Poetry - Classifications of Poetry
CLASSIFICATIONS OF POETRY KINDS OF POETRY Poems are grouped into the following categories: Elegy: it is a type of Iyrical poem that expresses sadness for someone who has died. Thomas Gray’s Elegy ‘written in a country Churchyard” mourns all who lived and died quietly and never had the chance to be great. It is different from elegy because it is shorter, and usually written to be sung while elegy cannot be sung. Dirge: It is a song of lamentation sung on the occasion of someone’s death. It is different from elegy because it is shorter and usually written to be sung while elegy cannot be sung. Milton’s “ Lycidas” is a good example. Dramatic Poetry: It involves the use of characters, dialogue and action. The poet’s speech and actions in the poem are represented. It has dramatic devices such as monologue, dialogue or conversation. Wole Soyinka “Telephone Conversation” and O.M. Mtshali’s “Night fall in Soweto are classic examples. Ode: It is a long meditative, and Iyr...