Understanding the Shape and Sound of Poetry

Khan Academy

This engaging animated video demystifies poetry by breaking down its fundamental structural elements. Hosts Hannah and David explore the question "How does a poem work?" by contrasting poetry with prose, explaining that while prose relies on sentences and paragraphs, poetry utilizes lines and stanzas to shape the reader's experience. The video emphasizes that poetry is "language art" that plays with sound and shape, making it an accessible medium for expressing feelings about everyday life rather than an elite or overly complex form of writing. The content covers essential poetic devices including rhyme, rhythm, meter, and structure. Specific concepts explained include the difference between lines and sentences, the definition of a stanza, the mechanics of stress and unstress in words (using the word "apple" as a demonstration), and a clear breakdown of iambic pentameter using Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. It also touches on Haiku, challenging the rigid 5-7-5 syllable rule in favor of capturing a specific moment or "vibe," using examples from William Carlos Williams and Yosa Buson. For educators, this video is an excellent primer for a poetry unit. It provides clear, visual definitions of terminology that often confuses students, such as meter and line breaks. Teachers can use the video to introduce scansion, prompt creative writing exercises modeled after the "Post-it note" style of William Carlos Williams, or initiate discussions about when and why writers might choose to break established rules to better serve their artistic intent.