Poetic Content and Form

Content: The meaning or significance of a literary or artistic work.

The content of a poem refers to the "what" - that it describes, tells or shows. A poem's content includes the context or situation of the poem as well as the subject, matter, meanings, theme and purpose.

Form: The metrical or stanzaic organization of poetry.

This is an elaborate way of saying "the placement of words and spaces in a poem to help create the intended effect"


The Form of the poem is the "how" - how the poet communicates the poem's content with the audience. Describing a poem's form means addressing such matter as figures of speech, sound devices, and imagery used by the poet to accomplish his or her purpose.

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