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Lesson 11: A Deeper look into Poetry


  • To Learn more about poetry and its types
  • To know what can aid a writer when writing poetry
  • To make use of some helpful guidelines

Quick Navigation through the Lesson 11:

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Main Types of Poetry

  • Lyric Poetry

When a writer creates a lyric poem he/she uses one speaker to express feeling s and thoughts. It is a reflective and personal kind of poetry.

Example: Taken from Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee.

“It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.”


  • Narrative Poetry

A narrative poem is much like a book; it tells the readers a story.

Example: Taken from Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;”


  • Descriptive Poetry

When a writer creates a descriptive poem he/she describes the world around the subject or the speaker with the use of adjectives and imagery. He/she makes the readers see what the subject is seeing, it describes.

Example: Taken from Henry David Thoreau’s Smoke.

“Light-winged Smoke, Icarian bird, 

Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight, 

Lark without song, and messenger of dawn, 

Circling above the hamlets as thy nest; 

Or else, departing dream, and shadowy form 

Of midnight vision, gathering up thy skirts; 

By night star-veiling, and by day

Darkening the light and blotting out the sun; 

Go thou my incense upward from this hearth, 

And ask the gods to pardon this clear flame.”

[WpProQuiz 77]

Figures of Speech that can help a writer create a poem

Havign to know the different kind of figure of speech can be a big boost in writing poem

  • Metaphor – when a writer uses metaphor he/she is comparing two objects without the use of the words “as” or “like”. Comparing one thing with another different thing.

Example: “Her home was a Prison.” meaning that the home is in a way like a prison where she is trapped or confined in.

  • Simile – is the counterpart of metaphor. When the writer uses simile he/she is comparing two or more objects with the use of the words “like” or “as”.

Example: “They fought like cats and dogs.” Meaning when the two person involved fight they fight like they were born to hate each other.

  • Metonymy – when the writer uses metonymy he/she substitutes the name of the main subject with another name that is closely related to it.

Example: “Let me give you a hand.” Meaning the person wants to help the other person.

  • Synecdoche – when a writer uses synecdoche he/she is describing a part for the whole. The writer describes the main object with its subparts.

Example: “Great wheels man.” Meaning the person has or owns a great car.

  • Personification – when a writer uses personification he/she gives human characteristics to non human subjects.

Example: “My life came screeching to a halt.” Meaning the person experienced something that made him/her fear for his/her life.

  • Litotes – when a writer uses litotes he/she uses a positive subject but means the opposite of it or the negative counterpart of it. He/she employs the use of an understatement.

Example: “She is not as young as she used to be.” Meaning the person feels old or is really old.

  • Irony – when a writer uses irony he/she is proving a point but means the exact opposite of it. There is a difference between how the poem or statement looks in general from what it wants to convey or mean.

Example: “I’m so happy that I have to work even on weekends.” This is an ironic statement because who would really want to work on weekends?

 [WpProQuiz 78]

Additional Guidelines that will help the person understand a poem

By asking the following questions a person can get a deeper understanding about a writing poetry as a way of creative writing. He/she can give the meaning to the piece of work he/she is reading or creating.

  • What

Determine what the poem is all about

  • Who

Define who is speaking in the poem

  • To Whom

Know whom the poem is talking to

  • How

Understand how the poem is written, find its meaning

  • Why

Make sense of why the writer wrote the poem in the first place


In conclusion, this lesson aims to help you gain a deeper understanding about poetry. Figures of speech can help you write a poem so try to incorporate some of these when you’re starting to create one. And try to remember the guidelines if it gets to confusing for you to understand what a poem is talking about.

[WpProQuiz 79]

Now, the next lesson will introduce you to the world of article and journalistic writing as well as blogging. Blog writing and journalistic writing aims to inform their readers regarding certain issues, it tries to give them insights and answers. All these forms of writing can either be published online or offline. Move on to the next lesson to know more about these things.


