Getting to Know 'Poetry' Deeper: Characteristics, Structure, and Types That Need to be Understood

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "poetry"? An oration, theatrical, opera, drama and so on? It's not wrong, but what exactly is the meaning of poetry? Experts agree that poetry is interpreted as a form of literary work written with a special arrangement of words and language. Thus, it often produces rhythmic effects and the beauty of each word that forms meaning.

Poetry features

Since ancient times, many literary works have been created. Of course, there are many types of literary works in the world. Then how do you distinguish poetry from other forms of literary works? There are several characteristics. The easiest to recognize, poetry usually has a freer structure than prose, then is not bound by standard grammatical rules, and most often, poetry often contains symbolic or figurative meanings. Poetry is also known for its use of rhythm, rhyme, and very distinctive repetition of words or phrases.

Poetry structure

As an important component, poetry also has a common structure. It includes aspects such as line, verse, rhythm, and rhyme. Lines and stanzas are the "physical" part of the poem or simply the forms of the words. Meanwhile, rhythm and rhyme have a function to create sound and rhythm effects in poetry.

Types of poetry

Poetry certainly has various types. From those bound by a certain structure, to poetry with a free structure. As the name implies, free poetry is an example of poetry that does not follow a certain structure or rhyme and tends to free the writer to express whatever is on his mind. Meanwhile, other types such as 'sonnet' and 'haiku' are examples of poetry that have certain structures and rules.

Apart from those mentioned above, poetry actually has many types, but there are 3 (three) types of poetry that are the most common. The first is lyric poetry, narrative poetry, and the third is dramatic poetry. Lyric poetry itself is poetry that expresses the feelings and emotions of the author. While narrative poetry is poetry that tells a story. Meanwhile, the type of dramatic poetry is a type of poetry written to be acted out.

That was a brief introduction to poetry that can be understood together. Writing poetry can be a great way to express our feelings, ideas or experiences in a beautiful and poetic form. Have fun writing poetry!