Entry 43: Elements of Poetry

The elements of poetry are meter, rhythm, stanza, imagery, style, and diction. Other writings don't usually have meter, rhythm, and stanza, but they might have imagery and diction. On the other hand, poetry can have plot, setting, conflict and resolution as well. Meter is the stressed and unstressed syllables in words. Rhythm is the sound created by stressed and unstressed syllables. Stanza is a unit that groups the words in a poem. Imagery is to create a image or feeling through words. Style is the form the poem is based on, such as sonnet, free verse, etc. And diction is the choice of words or phrases in the poem. Other forms of fiction don't have rules on the meter and rhythm like in poems. A line in fiction would just be, "I walked to the store to buy chocolates." It is more like daily speech. A line in poetry usually have a more obvious rhythm. Stanza is also only used in poetry. Other forms of writing use lines and paragraphs as units. Imagery however can be used in both kinds of literature. Poetry can create a clear image in the mind as well as a description in a story. The form that the poetry fits into is often a set of rules that govern the shape of the poem. A fiction don't usually have that. As for diction, it basically means word choice so both poetry and fiction are composed of diction.