place only to circle back to the place from which the poem began. Among a plethora of other modes of framework to base ones poems upon, these are a few methods of which give a piece the pizazz it takes to insure that the reader finishes the piece with satisfaction.

Uses of Irony            

Irony is a term used in poetry that means a poem has some sort of twist that is contrary to the original purpose of the poem. In one way or another there is a drastic contrast between points or situations that creates a dark and light form of expression. The best example is Gwendolyn Brooks, “We Real Cool”  in which the piece begins on a high note that carries on, only ending in a sudden and dark form. It teases the reader because it negates predetermined assumptions as to how the poem was going to end.

          
Dream to Awake Style

  The “dream to wake “structure is two-part in that it entangles a journey through perfect moments and deep emphasis in the beginning , usually portrayed as a vision or day-dream, and then awakes the reader in the second portion of the poem. Awakening yields the power to agree with or deny the impact of the dream. The best form of this type is a poem by Ella Higginson (figure 1 )that takes time to indulge into the comforts of a dream only to cancel that good feeling through awakening. The awakening is the twist that snatches the reader from one place to another. The readers’ opinion of the poem is the most important so to give the reader a trip through different exaggerations and proper transition fulfills the hunger that any poetic enthusiast is truly searching for. This is the purpose of the art form in any language.

          
Circular Style

  The difference between the “dream to wake” format and the “circular” format is that the fore mentioned has no transition within the twist. One awakes and the dream is over, the circular format begins in one place and there is a deep expedition far away from that place only to circle back to the point from the start. The circular format takes advantage of linking points to carry on a background discussion within the body so that the beginning and endpoints (which both are the same) stands apart and make a statement of their own. This is a very intricate way of writing because it allows the writer the ability to take risks and attempt to build a story that could literally turn the readers head in circles. Hailey Leithauser (figure 2) implements these steps while mixing in some alliteration to give the piece a cadence which made the delivery of her words that much smoother.

            
Conclusion

Through these methods of structure for ones ideas, a poem that gives an experience will be born, poem that takes the reader on a ride. In order to do so the writer must act as though they do not read their own works try to experience the poem from a new mind’s viewpoint. One must critique their own work harshly on their use of irony, rhetoric, and twists to decide whether or not their piece steals the reader’s attention. Once one is sure of the build of their creation the final aspect is that of how to deliver ones message. The structure of lines and stanzas is the easiest piece of the construction. The complex use of twists and turns give character to the poem. But it is delivery that ensures that the writers’ message gets to the reader in the same fashion that the writer intended when they wrote it. Mutual understanding betwixt writer and reader is, in poetry, a job well done.

Poetic Delivery

       
                  The final and most important process involved in writing poetry is “delivery”. Delivery is the true painting of the mental picture needed to relay an idea from the mind of the writer, to the mind of the reader. These are the steps the reader would take to get to the climax of the poem, or the message. When making ones idea that of the public, the writer would need to be skilled in the parts of poetry that are the most rudimentary.  To best appease these requirements one would need to be accomplished in the use of repetition, as in repeating the same idea or repeating the same sound much like alliteration. Another clean way of passing a message by way of poem would be to find ways of emphasizing message through direct and indirect comparison, such as using similes, metaphors or personification.

     
Repetition and Alliteration
             In coming up with the best means of delivering the message repetition helps embed a common theme between the reader and writer automatically. This technique is when the writer repeats a word or phrase over and over again to pull the reader’s attention to what the poem may mean. It works the same way studying for a test would, in that if a writer were to place their idea within that common repetition, the words following the quote would then be able to feed of that common thought and the poem/review for a test would have, throughout its content, explained itself. Alliteration (figure 1) would be another advised way of drawing the readers focus. This is when the writer is detailed in how to repeat sounds of consonants or words that may begin in the same letter. It maintains the flow of the poem and adds a whimsical twist to the way in which the writer wants the reader to interpret his/her main goal in composing the piece. Now that the process of visual presentation has been spun on all corners the only item left to cross off the list would have to be the mental matter. In what ways would one have to lay their message in front of their reader without telling their reader exactly what it is their trying to say?

         
Similes, Metaphors And Personification
                In order for poetry to be “fun”, there must be tricks and trades that the writer would keep hidden. A code must be spread about for the reader to then go in and decipher. What did the poet mean when he said this, and what was he saying when he said that? These codes are hidden within the parts of speech we were taught as children. Metaphors, similes, personification, these are the backs upon which true expression and indirect visualization are nestled, warm and safe. A simile is the comparison of two things through the use of “like” or “as”. So if one was thirsty they might say, “I am as thirsty as a fish”. This tells how the writer feels by placing his emotion next to an image that defines the way he feels. A metaphor is trickier because it takes away the crutch of key words “like” or “as” and is a bit more direct. So where before one may have been thirsty, in this case one would say “I am a fish out of water, searching for the last drop of breath”. This allows the writer room to be complacent with his message because the picture was broader than that of a simile. Personification is best applied to a poet who specifies in nature, or life matters. Personification is where the writer places lifelike tendencies towards inanimate objects or emotions. A warm spring day then, might shake the flowers awake, or the rain may quench the thirst of those very same flowers. This image could give innocence to a blue sky or anger to a summer day’s heat.  The use of simile’s, metaphors and personification could be the writers only emotional outlet, delivery is what truly ties a poems image to a poems meaning and for this reason one should become exceptionally skilled in the ways of relating to the reader.

