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Understanding and Examples of Acrostics

Summary:

An acrostic is a type of poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word, message, or the alphabet when read vertically. For example, in an acrostic poem using the word "SUN," the first letters of each line might be: "S" for "Shining brightly," "U" for "Up in the sky," and "N" for "Never-ending light."

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Can you provide an example of an acrostic?

An acrostic poem is a poem where a certain letter from each line (or each horizontal row of text) combines with other letters in that same position on the other lines of text to spell out a word or a phrase when read vertically. Often, the vertical word or phrase is spelled out using the first letter of each line, but this does not have to be the case; the vertical message can be spelled out anywhere in the poem, as long as the letters are properly lined up so the vertical word or phrase can be read down, so to speak, instead of only horizontal lines being read across. Acrostic poems that use the first letter of each line often seem the simplest. If someone wanted to write an acrostic about their mother, it might look something like this:

Magnanimous
Obliging
Truthful
Human
Exemplary
Radiant

This is often the kind of acrostic written by younger children who are just starting to learn about poetry, with just one or two words on each line.

Another, published, example of such an acrostic, where the first letters line up to spell something, is "An Acrostic," by Edgar Allan Poe. In it, the speaker addresses a woman named Elizabeth, and her name is also spelled out by using the first letter of each of the lines of text (emphasis added):

Elizabeth it is in vain you say
"Love not"—thou sayest it in so sweet a way:
In vain those words from thee or L.E.L.
Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:
Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,
Breath it less gently forth—and veil thine eyes.
Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried
To cure his love—was cured of all beside—
His follie—pride—and passion—for he died.

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What is an acrostic?

Put very simply, an acrostic is a poem in which certain letters from each line combine to form a word or phrase that constitutes the subject of the poem. In the vast majority of cases, it's the first letter from each line that is used to spell out the poem's subject. Here is a very simple example, courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe:

Elizabeth it is in vain you say
"Love not"-thou sayest it in so sweet a way:
In vain those words from thee or L.E.L.
Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:
Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,
Breath it less gently forth-and veil thine eyes.
Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried
To cure his love-was cured of all beside-
His follie-pride-and passion-for he died.

Note how the first words from each line go to make up the poem's subject, which in this case is Elizabeth, the woman to whom the poem is being addressed. As we can see, in an acrostic we have the perfect symmetry of form—how the poem is organized—with the substance of what the poem is actually about. In this particular example, it is Elizabeth who is both the organizing principle of the poem and the poem's subject matter. The poem isn't simply about her: it is her.

Some have criticized acrostics for their artfulness and contrivance. Such critics see it as nothing more than a fanciful gimmick that constantly acts as a reminder to the reader that they are reading a poem, thus diminishing their enjoyment. Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of this argument, there can be no doubt that acrostics can be very useful in teaching poetry to children. In creating their very own acrostics, children can gain a good understanding of both the formal and substantive aspects of poetry composition. As well as being a lot of fun, writing acrostics can heighten children's appreciation of poetry as an art form.

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