How to Write an Ode Poem

An ode is a poem in praise of a person, place or object that is usually identified in the title. It describes a scene, focuses on a problem or a situation and arrives at a conclusion that returns to the original scene or statement. Originally, the ode was a serious poetic form, but modern odes are sometimes written in praise of the ordinary.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• List of possible topics
• Thesaurus

1. Select a topic for your ode. It may be an ode to a city, a person, a flower or even to something seemingly trivial like a pencil. Once you decide what your ode will praise, make a list of as many attributes as you can for that topic. Write them down.

2. Consider how your ode can be used as a metaphor to illustrate a typical problem or situation. Decide on a scene that will begin the poem and set up the ode so that it will point the reader to the conclusion you will assert.

3. Plan the structure of the ode. Decide how many lines each stanza will contain. Decide how many stanzas will make up the ode, realizing that most odes are serious poems comprised of several stanzas. Decide on a rhyme scheme.

4. Fit the ideas from your planning process into phrases and stanzas. Use a thesaurus to discover synonyms for words that may not fit the structure and rhyme scheme of your ode. Don't expect to write the ode in one sitting. Good poems are short works that usually require multiple revisions and edits.

5. Read your draft aloud to see if it flows easily and makes sense. Shift words and phrases around to make it sound better. Add alliteration and internal rhymes to strengthen it. Allow other people to critique your ode. Eliminate words that make the poem sound clumsy. Prepare to rewrite the ode several times until it is well-crafted and powerful.

Resources

• About Literary Terms
• "On Your Toes With Odes"

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