Original Poem Assignment
You may choose any topic for your original poem, as long as it is appropriate for school.
Focus on a theme that is important to you. Your poem may be organized as rhyme or free verse.
Either way, you MUST follow the following guidelines:
 Your poem must be at least 21 lines long.
 Every 5th line should be numbered.
 Each line must start with a capital letter, and there should be end punctuation where
appropriate (at least at the very end of the poem).
 Line 3 must contain a simile.
 Line 5 must contain onomatopoeia.
 Line 7 must contain a metaphor.
 Line 9 must contain an allusion to some other area of literature, culture, or music that many
people could relate to (use a footnote to explain the allusion).
 Line 11 must contain assonance.
 Line 13 must exhibit symbolism.
 Line 15 must contain alliteration.
 Line 17 must contain personification.
 Line 19 must contain hyperbole.
 Line 21 must contain a rhetorical question.
Your poem should look like a poem, not a paragraph! The final draft should be neatly typed or
neatly hand-written in black or blue ink, with no cross-outs or mistakes.
Rubric
Length
5 points
More than 20 lines long
4 points
Exactly 20 lines long
3 points
Less than 20 lines long
Numbered
Lines are numbered
X
Lines are not numbered
correctly
Conventions
Few distracting errors within,
End punctuation at the very end,
arranged like a poem.
Some distracting errors within,
End punctuation at the very end,
arrangement inconsistent.
Many distracting errors within, OR
Missing punctuation at the end, OR
Not arranged like a poem.
Line 3
Contains a simile used
correctly
Contains onomatopoeia
used correctly
Contains a metaphor
used correctly
Contains an appropriate
allusion
Contains assonance used
correctly
Contains meaningful
symbolism
Contains alliteration
used correctly
Contains personification used
correctly.
Contains hyperbole used
correctly
Contains a rhetorical question
used correctly
Poem is both focused
and organized;
shows poetic style
Contains an unclear
simile
Contains questionable
onomatopoeia
Contains an unclear
metaphor
Contains an unclear
allusion
Contains an attempt at
assonance
Contains vague
symbolism
Contains a weak example of
alliteration
Contains personification, but it
doesn’t “fit”
Contains a weak example of
hyperbole
Contains a question that is not
rhetorical in nature
Poem lacking in focus,
organization, OR
style
No simile
Line 5
Line 7
Line 9
Line 11
Line 13
Line 15
Line 17
Line 19
Line 21
Focus &
Organization
Total Points Earned: _________/Total Possible Points: 70
Poetry Unit Terms
No onomatopoeia
No metaphor
No allusion
No assonance
No symbolism
No alliteration
No personification
No hyperbole
No question
Poem lacking in all aspects:
focus, organization,
AND style
GRADE: _________%
What is poetry?
Poetry is writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in
language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning,
sound, and rhythm.
What are some of the literary devices commonly used in poetry?
o Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of
words or stressed syllables.
o Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, myth, historical event, story, etc.
o Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds, but not consonant sounds.
o Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within a word.
o Couplet: A rhymed pair of lines in a poem.
o Free Verse: Poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm.
o Hyperbole: Figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis or humorous
effect.
o Idiom: Phrase or expression that has a meaning that differs from its literal
meaning (sometimes called a figure of speech).
o Imagery: Refers to words and phrases that appeal to one or more of the five
senses.
o Metaphor: A comparison between two seemingly unlike objects made by calling
one item another item. Metaphors DO NOT use the words like or as.
o Onomatopoeia: The use of words that sound like what they mean.
o Personification: Describing an animal or object as if it were human or has human
qualities.
o Repetition (Pattern): Repeating the same sounds, words, phrases, or lines for the
purpose of making a deeper impression on the audience.
o Rhetorical Question: Question that is asked for the purpose of reflection, or to
make a point—an answer is not expected.
o Rhyme: A repetition of sounds at the ends of words.
o Rhyme Scheme: The pattern of end rhyme in a poem.
(Example: a, b, a, b OR a, a, b, b)
o Rhythm: The pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed
and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
o Simile: A comparison between two seemingly unlike objects using the words like
or as.
o Stanza: A grouping of two or more lines of poetry. Stanzas in poetry are
comparable to paragraphs.
o Symbolism: A symbol is a person, place, object, or action that stands for
something beyond itself.