Lesson 1: Forms and Types of Poetry

🟦 Introduction

When you read or listen to a poem, what do you notice first? Is it the way it flows, the feelings it stirs, or the story it tells? Poetry is a powerful way of expressing ideas, emotions, and stories using creative language, rhythm, and structure. In this lesson, we’ll explore the forms and types of poetry, which are essential to understanding any poem you encounter in the WASSCE exam. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to identify whether a poem is lyrical, narrative, or dramatic, and recognize whether it’s a sonnet, ballad, elegy, or ode—and why that matters.

🟩 Key Concepts and Explanations

1. What is Poetry?

Poetry is a form of literature that emphasizes the aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language. Unlike prose, poetry pays close attention to word choice, structure, sound, and emotional impact. Poets often use literary devices like imagery, symbolism, and figurative language to convey complex ideas in just a few words.

💡 Think of poetry as painting with words—every word has a purpose, and together they create a picture, emotion, or experience.

2. Forms of Poetry (Broad Categories)

Each poem belongs to a form, which describes the overall structure and purpose of the poem.

✔️ Key Features:

• Lyric poems focus on the inner feelings of the speaker.

• Narrative poems have a storyline and often follow a chronological order.

• Dramatic poems resemble a scene from a play, with direct speech and conflict.

3. Types of Poems (Specific Styles Within Forms)

Let’s explore some common types of poems you might see in WASSCE. These types usually fall under the broader forms mentioned above:

✔️ Examples:

• Sonnet: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 – “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

• Elegy: “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray

• Ballad: “La Belle Dame sans Merci” by John Keats

• Epic: “Paradise Lost” by John Milton

4. Differences Between Form and Type

• Form = the overall structure and purpose (lyric, narrative, dramatic)

• Type = the specific style of poem based on topic, tone, or tradition (sonnet, elegy, etc.)

💡 Think of it like this: Form is the general genre, type is the specific flavor.

🧭 Step-by-Step Sample Walkthrough: Analyzing a Poem

Excerpt:
“I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o’er vales and hills…” — William Wordsworth

1. Who is speaking? – The poet (first-person speaker)

2. What is the emotion? – Peace, wonder, solitude

3. What form is this poem? – Lyric (expresses personal feeling)

4. What type is it? – Ode (praising nature)

🟨 Practice Exercises

Exercise A: Match the Poem Type

Match each description to the correct poem type.

✅ Answers:

• (a) → 2. Ode

• (b) → 3. Sonnet

• (c) → 1. Elegy

• (d) → 4. Ballad

Exercise B: Classify the Poem

Read the excerpt and answer the questions:

“Because I could not stop for Death— / He kindly stopped for me—”
— Emily Dickinson

Questions:

1. What form is this poem?

2. What type is it likely to be?

3. What emotion is expressed?

✅ Answers:

1. Lyric – expresses the poet’s reflection on death.

2. Elegy – deals with death and the passage of life.

3. A mix of calm acceptance and philosophical thought.

🔁 Recap

Let’s summarize what you’ve learned:

• Poems are grouped by form (overall purpose/structure) and type (specific style).

• The three main forms of poetry are lyric, narrative, and dramatic.

• There are many types of poems, such as sonnets, odes, ballads, elegies, and free verse.

• Knowing the form and type of a poem helps you understand the poet’s intention and how the poem is structured.

🪞 Reflection Prompt
Think of a poem or song you love. What emotion or story does it express? Would you call it a lyric, narrative, or dramatic poem? Is it a ballad, ode, or something else? Why?