4.1 What is Poetry

Explain what is poetry and where do poets get their ideas from

Poetry is a genre of a text in which language is used to express thoughts, ideas, and feelings using specific stylistic elements1.

Some explain poetry as a language of pictures and music. A good poet paints pictures with his words using figurative language and the music is conveyed through rhyme and rhythm2.

Let us identify the elements of poetry in the poem below.

Poets use stanzas to organise their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
Rhyming words in this poem are: near-hear; higher-choir; sing-bring; park-bark. It is important to note that not all poems rhyme.
Rhythm in a poem is like the beat in music. The rhythm enhances the overall reading experience and can give the poem a distinct sound and feel.
The theme of this poem is the beauty and liveliness of nature, specifically focusing on the sounds that trees create.

The mood of this poem is joyful and whimsical. The poem conveys a sense of delight and wonder as it describes the exciting sounds that trees make.

To gain a deeper understanding about the characteristics of poetry, watch the video given below.

vid 1.1: Characteristics of Poetry

Poets gather their ideas from various sources, including5,7:

Life Experiences: Personal encounters, events, and emotions from their own lives.
Passions: What they feel strongly about, such as hobbies, interests, and causes.
Favourite People and Places: Those who hold special significance, and locations that inspire them.
Observations: Things happening around them, like societal changes or cultural shifts.
Nature: The beauty and complexity of the natural world.

Watch the video given below to understand how poetry and prose are different from each other.

Vid 1.2: Difference between Poetry and Prose

Glossary

figurative: using words in a creative way to express deeper meanings or images
verse: a single line or a group of lines in a poem
rhyming: words having similar sounds at the end, such as ‘book’ and ‘look’
narrative poem: a poem that tells a story with characters, plot, and events
free verse: a poem without a strict rhyme or rhythm pattern
haiku: a short poem with three lines and a specific syllable pattern
limerick: a humorous poem with five lines and a rhyming pattern
symphony: a musical composition
scampering: running or moving quickly with light steps
sources: places or things where information is found

Summary:

Poetry is a genre of a text in which language is used to express thoughts, ideas, and feelings using specific stylistic elements such as stanza, line, verse, rhyme, rhythm, metre, theme and figurative language.
The following are some characteristics of poetry:

Musical Language
Condensed Language
Intense Emotions
Structure
Descriptive Language
Specific Forms
Poets get their ideas from their life experiences, their passions, favourite people and places, things happening around them, nature, food and things people would say.