Understanding Types of Poems Ⅰ. Epic

Understanding Types of Poems
    Good morning, everyone, welcome to my lecture. Today’s topic is about the types of poems. Several broad types of poems that have been used throughout history include the epic poems, lyrical poems, dramatic poems, and the various familiar fixed forms such as ballads and sonnets. So, today, we’d like to talk about different types of poems.
    The first type we will talk about is the epic poems, the oldest poetic form. Sometimes we call it the heroic poem. An epic poem is a long narrative that concentrates on heroic deeds and events that are significant to a particular culture. Mythology is often expressed in the form of an epic poem. Many epics existed in oral form only and have not survived. Characteristics of an epic poem include an imposing, significant hero; a vast setting; courageous, even superhuman actions; supernatural forces, such as demons or gods; and an objective point of view surveying the whole story.
    The second type is the lyrical poems. Lyric poetry originally referred to as the Greek practice of delivering verse to the accompaniment of the music. A lyric poem generally is a short poem, often expressing personal deep feelings, having a musical quality that might be set to music and performed for the audience. Lyric poems typically depend on rhythm and rhyme. Rhythm is often called meter and is composed of several feet or beats. Two syllable feet and three syllable feet are the most common, and a lyric verse normally has a small number of lines, each divided into a recognizable pattern of feet. A verse may contain a definite rhyme pattern or may be left without rhyme and called blank verse.
    The third type is the dramatic poems. Dramatic poetry is meant to be spoken or sung to an audience. It derives from theatrical drama and is generally written in the form of a dialogue or a monologue. The last type would be summarized as the various familiar fixed forms of poetry. There are many popular fixed forms of it, such as sonnets, ballads, odes, epigrams and so on. Each form follows a definite model. Sonnets are often written about love and affection and employ skillful imagery. Their length allows the poet to create complications in the body of the sonnet and then to resolve the conflicts in the closing lines. A ballad is a form of verse meant to be sung or recited and usually presents a dramatic or exciting episode from real life. An ode is generally a lengthy lyric poem with a serious subject matter, and elevated style, and an elaborate structure. Epigrams are usually short poems ending with a twist or a clever, witty point. Of course, there are a few other identifiable poetic forms in addition to the ones mentioned above. And certainly, there will be additional forms invented by insightful poets in the future.
    Above all, understanding and appreciating the many different forms of poetry will help you more generally appreciate the creative work of the poets. So read some poems after class and I am sure you will have some new findings through doing so. See you next time.