Figure of Speech. A figure of speech is a statement that has more than a straightforward, literal meaning. Hyperbole, metaphor, personification, and simile are examples of figures of speech. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another. A metaphor invites the reader to make a comparison between the two things. Sometimes a metaphor is directly stated: Love is a red rose. Other times, a description alone makes the comparison: That song always leaps from inside me and gallops around in circles, restless and eager. What metaphors can you find in “Poetry”? What two things does “How to Eat a Poem” compare?
Free Verse. Free verse is poetry that does not use regular rhyme, rhythm, meter, or division into stanzas. Read both poems out loud. Listen to the rhythm created by natural speech. How would you describe the rhythm of “Poetry”? How would you describe the rhythm of “How to Eat a Poem”?
Image and Imagery. An image is language that creates a concrete representation of an object or experience. An image is also the vivid mental picture created in the reader’s mind by that language. The images in a literary work are referred to, when considered all together, as the work’s imagery. As you read “Poetry,” notice the words or phrases that Giovanni uses to describe poetry, poets, and poems. Make a cluster chart like the one shown in the graphic organizer at right. In the center of your cluster chart write poetry. Around it write words or phrases from the poem that describe poetry. Circle the descriptive words or phrases and connect the circles with lines. Make a similar cluster chart for “How to Eat a Poem.”
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• Free verse originated among French poets in the late 1800s. The French poets wanted to use the rhythms found in natural speech. This was achieved by writing lines of different lengths and meter. The lines in these poems usually did not rhyme.
• “Poetry,” like poems by many writers, focuses on the poet’s craft. “How to Eat a Poem” focuses on the reader of the poem. Successful poets love words and language. Some express their thoughts about language and poetry in a poem, reflecting on how they communicate through their art. Although a good poem may seem natural or simple, most are the end result of writing, crossing out, starting over, scribbling, and rewriting. As poet John Frederick Nims says, “Most writers work hard over their lines to make it seem they have not worked at all.”
What images would you use to describe your favorite poem?
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