Poetic Devices/ Poetry Tools
Writers use poetry tools/ poetic devices to make poetry
interesting.
Stanza
• The division in a poem named for the number of
lines it contains.
Lines
• Phrases or words in a stanza
Form
• What a poem looks like
Enjambment
Rhyming words
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
I own a solace shut within my heart,
A garden full of many a quaint delight
Hint: hum the words instead of saying them.
Repetition
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
When a word’s pronunciation imitates its sound.
Examples
Buzz
Hiss
Beep
Fizz
Clink
Vroom
Woof
Boom
Zip
Hyperbole
• I was so embarrassed, I thought I might die
• I am so tired I could sleep for a year
• Her brain is the size of a pea
• Her smile was a mile wide
Can you think of an example of hyperbole?
Personification:
Giving human qualities to something which isn’t
human. For example:
The car was humming in the background.
Simile
A comparison between two usually
unrelated things using the word “like”
or “as”.
Examples:
Joe is as hungry as a bear.
In the morning, Rae is like an angry lion.
Metaphor
An implied comparison between two usually unrelated
things.
Examples:
Lenny is a snake.
Ginny is a mouse when it comes to standing up for herself.
The difference between
a simile and a metaphor is
that a simile requires either
“like” or “as” to be included
in the comparison, and a
metaphor requires that
neither be used.
Imagery
Oxymoron
Let’s find some together in this poem