WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF POETRY?

For latest job updates visit https://recruitmentportalngr.com/

INTRODUCTION

As we have established in previous articles, poetry is one of the major genres of literature and in order for us have a proper understanding of its nature, it is necessary for us to possess an adequate knowledge of the elements or salient features that differentiate/distinguish it from the other two literary genres – the novel/prose fiction and drama. These elements which constitute the tools by which poets convey the thoughts and experiences they wish to communicate include: imagery; rhythm; sound; diction. They are the very essence of poetic study or criticism and a full comprehension of their meaning and functions in the realisation of the total experience of any poem is of paramount importance.

Imagery

In simple terms, imagery is a collective term used to denote the images in a poem or all the objects and qualities of sense perception in a poem. In other words, it is a language that represents sense experience as graphically as possible. Thus it is the sensory content of a poem or a literary work in general that is meant to evoke a picture or an idea in the mind of a reader or the audience, in the case of poetry. You must have had this experience on occasions when you read a poem and images or pictures of the ideas and objects described or mentioned in the lines appeared in your mind’s eye or are flashed on the mirror of your mind; you seemed to have seen these pictures right before you on the page or in the spaces in front of you.

Due to this power of imagery in poetry, poets utilise it to achieve the following important effects in their works:

  • Arouse specific emotions in the reader or audience of their poems
  • Create beauty which is an important quality of poetry
  • Communicate thoughts
  • Achieve concretion of life experiences and ideas that are otherwise abstract

Accordingly, it is through imagery that the sense impressions and experiences evoked in a poem acquire necessary vividness and clarity.

The following are the main types of imagery that you would always find used either individually or in combination by poets in their works:

  • Auditory

This is the type of imagery, words or cluster of words that evoke the sense of hearing or a specific sound. Quite often, the auditory image manifests through the figure of sound known as onomatopoeia, that is a combination of words whose sound seems to resemble or echo the sound it denotes: “hum”, “murmur”, “bang”, “crack”, “hiss”, “screech” “hoot”. Examples of the use of auditory imagery are the following excerpts from JP Clark’s “Night Rain” and Niyi Osundare’s “Raindrum”:

  1. It is drumming hard here

         And I suppose everywhere

        Droning with insistent ardour upon

Our roof thatch and shed (Clark)

  1. The roof sizzle at the waking touch,

Talkative like kettledrums

Tightened by the iron fingers of drought

(Osundare, “Raindrum”)

  1. Then the priest commanding

Intones the charge, and the latest

Instruments of slaughter stutter out

A message mortal…

(Clark, “Benin Sacrifice”)

A sensitive reading of the first two excerpts above by you would definitely make you ‘hear’ the drumming, droning, sizzling and talkative drops of the rain that sound like kettledrums on the thatch roof of the personae’s abodes as well as on the dessicated earth “licked clean by the fiery tongue of drought”. In the third excerpt, the sound of the machine guns (‘instruments of slaughter’) is mimicked or conveyed through the onomatopoeic word “stutter”. The sound of the drum beat is common to both poets’ realisation of the experience conveyed in their poems. You will agree that the sense of hearing they express is what you are conversant with and would easily appreciate.

Olfactory

Images of this type evoke our sense of smell whether sweet, pungent, fragrant,

etc. An example of this is:

  1. The air was heavy with odours

Of diarrhoea of unwashed children

  1. ‘ARE YOU

LIGHT

OR VERY DARK?’ Button B. Button A. Stench

Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.

The lines “odours of diarrhoea of unwashed children” and “stench of rancid breath” virtually transport the reader, through his or her imagination, to the settings of the poems and make one a co-perceiver of the odours described by the poets.

  • Tactile

This refers to the images that appeal to one’s sense of touch. A good example of this is the memorable line from James Shirley’s poem “The Glories of our Blood and State”:

Death lays his icy hand on kings (Reeves 104).

This line makes someone feel by imagination the cold hand of death as it seizes its victim. You must have often read in obituary announcements the mention or reference to the “cold hands of death” that have snatched away a loved one; this expression accentuates the sense of touch by the use of “icy” to underscore the coldness of death.

A similar poetic process takes place in these lines from Okinba Launko’s poem titled “Separation”, where the coldness and aloneness of separation of people, probably former lovers, are given a concrete approximation in the comparison/simile in the two last lines of the following quotation:

So welcome again,

The old loneliness. I hear you spring awake and hiss,

Cold as the touch of steel

In a harmattan night; (p. )

The combination of “cold” and “harmattan nights” in the above lines, no doubt, sends a familiar feeling through your mind and body; the harmattan season is associated with the cold draught of the wind that blows from the Sahara Desert and most of us have felt it.

