TYPES OF POETRY.
Generally poems / poetry can be group into two broad types. These are:-
Traditional poetry/ closed from poem
Modem poetry / open form poem.
i) TRADITIONAL POETRY/ CLOSED FORM POEMS
these are poems which strictly follow ancient rulers and regulation of composing a poem. Rules and regulations like; balance in the number of words per stanza, rhyming pattern, rhythm and balance in the number of words in each line of every stanza.
ii) MODEM POETRY/ OPEN FORM
These are poems which are not strict as the traditional ones in obeying all the rules and regulations of composing a poem.
NB: Some of the modern poems have rhymes if you find a modern poem which has rhymes then it it is not a FREE VERSE poem because a free verse poem is a poem which has no rhyme.
Also it should be noted that, Rational and modern has nothing to do with time. A poem may be composed today and yet be regarded as Traditional poem. The vice versa is true.
However, poetry can further be categorized basing on form and content. If you categorize /classifies poem in this approach the following are the type you can have:-
i)NARRATIVE POEM
This poetry tells a story. It include other types like epic, ballad, allegory/ and simple narratives Example in Always a suspect” the poet tells us a story of one Blackman in South Africa.
In the ''Shebeen Queen'' the poet tells the story of the queen collecting her money. Etc.
ii) DIDACTIC POEM
This is a poem whose aim is to instruct the reader rather than an appeal to his imaginative understand. This poem aims at giving a lesson to the reader so as to move them (change) usually talk about political or social maters. For example. “Your pain (by Armando Gaebuza)
iii) LYRICAL POETRY
These are poems which express the thoughts and particularly the feelings of the poet. So it deals with the internal world of the poet. These can be poems of love, death, torture etc. For
instance the poem “I live you Gentle one” or 'Song of common lover” (by Ralph Botanizer and Flaring Renovo) respectively.
iv) SONNET POETRY
Is a lyric poem that contains 14 (fourteen) lines. These lines are divided into two groups. The first eight lines are called Octet and the remaining six lines are called sestet.
A good example of this is (If we must die” (by C. Mackey)
v) DESCRIPTIVE POETRY
Is a poem which tells about the outlook of or people or certain situation or events? For instance “Dying child'' (by Lwamba)
vi) BALLAD POETRY.
Is a narrative song with the recurrent refrain it is usually a song that tells a story. It’s like a drama as it is in the form of conversation, when you sing it you will find as if here are two people talking to each other in turns.
Example “Ballad of the land lords” (by Langston Auger.
Ballads are tells which touch upon they can be about legends, love passion, battles, human conflicts and even super natural events. They were most popular in the fourteenth to the seventieth century. Many popular ballads describing conflicts were composed in the 15th and 16th century and they were about the conflict between the sots and the English.
Characteristics of a Ballad
They are usual written in four line stanzas.
They are written in dramatic question and answer dialogue to raise emotion of listeners.
They often have a refrain.
Probably the Ballads developed from oral tradition (rational songs) this helps to give the narration a smooth flow and serves to intensify or to increase the dramatic; mostly the narrator remains pensive until the talk reaches its tragic climax. The narrator often refrains from making any moral comment, he doesn’t judge, he just stays there.
The audience draw their own conclusion.
Due to passage from one generation to another by word of mouth, the words sometimes change giving each ballad its variation.
vii) EPIC POETRY
This is a long narrative poem presenting characters of high position and adventures normally an epic poem has a central heroic figure whose relation with other characters develops episodes which are important to the history of a national or place.
One theory of epics claims that the first epic took shape from the scattered words of various unknown poets and through their usage in time the episodes were melded into an ordered sequence. This theory has led to the belief that an epic is a product of a single genius who gives its structure and expression.
Epics without certain authorship are called folk epics both folk and art epics share a group a of characteristics
The hero is an important figure of national or international importance and of great historical or legendary significance.
The setting is vast, covering great nations the world or the inverse.
The action consists of deeds of great or seen supernatural courage.
Supernatural forces interest themselves into the action and intervene from time to time
A style of sustained elevation and simplicity is used
6. The epic poet recounts the deeds of the hero with a measure of objectivity.
viii) ODE
Is a poem that either address a person or a thing or celebrating a certain event. For instance if one compose poem for one’s wedding.
ix) ELEGY
Is a lyric poem that expresses sadness about someone who has died so all poems composed for purpose are called ELEGY.
Generally these are some of the categories of poems as there are many ways/approaches of categorizing poems. It should be noted that one poem may fall in several kinds of poetry depending
on how one may approach it.
HOW TO COMPOSE A POEM
For a person to compose a good poem one must know all the features of poetry.
- Select a suitable title of your poem in a condensed way but gives summary of your poem.
- Know the type of the poem you are composing.
- Pack your massages in verses. Note that a verse/ line in a poem is not necessarily to be a sentence.
- Use words economically so words that are metaphorical or symbolic are inevitable. AS the poet you need to use words that you think earn best present the message you intended to
-Use imagery to appeal at least one of the five senses of organ such as touch. hears, smell, see, and test. These words are as important as they act as spices in your work.
-Reread the poem see to how it produces the rhythm.
TASK:
Compose a lyric poem.
Image credit: slideserve.com