Module 4 Lessons: Free Verse

9. Free Verse

Lesson 55

Free Verse

ï¿½PhotoDisc Collection/Getty Images

When some students consider poetry, they have difficulty distinguishing between traditional poems and free verse. Are you one of them? For example, do you believe that the difference between free verse and traditional verse is that one rhymes and the other doesn't? If you do, you would be incorrect. Some free verse does contain rhyme.

So, what are the major differences between these two types of poetry?

The differences are simple. As you learned in Lesson 1 of this module, blank verse, a form of traditional poetry, contains a consistent pattern of line length and metre—iambic pentameter. The blank in its name refers to the fact that there are usually no rhymes. There may be an occasional rhyme, but there is no distinct rhyming pattern.

Free verse, on the other hand, is free of any restriction in terms of line length. There may be a line consisting of one or two words preceded or followed by a line of many more words. The meaning and purpose of the poem—and not a formal structure—determine how many words or vowels occur in a line.

Free verse, too, may feature an occasional rhyme, but—once again—there is no rhyming pattern and no consistency to the lengths of the rhyming lines.

Brandon: So, if a poem has a noticeable pattern in the number of syllables per line or in the placement of rhymes, it's a traditional poem?

Mr. Haas: Right.

Chelsea: I used to think I understood the difference between prose and poetry. Poems rhyme and have rhythm and pattern; prose is the way we normally talk. Well, who thought up this free verse? It has no rhyme, no rhythm, and no pattern. It sounds like prose. Is it a legitimate form of poetry?

Mr. Haas: Yes, it is. Many poets, especially modern poets, use free verse.

Lin: Maybe free verse was invented by someone who didn't have enough talent to write traditional poetry.

Mr. Haas: A lot of people would agree with you—even the poet Robert Frost. He had little patience or respect for people who wrote free verse. He once said, "Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down."

Dominic: I like that simile. It means that there's no challenge when anything goes. We need something like rules or a net to make us work harder.

Brandon: There's a similar idea in that story —"Lysandra's Poem." It spoke so strongly against free verse. It's on page 129 in Sightlines 10.

Of course I was a shoo-in to win the contest. Miss Alexander, the vice-principal, was about 200 years old, and had no truck with any kind of verse that didn't rhyme and wasn't of the jig-a jig-a jig variety. I had often heard her speak scathingly of free verse: "the lazy poet's way of avoiding a lot of hard work," . . . .

Mr. Haas: That reinforces how critical some people are of free verse. But these critics may fail to realize that freeing poetry from rigid rules puts greater emphasis on thought and expression. The poet's voice can be more natural and honest and can communicate more directly with the audience.

1. Give three reasons why the following poem cannot be considered an example of free verse.

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
When along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Are you ready to read a free-verse poem? Before you do, complete the following journal entry.

Journal Entry

Many young people today go to great extremes to express their individuality. They seem to desperately need to assert that they're different and unique. These individuals are unwilling to conform to society's rules or expectations of them. They're nonconformists!

To what extent are you a nonconformist? Do you know anybody who could only be described as a nonconformist?

If so, describe some of the things that you or the nonconformists you know have done in an attempt to be different.

If you don't know anybody personally who is a nonconformist, you may describe famous people such as pop or movie stars who fit into that category.

ï¿½2002 www.clipart.com

Nonconformists are sometimes called "black sheep." Are you familiar with this expression? Can you think of other expressions that are used to describe nonconformists?

Now turn to page 31 of Sightlines 10 and read the poem "Nonconformist," written by Angela Shelf Medearis.

Did You Know?

Did you know that the poem "Nonconformist" comes from a collection of poems? It's entitled Skin Deep and Other Teenage Reflections.

Harcourt, Inc.

The poems, written by American writer Angela Shelf Medearis, are actually a series of monologues spoken by a variety of teenagers. The themes explore many issues and concerns that teenagers face today, such as self-image, differences of opinion with family and peers, life choices, family break-up, and stereotyping.

Many of the poems are illustrated with drawings. Do you think that this is the kind of book that you would want to read? If so, check your library or order it from your local bookstore.

2. What did you think of this poem? Did you like or dislike it? Explain.

3. If the speaker walked into a crowded room of conservative adults, what might they think of this person? Would they be correct in describing her as a nonconformist?

4. Provide three reasons why this poem could be considered a free-verse poem.

Writing a Free-Verse Poem

You've increased your understanding of poetry and your appreciation of poetic form and techniques. Now it's time to try your hand once again at writing a poem of your own.

Your assignment is to write a free-verse poem on any subject that you like. Your poem should be approximately one to two pages in length. Remember that since it's free verse, you need not include rhyme. You may incorporate the occasional rhyme, but there should be no detectable pattern to your rhyming.