        
Conclusion
          Delivery is to reach out to the reader in unique ways by means of the parts of speech. It is the most significant portion of any one person learning how to write poetry. Delivery incorporates flow, which is consistent throughout ones stanzas and lines. One’s flow is what entices any reader, ones rhythm and connectivity of ideas from line to line, stanza to stanza. All in all, delivery of a poem is what puts the final cherry on presentation, presentation in terms of a reader’s complete and final opinion of any piece of composition one would label a poem.

Poetic Structure- Position 1

 POETIC STRUCTURE

Poems have many ways of being beneficial in the expression of one’s inner feelings. In order to write successfully, poetry requires that every aspect, even down to the lengths of lines, shape and form every piece a writer is about to begin. As the reader lays eyes upon the work, easiness, associated with the frame and body of the poem, must be in correlation to the eye of the reader. Rhythm should be consistent through use of long lines against short lines, repetition, and contrast. Emphasis is the only way to magnify the overall message. Strategic use of punctuation is key, and a well-placed comma could be what the reader needs to catch their breath or it could be needed to change the mood of the piece entirely. In detail it’s the lines and stanzas that are the “Ground Zero” of building a great poem.

Lines

  Where there are stanzas there must first be a well implemented variance of length in the lines. In many cases, more words used in a sentence tend to create a faster pace; using shorter lines will slow the pace and create emphasis on the last word of the line. Properly placed line breaks make the last word of each line stand aside from the rest, allowing the reader to examine the authors’ intention, and develop a response to the authors’ idea. Through strategic use of the number of syllables in each line, it becomes easier for the reader to understand the writers’ purpose in every ascending level of the poem. Gwendolyn Brooks in her poem, “We Were Cool” was intricate in how she wrote her lines, requiring the amount of syllables in each line to build a pace or, flow, through repetition of count. Emphasis upon the last word at the end of each sentence, within stanzas, plays a role in the transition from the end of one sentence to the beginning of the next as also shown in (figure 1). Brooks holds the greatest power behind the idea of “we” by using line breaks on every use of the word. By taking advantage of stanza structure, Brooks allows the reader time to think of the last thought as the final word of each sentence introduces the new idea of each line.

      

Stanzas

 A stanza is to poetry, what a paragraph would be in comparison to an essay. Similar to paragraphs, stanzas can be a means to reveal points of contemplation and enlightenment throughout the body of the poem. A process that should progress as the poem reaches its climax. Upon realization of the sentence make-up and message that binds the sentences; this compilation will create the first stanza. The formation of stanzas gives another element for the writer to tease and tinkle with. The look of the stanzas sets the tone, and lets the reader aware of the tempo of the piece. The stanzas tell the reader if the piece will be a long or short. Parallelism, (figure 2.) for example, is when the stanza has an even amount of syllables. The style refers to grammatical structures within a stanza that resemble one another. Parallelism can also be used to demonstrate contrasting meaning, comparing two unlike ideas in a similar way.  This would open the window for expression through imagery, and imagination. By using parallelism in a contrasting form one could use the placement of the line breaks to emphasize the contrasting nature of the poem, or to relate the shared ideology by two unlike ideas. Rhyme scheme is another important aspect of the principles of stanza and the lines. Rhyme scheme creates sound markers inside the stanzas; they make sounds into patterns that then become the flow of a stanza, which ultimately becomes the tempo of the entire piece.  Free verse, leaves the author to decide the makings of the rhyme scheme, and is the best form of writing if sticking to most poetic guidelines is a problem. Poetic styles expand as far as limericks, haiku, and many more, all having their own required characteristic that sets one away from the other.

            

Analysis

In order to begin a poem the best way possible one must lay the foundation of the poem, the organization of lines and stanzas. Difference in the length of lines within the poem and detailed placement of line breaks give an up and down flow that pulls the reader throughout the piece. Emphasis on sounds and keeping count of syllables will lead to descriptive sentences and theme. Interesting and inviting sentences with a significant rhyme scheme should lead to the shaping stanzas and helping get the poems message to the reader. As the message stands away from all ideas, the theme should swing the reader. With good lines and great stanzas any poem is off to a start that will win the race every time.