Title 1: Poetry Formats & Structures
Poetry is a form of literature composed of creative words, symbols and images. These words, symbols and images are widely used to express ideas, paint pictures and tell stories. Poets utilize different techniques, such as rhymes, rhymes schemes and metaphors, to craft their poems. To cite these poems correctly, it is important to be familiar with the various poetic forms and structures.
Metrical poetry is composed of lines and stanzas. A line is a single unit of the poem’s verse, while a stanza is a group of poetic lines. The most common forms of metrical poetry are ballads, sonnets and blank verse. Ballads typically have four-line stanzas, while sonnets have fourteen-line stanzas. Blank verse poetry has unrhymed iambic pentameter lines of ten syllables. There are other metrical forms, such as haiku and sestinas, but they are less common.
Free verse poetry does not follow a set structure. This type of poetry may contain sections or paragraphs, but not necessarily. It is composed of single words, phrases and lines without having any specific pattern. The words and images the poet uses are meant to convey the poem’s overall message.
Title 2: End-Line Punctuation
When quoting poetry in MLA format, it is essential to understand the role of end-line punctuation when it comes to formatting. Generally, end-line punctuation should be included in the quotation. If the punctuation appears inside the quotation marks in the original poem, then it should be included in the quotation. If the punctuation appears after the quotation, then it should be included outside the quotation.
Quoting poetry can be tricky for lines that are longer than four lines. MLA style recommends that the parentheses be used to replace the end-line punctuation of the longest lines of a multiple-line quotation. For example, “This is the first line of the poem ( … ) this is the last line.” However, if the punctuation is an integral part of the quotation, then it should be included as part of the quotation.
Title 3: Citations
When citing a poem in MLA format, the citation should include the poet’s full name, the title of the poem, the title of the poem’s source and the source’s publication information. When citing poetry from a book or anthology, include the author’s name, the title of the poem, the title of the book or anthology, the editor and publisher, the year of the book’s publication and the page number (if applicable). For example:
Tolstoy, Leo. “Song of the Storm.” The Collected Poetry of Leo Tolstoy, edited by Ezra Pound, Modern, 1952, p. 43.
When citing a poem from an online source, include the poet’s name, the title of the poem, the title of the web page, the title of the website, the publisher, the date the poetic text was published, the most recent date that the web page was accessed and the URL of the web page.
For example: Hamilton, Mandy. “My Heart is Lighter.” Poems for All Times, The River, 15 July 2019, www.theriver.com/myheartlighter. Accessed 15 October 2019.
Title 4: Short Quotations
When quoting poetry in MLA format, short quotations are defined as fewer than four lines of the poem. Quotations that are shorter than four lines should be included in-text within double quotation marks. Within the in-text quotation, the page number should be included. For example:
In the poem “Song of the Storm” Tolstoy writes, “The days of pain and sorrows, they are gone” (43).
Title 5: Long Quotations
When quoting poems in MLA format, long quotations are defined as four or more lines of the poem. In this case, a block quotation is recommended.block quotations start on a new line, indented one inch from the left margin.there is no additional indentation within the block quotation.the quotation should end with an end mark, or period, and the parenthetical citation follows.
For example:
In the poem “Song of the Storm” Tolstoy writes:
The days of pain and sorrows, they are gone,
The mornings fresh with promise come anew,
The clutches of the night no longer known,
The future holds a chance for me and you. (43)
Title 6: Formatting Titles
When formatting the title of a poem in MLA format, it is important to remember that quotation marks should be used instead of italics. Quotation marks are used to indicate that the text is quoting a particular phrase or sentence. Thus, the title of a poem should be enclosed in double quotation marks. If the poem is the title of a book or anthology, then it should be italicized.
For example:
Tolstoy’s poem “Song of the Storm” appears in the anthology The Collected Poetry of Leo Tolstoy.
Title 7: Formatting Line Breaks
When quoting line breaks in poetry, MLA style recommends that any line breaks be indicated by using a backslash (\). This is to indicate the break in the line of poetry and should not affect the overall quotation or formatting.
For example:
In the poem “Song of the Storm” Tolstoy writes, “The days of pain and sorrows, they are gone\The mornings fresh with promise come anew” (43).
Title 8: Citations for Anthologies
When citing a poem from an anthology, it is important to include both the poet’s name, the title of the poem, the title of the work, the editor’s name and the publication information. For example, to cite a poem of Tolstoy’s from The Collected Poetry of Leo Tolstoy, edited by Ezra Pound, the citation should look like this: Tolstoy, Leo. “Song of the Storm.” The Collected Poetry of Leo Tolstoy, edited by Ezra Pound, Modern, 1952, p. 43.
Title 9: Citations for Websites
When citing a poem from an online source, the citation should include not only the poet’s name, title of the poem, the title of the web page, the title of the website, the publisher and the year the poem was published, but also the most recent date that the web page was accessed and the URL of the web page.
For example: Hamilton, Mandy. “My Heart is Lighter.” Poems for All Times, The River, 15 July 2019, www.theriver.com/myheartlighter. Accessed 15 October 2019.
Title 10: Citations for Printed Books
When citing a poem from a printed book, the citation should include the author’s name, the title of the poem, the title of the book, the editor, publisher, year of publication and the page number.
For example:
Tolstoy, Leo. “Song of the Storm.” The Collected Poetry of Leo Tolstoy, edited by Ezra Pound, Modern, 1952, p. 43.
