Understanding Poetry

Comprehensible learning materials for studying poetry

Writing poetry can be a tricky task. You might wonder on what meter to use? When do you write in free verse? How do you know when or when not use a line break? What poetic structure to use?

Poet and author Thomas Reischel will help you understand these rules and techniques through his poetry collection, Picture Poems, which can be used as a powerful tool for teaching and understanding poetry. In the collection, the author notes and introduces the proper format, structure, and techniques in writing poems.

The collection contains three volumes, and each volume contains fifty poems with subjects that vary from birds, flowers, gardens, paths, scenes, as well as sunrise and sunsets. Each piece is paired with a photo and an explanation of the specific poem’s format, meter, rhyme scheme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, anaphora, caesura, and onomatopoeia.

The use of photos makes an even more vivid poetic imagery that would aid the readers in understanding the pieces. As the saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words.” The author believes that “photography and poetry go together well. One paints a visual picture, while the other creates a poetic image. Together, the synergy becomes very powerful.”

Because of the clear, concise, and easy to understand explanations in the collection, coupled with the images, Picture Poems can be used in the classroom setting. Even grade-schoolers can grasp the combined simplicity and depth of the material. It will help cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation not only of poetry but also of photography and the beauty of nature.