"The Character of Poetry" is a multimedia exploration of image, tone, and mood as applied to the poetic experience. The program is designed to be used by teachers, as an instructional tool in the classroom for curriculum specific purposes, and by students, through individual discovery, either in school or at home.

The Character of Poetry is divided into four parts:

• The Image of Poetry
• The Tone of Poetry
• The Mood of Poetry
• Selected Poems

The Image, Tone, and Mood segments are explained in simple terms as a means for the learner to enhance their reading and understanding of poetry. The selected poem section offers the user an opportunity to read or listen to poems by renowned authors.

The Image of Poetry: An exploration of using words to represent the impressions of the senses. Topics covered are words and meaning; words and symbol, sensory impression, emotional overtones, poet and reader, and the poetic eye.

The Tone of Poetry: An examination of the poet's attitude towards subject, audience, and self through the choice of words. Topics discussed are attitude, emotional intensity, choice of words, tone words, "slice of life", and the poet's "voice".

The Mood of Poetry: An inquiry into the state of mind or feelings created in the reader or listener. Topics covered include state of mind, feelings, reader's life experiences, reader and poet, and mood words.

Selected Poems: Forty-six poems and biographies from Tennyson to Ciardi read by professional narrators to encourage students to assist in the exploration of image, tone, and mood.

Strategy:

The developers have refrained from the use of razzle-dazzle effects in order to protect the integrity of the content. Multimedia effects have been used to enhance the content rather than to detract from content. This strategic use of simple navigation and multimedia effects is considered to enhance the pedagogical soundness of the program. This strategy is a response to market studies, which have demonstrated that parents desire sound educational material for their children.