Following are a few practical ideas to guide you through the stages of the writing process as it applies to poetry.

Prewriting Strategies

Finding an idea for a poem is sometimes difficult. If you experience problems in this area, try one or more of the methods that follow:

• Ask yourself questions that prompt personal reflections. Examples follow:

_ What once made me angry?
_ What once made me sad?
_ What did I once argue about?
_ What is a moment in my life that's memorable?

• Open a thesaurus to any page. Examine the words and pick a highly connotative one to develop within a poem. Give yourself a period of five or ten minutes in which to write poetically.

• Find a magazine or other source of photographs of people. Choose a picture that interests you and plan a poem with one of the people pictured as speaker.

• Pick a topic from the list that follows, or come up with a similar topic of your own creation:

_ Describe your favourite—or least favourite—food.
_ Step away from yourself, and imagine yourself as something different. Capture a moment in your new life, and describe it in a poem.
_ Imagine yourself an abandoned house. In a poem, describe a special moment in the life of the family who once lived within your walls.

ï¿½2002 www.clipart.com

Once you've got your idea, the next thing is to start writing. Here are a few tricks you might use to get started. Remember that you don't have to use all of them. Use only the ones that you consider helpful.

Write your idea at the top of your page. Give yourself five or ten minutes to write as quickly as you can whatever words or phrases spring to mind as you think about the topic. What you come up with can later be molded into a poem.
Construct a web or concept map with your topic as the central focus. Again, this will give you a bank of words and phrases that can serve as the basis for a poem.
Write a descriptive paragraph in prose about your topic. Then circle the most effective words in the paragraph. Rework these words later into a poem.
Write your poem idea at the top of a page and draw six boxes. Label the boxes with the five senses and the "sixth sense" of movement—the kinesthetic sense. Give yourself about five minutes to write in each box words or phrases that are associated with the corresponding sense and that relate to your topic.
Try composing your poem orally into a tape recorder or other recording device. Have fun as you do this, playing around with the words that occur to you. Then listen to your recording and write down the phrases you like best. Rework them later into a poem.

Writing the First Draft

You've just been given a number of suggestions for coming up with an idea for your poem. Use whatever methods that work for you to craft your ideas into poetic form. As you write, try to keep the following points in mind:

Give yourself a tight time frame. You'll have time later to revise and polish.
Be as concrete and specific as you can. Use details, not abstract concepts.
Consider writing in the present tense. This can add power to your poem.
Try to organize your poem so that the most powerful idea or image occurs at the very end.

Revising Your Draft

Revising a poem is often best done with the help of another person. At this stage, you should reflect on what you've written, and a fresh set of eyes—or ears—can help immeasurably. Because poems are personal, however, many writers hesitate to share their work with others—at least not until they think it's good enough. If you must, revise your poem alone; but try to overcome your natural hesitation and recruit a family member, friend, or classmate to comment on your poem. Of course, this works best if you can return the favour and help revise your partner's poem.

ï¿½PhotoDisc Collection/Getty Images

If you have a partner, read your rough draft aloud. Then ask your partner a question about it. When your partner has replied, he or she should go on to ask you a question about it. Keep exchanging meaningful questions this way until you feel you've discussed the poem thoroughly; then take back any new insights or ideas and rework your poem accordingly. Repeat this process for your partner's poem.

Editing Your Poem

Editing and proofreading can also be done with a partner, but you can work through this stage on your own if you're careful and know your areas of weakness. It might be helpful to use a checklist with questions like the following:

Is my spelling correct?
Is my punctuation correct and effective?
Is my use of capitalization correct and necessary?
Is my grammar correct?
Is my diction precise and effective?

Of course, the usual rules of sentence structure and punctuation can be applied rather more loosely to poetry than to prose writing; emphasis can often be achieved by breaking the usual rules. This is what was referred to earlier as poetic licence. Similarly, line breaks can be used effectively to achieve emphasis and to create unusual effects. If you decide to disregard the usual conventions of punctuation and sentence structure, be sure you have a good reason for doing so.

Preparing Your Final Draft

Once you've written, revised, shared, and edited your poem, it's time to prepare a final draft. You'll be asked later in your Assignment Booklet to submit this poem for evaluation purposes.

It's recommended that you use a word processor to prepare your final draft. Retype your edited draft carefully. Proofread it one more time, and perhaps ask a friend or family member to check it over for errors. Pat yourself on the back and celebrate. You're officially a poet!

In this lesson, you completed your study of the forms and structures of poetry by looking at the differences between blank verse and free verse. You then considered a number of strategies designed to help you write your own free-verse poem.

ï¿½PhotoDisc Collection/Getty Images

Lesson Glossary

dramatic monologue: a poem that features a speaker addressing a silent audience
free verse: poetry that does not contain an identifiable rhythmic pattern or rhyme scheme