  • Gustatory

The images that evoke our sense of taste go by this name.

  1. I like to see it lap the miles

         And lick the valleys up,

And stop to feed itself at tanks

And then prodigious step

(Emily Dickinson )

  1. My husband’s tongue

is bitter like the roots of the

Lyono lily

…….. …….. ………

It is ferocious

like the poison of a barren

Woman

And corrosive like the juice of

the gourd

( p’Bitek Song of Lawino )

  • Visual

Quite often our sense of sight or vision is evoked by merely reading lines of poetry where a poet has effectively utilised words or language that effectively create appropriate pictures in the reader’s mind. Such resultant images are referred to as visual images or imagery; for example:

…. …. children

With washed-out ribs and dried-up

Bottoms struggling in laboured

Steps behind blown empty bellies

(Achebe Beware Soul Brother )

On reading these lines, one cannot help but visualise in his mind a picture of emaciated children – the sad relics of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war of the nineteen sixties; the children are mere ghosts of their former selves: their erstwhile robust bodies have now turned skeletal and their bottoms are shrivelled and all these physical changes accentuate the “blown empty bellies”, symptomatic of kwashiorkor.

  • Kinaesthetic

Kinaesthetic imagery refers to those images that call forth in the mind of the reader the perception of movement. In other words, these are images that appeal to the reader’s sense of movement or motion. Examples of this type of imagery are:

  1. And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever

It flung up momently the sacred river.

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion

Through wood and dale the sacred river ran.

Then reached the caverns measureless to man,

And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:

Coleridge “Kubla Khan” (Reeves 177)

  1. From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind

Turning

Sharply

Here and there

Like a plague of locust

Whirling

Tossing up things on its tail

Like a madman chasing nothing

Download all job past questions & answers here to get ahead of others in getting that your dream job – Download here now!

126 Comments

  1. Thank you for another great article. The place else could anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect
    way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and
    I am on the search for such information.

  2. Hey there! I realize this is kind of off-topic but I had to
    ask. Does building a well-established website like yours take a massive amount work?
    I’m brand new to blogging but I do write in my journal daily.
    I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my personal experience and views online.
    Please let me know if you have any kind of suggestions or tips for brand new aspiring blog owners.
    Appreciate it!

  3. Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for
    your weblog. You have some really great posts and I believe I
    would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some
    of the load off, I’d love to write some material for your
    blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested.

    Thanks!

  4. We’re a gaggle of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme
    in our community. Your website provided us with valuable information to work on. You’ve performed a formidable activity
    and our entire community will probably be thankful to you.

  5. I am really loving the theme/design of your web site.
    Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility issues?
    A few of my blog visitors have complained about my blog not
    operating correctly in Explorer but looks
    great in Safari. Do you have any ideas to help fix this problem?

  6. Thanks for any other informative site. The place else could I am getting that kind of info written in such a perfect approach?
    I have a mission that I am simply now working on, and I’ve been at the glance out
    for such information.

  7. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though
    you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your site when you could be giving
    us something enlightening to read?

  8. On one hand, upbringing emphasized the importance of stability and financial independence. On the other hand, a strong sense of social responsibility instilled by volunteer experiences during college pulls towards contributing to positive change in society.

  9. Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a 30 foot drop, just
    so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views.
    I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!

  10. Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
    I mean, what you say is fundamental and all.

    Nevertheless think about if you added some great pictures
    or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”!
    Your content is excellent but with images and clips, this website could
    definitely be one of the greatest in its field.
    Very good blog!

  11. Hey! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?
    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months
    of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any methods to protect against hackers?

  12. With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues
    of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website
    has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it looks
    like a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without
    my authorization. Do you know any methods to help stop content from being ripped off?
    I’d genuinely appreciate it.

  13. Hello there! This is my first visit to your blog! We
    are a team of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
    Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!

  14. Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared
    to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked
    while people think about worries that they plainly don’t
    know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out
    the whole thing without having side-effects ,
    people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more.
    Thanks

  15. Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog.
    Is it hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast.
    I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any points or suggestions?

    Many thanks

  16. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up anything new
    from right here. I did however expertise a few technical issues using this web site, as I experienced to reload the website many
    times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK?
    Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and
    could damage your high-quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.

    Well I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for
    a lot more of your respective fascinating content. Make sure you update this again soon.

