ELEMENTS OF  POEM

What makes a poem special?

1. Imagery :  Poems create pictures in our mind, called images. Images often refer to our sense of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. An image may describe something, or it may compare one thing to another. Images help you see something as if it is really there. We touch, hear, see, smell and taste as a mental experience when we read poems. 

2. Poetic devices : Poetic devices add richness to the language by saying some things in ways that are not ordinary. Some common poetic devices are as follow: 

2.1 Figures of speech

       2.1.1 Metaphor

       2.1.2 Simile

       2.1.3 Personification

       2.1.4 Symbol

2.2 Music and Sound

       2.2.1 Alliteration

       2.2.2 Rhyme

       2.2.3 Onomatopoeia

2.3 Choice of words

       2.3.1 Words that produce a positive or negative effect

       2.3.2 Word order

       2.3.3 Repetition of words or structure of lines

3. Subject matter : What do the poets write about.

       3.1 Nature - Poems show us what nature has to offer and help us to reflect on the power of nature.
    3.2 Life - Ask us to introspect into our being and better understand ourselves as individuals and   members of the society or the world at large.

       3.3 Shaped - Use specific shapes to help  us draw meaning from poems.

       3.4 Inspiration - Use lessons and life's observations to allow us to learn about and learn from life.

4. Theme : It is the message that the poet wants to convey. It may be the point of view as  expressed by the speaker or voice in the poem. It could also be the central idea of the poem.