Poetic Devices

Mrs. Wallers English Class

Poetic Devices:
Objectives: 1. Become familiar with the various poetic devices. 2. Create examples of the various poetic devices. 3. Use this new knowledge to identify the poetic devices used in the poems. 4. Have fun with poetry!

Alliteration

(Sound)

The repetition of the first consonant sound in a word.

Sally sold seashells by the seashore. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Which of the images below does not fit?

Alliteration
When the first sounds in words repeat. Examples We lurk late. We shoot straight.

Students: Any more examples?

Assonance

(Sound)

The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words.

The fat cat was wearing a miniature hat as he lay down on the mat. Mike rides his bike to the store for a bag of rice.
Which of the images below does not fit?
A B C D

Consonance
When consonants repeat in the middle or end of words. Vowels: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. Consonants: all other letters. Examples Mammels named Sam are clammy.
Curse, bless me now! With fierce tears I pray.

Rhyme

(Sound)

The repetition of ending sounds in words.

What luck Chuck had that he didnt wreck his truck. Thad was a very sad lad.
Which of the images below does not fit?
A B C D

Rhyme
When words have the same end sound. Happens at the beginning, end, or middle of lines. Examples Where Fair Air Bear Glare
Students: How about more examples here?

Onomatopoeia (Sound)
The use of words which imitate sound.
Crack, pop, buzz, fizzle
When writing, italicize onomatopoeias when you want them to represent the sound.
Honk! Beep! Jan placed her hands over her ears while her mother drove through the traffic, so she wouldnt have to listen to the harsh sounds of car horns.

Onomatopoeia
When a words pronunciation imitates its sound. Examples:

Buzz Fizz Clink Beep

Woof
Vroom

Hiss Boom
Zip

Students: add more examples to this list!

Simile

(Figurative Language)

A comparison between two objects using "like", "as", or "than.

Todd was like a bull in a china shop. Amy was as quite as a mouse. Dennis is quicker than a cheetah.
Can you write a simile about yourself?

Metaphor

(Figurative Language)

A comparison between two dissimilar objects. Usually the words is, are, or was are used.
The track coach complained that Tara was a turtle and shouldnt be on the team. You are no Van Gogh, my art teacher said to me.
Can you write a metaphor of your own?

Personification

(Figurative Language)

Giving inanimate or non-living objects human characteristics.

The trees danced in the wind. The wind spoke to me and told me that rain was on the way.
Write a sentence using personification.

Idiom

(Figurative Language)

An expression that is particular to a group of people or culture. Idioms are NOT literal.
Its raining cats and dogs. Why the long face? Break a leg. If you jump the gun, youre going to get shot in the foot.
Can you name another idiom?
Helpful idiom site: http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/.

Hyperbole

(Figurative Language)

A hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement. It is often meant to be humorous.

I caught a fish that was as big as me! He inhaled the sandwich.
FYI: Yo Mama jokes are hyperboles!

Understatement

(Figurative Language)

Downplaying a situation.
Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.
Jan reassured her mother that the gaping wound on her leg was just a scratch.

Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two words with opposite meanings.
Even the word oxymoron is an oxymoron: oxy is Greek for sharp and moron is Greek for dull.
Jumbo shrimp, act naturally, calm storm, cold sweat, good grief
Can you think of an oxymoron? http://www.oxymoronlist.com/

Imagery
Eliciting images in the readers mind through sensory and concrete details.
The young freckled boy creeps through the freshly mown yard with his sleek, black Colt BB gun in hopes of shooting the plump blue jay sitting on the log fence.

Repetition
The technique of repeating important lines, words, or phrases of a poem for effect.
It is similar to a refrain in a song.

Repetition
Repeating a word or words for effect. Example Nobody No, nobody Can make it out here alone. Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone.

Rhythm
When words are arranged in such a way that they make a pattern or beat. Example There once was a girl from Chicago Who dyed her hair pink in the bathtub Im making a pizza the size of the sun. Hint: hum the words instead of saying them.

Structure
Line: similar to a sentence in poetry. Stanza: a group of lines separated from other lines by breaks in the poem. Similar to a paragraph. Meter: Using a set number of syllables in each line.

Practice Quiz
Ill put some lines of poetry on the board. Choose which techniques are used:
A. B. C. D. E. Alliteration consonance rhythm rhyme onomatopoeia.

Some poems use more than one technique.

1
The cuckoo in our cuckoo clock was wedded to an octopus. She laid a single wooden egg and hatched a cuckoocloctopus.

2
They are building a house half a block down and I sit up here with the shades down listening to the sounds, the hammers pounding in nails, thack thack thack thack, and then I hear birds, and thack thack thack,

3
very little love is not so bad or very little life what counts is waiting on walls I was born for this I was born to hustle roses down the avenues of the dead.

4
The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.

5
Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink.

Answers
1. Repetition, rhythm, rhyme, consonance, and light alliteration. 2. Onomatopoeia, consonance, repetition 3. Alliteration, repetition 4. Rhythm, rhyme, light alliteration 5. Repetition, rhyme, rhythm

Poetry Fun
Online Magnetic Poetry

http://play.magpogames.com/poem/Poet/kit/ (please push this website out for them to play)