  17. I know this site gives quality based articles or reviews
    and additional data, is there any other web page which provides these information in quality?

  18. Hi, I do think this is a great blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to come back
    once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is
    the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to
    help others.

  19. Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and
    i was just curious if you get a lot of spam remarks? If so how do you prevent it, any
    plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad
    so any support is very much appreciated.

  20. What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web page on a regular basis, this site is actually pleasant and the users are in fact sharing pleasant thoughts.

  21. An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been conducting a little
    homework on this. And he in fact ordered me lunch simply because I discovered
    it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!!
    But yeah, thanx for spending the time to discuss this topic here
    on your web site.

  22. Hi, I do think this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I may
    come back yet again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the
    greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.

  23. Magnificent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog web site?
    The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea

  24. I get pleasure from, lead to I discovered exactly
    what I used to be having a look for. You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt!
    God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye

  25. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied
    on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking
    about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us
    something enlightening to read?

  26. Good day! This is my first visit to your blog!

    We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community
    in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a
    marvellous job!

  27. Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you’re a great author.
    I will make sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back from now on. I want to encourage you continue your great posts,
    have a nice evening!

  28. Hello terrific website! Does running a blog such as this take a lot of work?
    I have no expertise in coding but I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyhow,
    should you have any recommendations or tips for new blog
    owners please share. I know this is off subject however I just
    needed to ask. Thanks!

  29. Hello there, You’ve done a fantastic job. I’ll definitely
    digg it and personally recommend to my friends.
    I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.

  30. Hi, Neat post. There is a problem along with your web site in web explorer, would
    test this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a
    good part of other people will pass over your magnificent writing because of
    this problem.

  31. Excellent pieces. Keep writing such kind of information on your page.
    Im really impressed by your site.
    Hi there, You have done an excellent job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends.
    I’m sure they will be benefited from this website.

  32. I’m not sure where you are getting your info, but great
    topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.
    Thanks for excellent information I was looking for this info for my mission.

  33. Hey this is kind of of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if
    you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a
    blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance
    from someone with experience. Any help would be
    greatly appreciated!

  34. Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it
    to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
    There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.

    She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but
    I had to tell someone!

  35. Everyone loves what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever work and coverage!
    Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve added you guys to our blogroll.

  36. Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your site.
    You have some really great articles and I think
    I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write
    some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.

    Please shoot me an email if interested. Thank you!

  37. I believe people who wrote this needs true loving because it’s
    a blessing. So let me give back and give my value on change your life
    and if you want to seriously get to hear I will share info about
    how to get connected to girls easily and quick Don’t forget..

    I am always here for yall. Bless yall!

  38. When someone writes an piece of writing he/she retains the plan of a user
    in his/her brain that how a user can understand it.
    So that’s why this article is amazing. Thanks!

  39. I do agree with all the ideas you have offered to your post.

    They’re very convincing and can definitely
    work. Still, the posts are too short for beginners. May
    you please prolong them a little from next time?
    Thanks for the post.

  40. An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been doing a
    little research on this. And he in fact ordered me lunch
    because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this….

    Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to talk about this
    topic here on your website.

  41. Hey terrific website! Does running a blog such as this require a great deal of work?
    I have no expertise in coding but I was hoping to start my own blog soon.
    Anyhow, should you have any ideas or techniques for
    new blog owners please share. I understand this is off topic nevertheless
    I just needed to ask. Thanks a lot!

  42. Hey terrific website! Does running a blog similar to this take a lot of work?
    I have very little expertise in programming however I was hoping to start my
    own blog soon. Anyway, should you have any ideas or tips
    for new blog owners please share. I know this is off subject
    but I just had to ask. Kudos!

  43. LAVITA RICCA INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT*
    ♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
    ♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
    *NO MORE EXCUSES*

    1. I don’t have money
    2. I can’t talk to people
    3. I don’t do stuff like this
    4. I’m too Busy

    Your excuses may be legit but they won’t improve your Life.

