Exploring the Structure and Rhythm of Poetry

Khan Academy

This engaging educational video introduces students to the fundamental structural elements of poetry through two contrasting examples: "Cat" by Marilyn Singer and "Litany" by Billy Collins. The narrator uses the metaphor that "if ordinary writing is like talking, then poetry is like singing" to explain the unique nature of the genre, describing poems as "condensed ideas" where every word carries significant weight. The video systematically breaks down key literary terms including poet versus author, the concept of the "speaker," lines versus sentences, line breaks, stanzas, and rhyme schemes. It visually demonstrates how poets manipulate space on a page—using indentation and line length—to control rhythm and meaning, specifically showing how the visual structure of the poem "Cat" mimics the animal's cozy, curled-up posture. Ideal for elementary and middle school language arts classrooms, this resource demystifies poetry analysis by clarifying that poems do not need to rhyme and can be about anything from deep feelings to "goofy little jokes." It provides a clear framework for students to understand how poetry looks, sounds, and functions differently than prose, making it an excellent launchpad for units on poetry reading or writing.