the pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem.

Unfortunately, this excerpt does not convey the weaving shape. This means that the lines themselves get shorter.Ĭarroll creates a play on words with this shape, using it to tell a mouse’s “long and sad tale.” Here is a quote from the top and thickest part of the tail:

It is thicker at the top and then weaves towards the bottom of the page, becoming thinner and thinner. The poem takes the shape of a mouse’s tail. ‘The Mouse’s Tale’ is a wonderful poem that was initially published in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Herrick writes about the cross that Christ had to carry and pleads with him to “look down” on those who pray and weep for him. Here are a few lines that are included in the body of the cross: The subject matter is very direct, allowing the reader to enjoy the meaning easily. In this case, the lines are arranged in the shape of a cross. ‘ This crosstree here’ is not one of Herrick’s better-known poems, but it also presents readers with a good example of a religious pattern poem. The speaker addresses the creation of humankind and describes Adam’s foolishness. It is a Christian poem that addresses the fall of man and the speaker’s desire to rise to Heaven. The poem is fairly simple yet quite moving. Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, Here are a few lines from the first section of the piece: It has been suggested that this poem was quite influential on those poets interested in experimenting with pattern poetry. Today, it’s more common to see them the other way around. This meant that readers had to physically turn the book in order to read the text. The lines were initially arranged horizontally. This interesting poem was published in The Temple posthumously in 1633. When vertical, the wings look more like an hourglass. They are arranged vertically on the page, so it takes a bit of imagination to see them horizontally. When readers glance at the text, it soon becomes clear that the lines are arranged in the shape of wings. It is one of the better-known poems that uses its text in a particular shape. ‘Easter Wings’ is a great example by Herbert. The shape element of the task may make the writing more interesting for a child. These poems are sometimes used in the classroom as a way to inspire children to write their own poetry. Without looking at the page, the shape is impossible to interpret. It’s important that readers can see the text, though. Today, readers are most likely to find examples of pattern poems when seeking out children’s poetry. Most poets view these pieces as novelties rather than a genre of poetry all their own. The best examples date from the modernist period or are religious in nature. These poems are uncommon in contemporary literature, but they are not entirely unknown. Pattern poems are pieces that have lines arranged into a specific shape.

The pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem.