Skip to main content

REPETITION in poetry


What do you do when you want to remember something? 
Do you say it to yourself again and again until you learn it? 
That’s using repetition. 
Repetition in poetry may include a word, a phrase, a line, or even a stanza the poet wants to use more than once for particular effect. We hear it, We see it. We begin to feel its presence.


When using repetition the poet must make sure that what is repeated is important to the poem, otherwise it can feel or sound overdone.

In the poem, Bully For Me, I consciously repeated the words, 'But ours left' in each stanza hoping to create a sense of relief in the mind of the reader.




Bully For Me

We had a bully at our school
I think every school has one
-But ours left
Now, I can ride to school
Relaxed

We had a bully at our school
-But ours left
And now playtime is fun again

We had a bully at our school
-But ours left
I wonder if that person is happy?
Like me and my friends 
Are now



If we want young poets to use repetition effectively we need to ensure we plan for it in our teaching of poetry.

Some Things to Consider:


  • Collect and share poems that include word play such as onomatopoeia and alliteration. Discuss how these literary techniques enhance the reader's connection to and enjoyment of the poem.
  • Alliteration enhances memorization. The young poet will be more likely to recall the words.
  • Have students investigate poetry books in order to find their own examples of alliteration and repetitive refrains. Encourage them to begin creating their own and start to use them in poems of their own. Collect examples of interesting word play in their own notebooks for later reference.
  • Create anchor charts for onomatopoeia, alliteration, words and phrases. keep these lists visible and refer to them regularly as examples that may further inform their poetry writing.
  • Develop catchy words into phrases and sentences, and consider how these special words grab our attention. the questions for the poet is, how could they be used in a poem?
  • Often these catchy words are floating in the playground. help students to think about everyday language. Encourage them to listen closely and collect these special words. Words that possess rhythm 
I recently compiled a list of some poetic phrases I found in a book I pulled from the shelf and shared them with students. I wanted them to be aware of how such gems are lying hidden on the page, waiting to be discovered by an alert reader. I adopted the guise of a text detective and went searching for phrases that could be used as repeating refrains. I can see the potential in the assembled words for use in a poem. Building a poem around a refrain becomes easier when we have identified a few catchy words.
Here is some of my treasure...


Now, that’s unusual

In the night

I have a dream
In the sky
When I was little
Oops!
In my hands
This is the shape of anger
Tucked in tight
Last time
In the ocean
That was a mistake

Let me repeat, -repetition is fun when it's not overdone.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Life Cycle -A football poem by Bruce Dawe

This poem by Australian poet Bruce Dawe epitomises the unique connection sporting tragics have to their preferred football teams, -an almost tribal allegiance. Each season supporters stare down the twin imposters- victory and defeat. They remain both loyal and hopeful of eventual triumph. This poem refers specifically to Australian Rules Football, but it's themes are universal. I share this poem on the eve of the 2017 Grand Final to decide the Premiership for this football season. My team, the Richmond Tigers have reached the play off to decide the ultimate victor. They have not contested the Grand Final match for 35 years. My hopes fly with them. This poem links two of my great loves -football and poetry... Life Cycle When children are born in Victoria they are wrapped in club-colours, laid in beribboned cots, having already begun a lifetime’s barracking. Carn, they cry, Carn … feebly at first while parents playfully tussle with them for possession of a rusk: Ah, he

Poetry Friday: The Safety Pin Poem

Poets not only write poetry, they also read poetry. In order to be able to write poetry, one must read it. Lots of poetry in fact...  I want to share a short little poem by Valerie Worth. I bought Valerie's book, 'All The Small Poems And Fourteen More,' while living and working in New York, some time back. It remains a personal favourite.  I love the way the poet shines a special light on everyday objects, transforming them into something unique and worthy of attention. Her close observations elevate her poems into the special category.  Each poem in the collection celebrates earthly wonders. From eggs to garbage, from potatoes to pockets, each object is given special attention in the form of short poems employing keen observations.  Valerie Worth demonstrates through her poems she totally understands the saying-'ideas exist in things.'  The poem I have chosen to share with you (one of my personal favourites) is titled, 'Safety Pin'. S af

Opposite Poems

O pp o s ite P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not e