Poetic Devices to Know

In order to prepare for your upcoming poetic devices quiz, I've listed some of the main devices that show up frequently in poems.  Below you will find the term, definition and examples.

1) Alliteration

Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other, usually on the
same or adjacent lines. A somewhat looser definition is that it is the use of the same consonant in any
part of adjacent words.

Example: fast and furious
Example: Peter and Andrew patted the pony at Ascot

In the second definition, both P and T in the example are reckoned as alliteration.

2) Rhyme

This is the one device most commonly associated with poetry by the general public. Words that
have different beginning sounds but whose endings sound alike, including the final vowel sound and
everything following it, are said to rhyme.

Example: time, slime, mime

Double rhymes include the final two syllables. Example: revival, arrival, survival

Triple rhymes include the final three syllables. Example: greenery, machinery, scenery

3) Repetition

The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for an effect. Sometimes, especially with longer
phrases that contain a different key word each time, this is called parallelism. It has been a central part
of poetry in many cultures. Many of the Psalms use this device as one of their unifying elements.

Example: I was glad; so very, very glad.

Example: Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward…
…
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d…

4) Simile

A direct comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Example: He’s as dumb as an ox.

Example: Her eyes are like comets.

5) Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other or does the action
of the other.

Example: He’s a zero. Example: Her fingers danced across the keyboard.

6) Allusion

A brief reference to some person, historical event, work of art, or Biblical or mythological situation or character.

Example: "Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"

Plutonian refers to Pluto, god of the underworld.

7) Personification

Attributing human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or abstract idea.

Example: The days crept by slowly, sorrowfully

8) Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like their meanings.

Example: boom, buzz, crackle, gurgle, hiss, pop, sizzle, snap, swoosh, whir, zip

9) Symbol

An ordinary object, event, animal, or person to which we have attached extraordinary meaning andsignificance – a flag to represent a country, a lion to represent courage, a wall to symbolize separation.

Example: A small cross by the dangerous curve on the road reminded all of Johnny’s death.

10) Hyperbole

An outrageous exaggeration used for effect.

Example: He weighs a ton.

Narrative Poetry: Forgiveness & Remorse

What is narrative poetry? Narrative Poetry is a poem that tells a series of events using poetic devices such as rhythm, rhyme, imagery, and attention to sound (alliteration, assonance, etc).  In other words, a narrative poem tells a story, but it does it with poetic flair!  Many of the same elements that are found in a short story are also found in a narrative poem, such as character, setting, plot and conflict.

Prewriting:

1. Our narrative poems will have a thematic focus on forgiveness and remorse.  Use the brainstorm questions we worked on in class to generate a basic idea of what your story will be.
2. Write down specific details about your setting and character(s). For the setting, think about the way it smells, sounds, feels, tastes, and looks through the character's eyes. Try to include details from all five senses. Do the same for the character(s). Think about their unusual tastes or tendencies and how they might relate to the setting.
3. Write down ideas for conflict and events in the poem. A few possibilities might be a disagreement between two characters, an endangered character, a character who makes a mistake, or an internal, emotional issue that the character is thinking about. Keep in mind the setting and the character(s) when deciding what you think the most convincing event or conflict in the poem will be.

Drafting:

4. Break your ideas up into four to six different sections. You might have a description of the character(s), a description of the setting, what the character(s) is doing in the setting, and the beginning, middle, and end of the event/conflict of the character(s). These different sections will function as the four to six stanzas of the poem, all of which should be four to six lines long.

5. Begin writing by taking your brainstormed ideas for the character or setting and putting them into line form. Don't worry about rhyming; rhyming often detracts from the rhythm and language of poetry. Instead focus on specific sensory details and images of the setting and characters; this will ensure rich, pleasing language, which is an important part of poetry.

6. Continue writing stanzas about the event or conflict in the poem. It's okay if it strays from what you originally thought the main conflict would be; often the act of writing leads you to a different, more interesting event or character conflict. Try to go with the flow and write what feels right.

7. After writing your four to six stanzas, don't be afraid to go back and re-write as much as you want. You won't "mess the poem up"; you can always go back to what you began with. Editing and reworking sentences and lines is an important step to the poem, so make sure you take the time to go back and re-read your work and spend time on anything that you feel is weaker than the rest.

Poetic Devices & Song Lyrics Assignment

Step 1: Create a Shared Doc

- Elect one student at your table to create a shared doc in your English folder.  Title it: "Song Lyrics Project"
- Share with classmates at table.

Step 2: Research Songs

- Each student will choose a favorite song with vivid lyrics.
- Look up the lyrics
- Identify 3 examples of poetic devices

Step 3: Add to Doc

- Add your song and examples to the shared doc, following this format:

Mrs. Hunt: "Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters & Men: lyrics

• Poetic Devices: metaphor, rhyme, personification

• Metaphor: "My head is an animal". - comparing motions of animals to jumbled thoughts.
• Rhyme: "The son was an okay guy./They had a pet dragonfly."
• Personification: "The forest of talking trees"

More examples of this assignment: http://room40poetry.wordpress.com/songs/