Identifying form in poetry

In a nutshell

In poetry, form refers to how a poem is put together, for example, its structure, rhythms, metre, rhymes and length. Every poem has a form because the form is essentially the framework for the poem to end up looking and sounding the way that it does.

Types of form

There are many different types of poetic form, including ballads, sonnets, haikus and limericks. Some forms are better suited to certain topics or subject matters than others. Some forms have strict rules which might dictate a poem's length, rhyme scheme, rhythm and metre. This is why poets use certain forms to achieve certain outcomes in their poems and why it is useful to understand them when reading and analysing poetry.

Free verse

Free verse is a form of poetry that does not follow a particular rhythm and has no rhyme scheme. This form is more common in poetry from 1900 onwards and it's often used to make a poem seem more conversational or more like prose. Any poem that doesn't rely on rhythm, metre or rhyme scheme is likely in free verse.

Example

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

('When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer' by Walt Whitman)

Identifying form

You should learn the basic characteristics of some common poetic forms, and when reading a poem, pay attention to its characteristics. These include its length, its rhythm and metre, how many stanzas it has and its rhyme scheme.

Don't only look out for these aspects of a poem, but try to think about how they contribute to the meaning or the theme of the poem. Think about why the poet chose this particular form, and how it helps the poem.