Page 3 - BOOK VI Unit 5
P. 3
Reading and Thinking
Appreciate different forms of English poems
1 Before you read, discuss the questions with your partner.
1 Compared with other forms of literature such as the novel, drama, and the short story,
what are the characteristics of poetry?
2 Why do you think people write poems?
2 Read the text and complete the table on page 51.
A FEW SIMPLE FORMS A
OF ENGLISH POEMS
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
There are various reasons why people compose If that mockingbird won’t sing,
poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe a Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.
certain image in the reader’s mind. Others try to If that diamond ring turns to brass,
convey certain feelings such as joy and sorrow. The Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.
If that looking glass gets broke,
distinctive characteristics of poetry often include Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat.
economical use of words, descriptive and vivid If that billy goat won’t pull,
language, integrated imagery, literary devices such Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.
as similes and metaphors, and arrangement of
words, lines, rhymes, and rhythm. Poets use many B
different forms of poetry to express themselves. Only One Mother
Now we will look at a few of the simpler forms.
Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Some of the first poems a young child learns in Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
English are nursery rhymes. They are usually the Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
traditional poems or folk songs. The language of Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.
these rhymes, like Poem A, is to the point but has Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
a storyline. Many children enjoy nursery rhymes Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
because they rhyme, have a strong rhythm, and But only one mother the wide world over.
often repeat the same words. The poems may George Cooper
not make sense and even seem contradictory, but
they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with C LIFE
the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about
language. Life can be good,
Life can be bad,
One of the simplest kinds of poem is the “list Life is mostly cheerful,
poem”, which contains a list of things, people, but sometimes sad
ideas, or descriptions that develop a particular Life can be dreams,
theme. List poems have a flexible line length and Life can be great thoughts
repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a Life can mean a person,
Sitting in court.
rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B and C),
while others do not.
50 UNIT 5 POEMS
