Concrete Poem. A concrete poem, or shape poem, is one with a shape that suggests its subject. Poets develop concrete poems as visual images of the words they contain. Concrete poems can convey powerful images using few words. What image does the shape of “the / sky / was” suggest?
Imagery. Taken together, the images in a poem or passage are called its imagery. What imagery is in the following poem?
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• E. E. Cummings is famous for breaking the rules of grammar and punctuation. For example, he always spelled his name in all lowercase letters (e. e. cummings). In addition, his titles use only lowercase letters. What other rules does he break in this poem? What does he achieve by doing so?
• Science Connection. Kaleidoscopes are optical devices that use mirrors and brightly colored beads to create colorful patterns. The viewer looks through a hole in one end of a tube and light enters the other end through translucent glass or plastic. The light reflects images—created by a pattern of the beads—off the mirrors inside the tube. As the tube rotates, the beads move and change the pattern. Some kaleidoscopes have transparent glass on the outside of the nonviewing end, allowing the images to be seen from the outside as well.
The following are examples of simple concrete poems. Using a simple word or passage, create a concrete poem of your own.
How would you complete the following sentence? The sky was ______________.
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