poetry

Definition poetry

Poetry is an art form in which human
language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its
notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary work in
which language is used in a manner that is felt by its user and audience to
differ from ordinary prose.

Nature of poetry

Poetry
can
be differentiated most of the time from prose, which is language meant to convey
meaning in a more expansive and less condensed way,
frequently using more complete logical or narrative structures than poetry
does. This does not necessarily imply that poetry is illogical, but rather that
poetry is often created from the need to escape the logical, as well as expressing
feeling and other expressions in a tight, condensed manner.

Sound
in poetry

Perhaps the most vital
element of sound in poetry is rhythm. Often the rhythm of each line is arranged
in a particular meter. Different types of meter played key roles in classical,
Early European, Eastern, and Modern poetry. In this case of free verse, the
rhythm of lines is often organized into looser units of cadence.

Poetry in English and
other Modern European language often uses rhyme. Rhyme at the end of lines is
the basis of a number of common poetic forms, such as ballads, sonnets and
rhyming couplets. However, the use of rhyme is not universal.

Poetry
and form

Compared with prose,
poetry depends less on the linguistic units of sentences and paragraphs, and
more on units of organization that are purely poetic. The typical structural
elements are the line, couplet, strophe, stanza, and verse paragraph.

Poetry
and rhetoric

Rhetorical devices such
as simile or metaphor are frequently used in poetry. Indeed, Aristotle wrote in
his poetics that he greatest thing by far is to be a master metaphor”. However,
particularly since the rise of Modernism, some poets have opted for reduced use
of these devices, preferring rather to attempt the direct presentation of
things and experiences.