What Is an Acrostic, Anyway?
Written on 4:33 PM by *madi*
The word "acrostic" comes from the Greek word "akros," meaning "top," and the Greek word "stichos," meaning "verse." Acrostics are poems in which the first letter in each line spells out a message. Many people use acrostics as mnemonic devices. For example:
P lease
E xcuse
M y
D ear
A unt
S ally
is used to remember the order of operations in math. This acrostic stands for:
P arentheses
E xponents
M ultiplication
D ivision
A ddition
S ubtraction
Acrostic poems can be as long as the author wants them to be and can be about any topic. The message that is spelled out by the first letter in each line can be a name, an object, or even totally unrelated to the rest of the poem.
Elementary school teachers often have their students write acrostics because simple ones are relatively easy to write. Most children write one-word lines, those words mostly being adjectives describing the special message. However, many great poets have done wonders with acrostics. Just because the first letter in each line spells something out doesn't mean the poem can't have depth.
