When you think of the word, "anatomy", what do you think? The parts and pieces of the something? The who's, what's, and why's of a whole? Or simply science? All of these answers are correct and can be applied to poetry. The "anatomy" of a poem is vast and complex, sort of life that of a human body. The anatomy of a human takes several semesters in college to fully understand, so why would poetry be any different?
Humans are made of atoms, molecules, cells, blood, bones, muscles, skin, a soul, an aura-- all of these attributes can be applied to poetry. This breakdown will serve a beginner's guide to the anatomy of a poem.
Each poetic element from top to bottom:
Persona: This is like the mask or character the poet takes on when writing the poem. It’s the "person" or voice telling the poem, which might be different from the poet themselves.
Tone & Mood:
- Tone is the attitude or feeling the poet has about the subject, like whether they sound happy, sad, angry, or serious.
- Mood is the feeling that the poem creates in you as a reader, like whether it makes you feel joyful, somber, or reflective.
Voice & Speaker:
- Voice refers to the unique style and way the poet writes, like their personality showing through the words.
- Speaker is the character or narrator "speaking" in the poem, who might be the poet or a fictional character.
Sound: This is how the poem’s words flow and how they sound when read aloud, including elements like rhyme, rhythm, and repetition that make the poem musical or catchy.
Meaning & Message:
- Meaning is what the poem is about at its core—the ideas, emotions, or concepts it explores.
- Message is the main point or lesson the poet wants to communicate to the reader.
Body & Form:
- Body refers to the structure of the poem—the length, shape, and organization of lines and stanzas.
- Form is the type or style of the poem, like whether it’s a sonnet, haiku, or free verse.
Figurative Language: These are creative ways poets use words to paint pictures or convey deeper meanings, like using metaphors, similes, and personification.
Audience: This is who the poem is written for, or who the poet imagines will read the poem.
Diction: This is the poet’s choice of words and how they use them to create specific effects or evoke certain feelings.
Theme: The big idea or main subject of the poem, like love, nature, or loss. It’s what the poem is really about at a deeper level.
Meter: This is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the poem, like the beat in a song that gives the poem its rhythm.
Syntax: This is the way words and phrases are arranged in the poem, like how sentences are structured to create a certain effect or flow.
All of these elements contribute to the overall anatomy of a poem. They give the poem life and allow it to stand apart from other forms of literature. Even if you're unaware, your poems contain most, if not all, of the aforementioned elements.
Just like a human is composed of parts that make up a whole, the same is true about a poem. Use this guide as building blocks for your next poem.
As always, read more poems. Write more poems. Share more poems. Find more poets to love. And: write intentionally.
love & godspeed,
nakayla monét.
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