0
Zach Boyer Posted 12 years ago
Indentation in Poetry
Hi, I'm kind of just starting to get into poetry. So I've been reading a lot of different poets and I just don't understand all the indentation. What I want to know is: Is it random or is there some reason a poem might have some lines indented in the middle of the poem and others not indented in other places? The indentation's not to start a new verse or anything, it's right in the middle. What's up with that? Seems just random, but is it?
Just one example:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15430
Just one example:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15430
Top answer
In non-traditional poetry, indentation is used for several reasons (besides whim). For example: to emphasize a phrase or word, to show the relation of the phrase or word to what has gone before (almost like sentence diagramming), to create a visual effect on the page.
- In non-traditional poetry, indentation is used for several reasons (besides whim).
- For example: to emphasize a phrase or word, to show the relation of the phrase or word to what has gone before (almost like sentence diagramming), to create a visual effect on the page.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
In non-traditional poetry, indentation is used for several reasons (besides whim).
For example:
to emphasize a phrase or word,
to show the relation of the phrase or word to what has gone before (almost like sentence diagramming),
to create a visual effect on the page.
For example:
to emphasize a phrase or word,
to show the relation of the phrase or word to what has gone before (almost like sentence diagramming),
to create a visual effect on the page.
0
Related Questions