    • *Lavita Ricca Investment is Fully Registered with with FGN. with RC NO 1582489( For those Who Think Lavita Ricca is Not Registered)* *Contact Administrator Management Mrs. Elizabeth Tina On *(09036369810)

    *Lavita Ricca Investment is a platform network that deal with investing of money just within 45 minutes you will get back your money double*

    ?phone=+2349036369810

    *Lavita Ricca PACKAGE’S*

    *N20,000====N40,000*
    *N40,000====N80,000*
    *N50,000====N100,000*
    *N100,000====N200,000*
    *N200,000 ====N400,000*
    *N400,000====N800,000*
    *======== = = ========*

    *I know you are skeptical about this because of the negative experience a lot of issues as regards scamming in the MMM. I assure you 101% that you won’t lose your money this is because I know the risk of this profit oriented business and I know how to avoid them using my trading skills and signals to make only wins and no losses.*

    *Are u a worker?*

     *Are u a student looking for your school fees? Are u a woman looking for money to pay your children school fees?*

     *Are u jobless and u need where u can make source of income?*..

     *Lavita Ricca Investment is here for you! With a little amount u can earn and make more more source of income without any problems*

     *Lavita Ricca Investment is a platform network that deal with investing of money just within 45mins you will get back your money double*
    *Thank you for your time you can click on the link below to get started, please only serious minded people are expected to message the administrator.( 09036369810 )

  44. *LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT PROGRAM*
    ♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
    ♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
    *NO MORE EXCUSES*

    1. I don’t have money
    2. I can’t talk to people
    3. I don’t do stuff like this
    4. I’m too Busy

    Your excuses may be legit but they won’t improve your Life.

    • *LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT PROGRAM is Fully Registered with CAC. WHICH IS COOPERATE AFFAIR COMMISSION( For those Who Think LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT is Not Registered)*

    *LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT PROGRAM is a platform network that deal with investing of money just within 45mins you will get back your money double*

    CONTACT:- +2349036369810

    *LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT PROGRAM PACKAGE’S*

    *N20,000====N40,000*

    *N30, 000====N60,000*
    *N50,000====N100,000*

    *N100,000====N200,000*

    *N200,000 ====N400,000*

    *N400,000====N800,000*

    *==============*

    *I know you are skeptical about this because of the negative experience a lot of issues as regards scamming in the global world. I assure you 101% that you won’t lose your money this is because I know the risk of this profit oriented business and I know how to avoid them using my trading skills and signals to make only wins and no losses.*

    *Are u a worker?*

    ♊ *Are u a student looking for your school fees? Are u a woman looking for money to pay your children school fees?*

    ♊ *Are u jobless and u need where u can make source of income?*

    ♊ *LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT PROGRAM is here for you! With a little amount u can earn and make more more source of income without any problems*

    ♊ *LAVITA RICCA INVESTMENT PROGRAM is a platform network that deal with investing of money just within 45mins you will get back your money double*
    *Thank you for your time you can click on the link below to get started, please only serious minded People are expected to message the administrator.*..

    CONTACT NAME Mrs. ELIZABETH TINA
    CONTACT:- 09036369810

  45. GOOD DAY SIR/MA

    HAVE YOU HELD ABOUT RICH CONNECT TRUST INVESTMENT…?

    RICH CONNECT TRUST INVESTMENT is a matrix system which give you DOUBLE of your CAPITAL back in ( 45 Minutes ) after Registrations

    RICH CONNECT PACKAGES
    N20,000——N40,000
    N40,000——N80,000
    N50,000——N100,000
    N100,000—–N200,000
    N150,000—–N350,000
    N300,000—–N600,000
    N200,000—–N400,000
    N400,000—–N800,000
    N500,000—–N1,000,000

    NOTE: we credit your account after 45mins of Your Registeration
    INTRODUCTION
    RICH CONNECT TRUST Investment is a company duely registered under the Coporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria and certified fraud free to do business in Nigeria by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This is a Nigerian network marketing company founded by Okafor Alex Monye with it’s Head Quarter’s. The company takes pride in the fact that it stands out amongst other network marketing companies. It has the best compensation plan, affordable and effective services, systems that keeps her customers coming back for more. When you join this company, you get more than their outstanding services.

    07046246360

    ITS SIMPLE HERE!!!!!!!
    We trade with hard currency here like bit coin we make 3tripple of your donation and send you you two part and we benefit one part Example if you invest with 100k within 45mins we make profit of 300k then send 200k to you then profit 100k This is not mmm where they merge people to donate for each other
    You pay directly to us and we credit you directly

    Contact Mr. GOODLUCK TIMOTHY
    07046246360

    NOTE:- YOU GET CREDITED BACK IN LESS THAN 45 MINUTES.

    CHAT US-UP IF INTEREST FILL YOUR FORM AND START EARNING

    NOTE: You can finish reading this and decide not to take the necessary actions, but the next time you want to complain about not having money, just know that you are on your own problem.

Leave a Reply to Goodluck Timothy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.


*