Write an article based on this "Feel free to express yourself, but don't forget you are still writing a poem. Look at several examples of effective free verse poetry. Analyze the examples."
Technically, there is no set structure to a free verse poem, as there are no rules around meter or rhyme scheme. So, you have the freedom to express yourself in almost any way you can imagine. But, some poets argue that the lack of rules can actually be more difficult and challenging, or as the poet Robert Frost describes the difficulty of composing a free verse poem, it's like "playing tennis without a net." Though there are no rules for a free verse poem, it is still a form of artistic expression, so its important to create striking images and emotions that your reader can see and feel and to express yourself clearly. Though free verse may not have been Robert Frost's preference, many other poets have used the openness of the form to their advantage and have approached free verse poetry in their own unique ways. It may be useful for you look at several examples more closely, including: "After the Sea" by Walt Whitman "Little Father" by Li-Young Lee "Winter Poem" by Nikki Giovanni "Fog" by Carl Sandberg "in Just-" by e.e. cummings Read the examples out loud and consider how they are effective. Do they have a certain rhythm or meter, despite appearing free verse and not using rhyme? Do they create strong images through description, word choice, or a certain mood or tone? Identify any metaphors or similes. Think about how they work effectively to reveal details or create images associated with the subject of the poem. Make note of any examples of alliteration, which is a literary device where the first sound in a series of words is the same. Alliteration is one way the poet can create a particular mood, feeling, or sound to the poem. For example, in Whitman's poem "After the Storm", there are two instances of alliteration in the first line of the poem, "sea-ship" and "whistling winds", which then set the tone for the rest of the poem. Identify any personification. Personification is a device that takes an inanimate object and describes it as though it were animate or alive. For example, in Sandberg's "Fog", the fog is personified as having "little cat feet", and in Giovanni's "Winter Poem", the snowflake is personified as "happy" and the other snowflakes are addressed as "its cousins and brothers." Consider if the poem breaks with the traditional form of a line poem, and how the poem's form adds to the overall meaning or theme of the poem. For example, in e.e. cumming's poem "in Just-", the breaking up of the lines so there is more space between certain words and the arrangement of certain words so they move down the page suggest a certain choppiness or shift downward in the poem.