Free-Verse Poetry

What is Free-Verse?
A definition: Verse composed of variable, usually unrhymed lines having no fixed metrical pattern First used in the Bible

Elements of Free-Verse
Assonance Alliteration Parallel Structure Imagery Onomatopoeia Cadence

Assonance
The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil

Practice assonance
Examine the picture on the right. Write a few lines describing what you see, using assonance

Alliteration
The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable

Practice alliteration
Last names ending in A-M:
Write a short description of a small child eating a melting ice cream cone, using alliteration.

Last names ending in N-Z:

Write a short description of a bull rider getting ready to come out of the chute, using alliteration.

Share your work with a partner!

Parallel Structure
The repetition of single words or phrases:
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same

Practice parallel structure

Use the words tightly woven, ugly, hammer, over, and I think to myself to write a few lines using parallel structure.

Imagery
The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas Using sensory language to create mental images
I clutch the rails of the fence, my gore dribs, thinnd with the ooze of my skin

Practice imagery
You have thirty seconds to view the picture on the following slide. Then, use imagery to re-create the scene in your own free-verse poem.

Onomatopoeia
The formation or use of words such as buzz or bang that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

Practice onomatopoeia
A poem titled When Carly Eats Spaghetti is on the following slide. As you read it, write down words that are examples of onomatopoeia.

When Carly Eats Spaghetti When Carly eats spaghetti, She chomps and gobbles and slurps, The spaghetti disappears with a whoosh Sauce slapping and smacking Round her chops. She scrapes the toast round the plate Crunching, grinding every mouthful. She burps, gurgles and leaves the table!

Cadence
The rhythmic rising and falling of the voice when speaking or reading poetry.

Practice cadence
Listen to the following speech by Shirley Chisholm, the first AfricanAmerican woman elected to Congress. Notice her use of cadence. Click on link below to hear speech. http://www.history.com/m edia.do?action=clip&id=sp eech_48

Examples of Free-Verse

Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman

Examples of Free-Verse

Dylan Thomas- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Examples of Free-Verse

Marianne MooreThe Fish

Examples of Free-Verse

Langston HughesI, Too, Sing America