Introduction

A photographic collage showing the five senses. It depicts each body part associated with the sense; ears, eyes, mouth, fingers, and nose.

Source: 5 senses, Valeria, Flickr

From birth, we experience the world through our senses. What we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch allows us to make sense of the world, to understand meaning, and to find joy. Watch this video to see how music makes two little people very happy.

Source: 11 Month Old Twins Dancing to Daddy's Guitar, Brovadere, YouTube.com

Probably before each of these little girls was able to sing a whole song herself, she was able to respond to a particular song with pure joy. Similarly, our sense of sight continually gives us clues about everything around us.

An up close photograph of a woman’s eyes.

Source: Hazel-green eye 2, Laurinemily, Wikimedia

When you study poetry, the way it looks is often a clue to its meaning. The more you know about the graphic elements of poetry, the more delight you experience in reading poems!

An image of the ‘Poetry Angel’, an angel shaped figure full of words.

Source: Poetry Angel, Mixedmetaphor, Wikimedia

Types of Graphic Elements in Poetry: Capital Letters

Types of Graphic Elements in Poetry: Line Length and Word Position

Resources