Poetic Devices
Sounds of Language
1. alliteration- repetition of initial consonant sounds
Example- Sally sells seashells…
2. rhyme- repetition of sounds at the ends of words
3. rhythm- pattern of accented and unaccented syllables
4. onomatopoeia- the use of words that imitate the sounds they make
Example- crunch, hiss, buzz
Figures of Speech
1. Simile- a comparison of two unlikely things and uses the words “like” or “as”
Example- Your hair is as black as licorice.
2. Metaphor- a comparison between two unlikely things that does not use “like” or “as”
Example- I am a bear in the morning.
3. Personification- giving human qualities to an object, animal, or idea
Example- The wind howled and moaned outside.
4. Hyperbole- an exaggeration that puts an image into the reader’s mind and is usually funny
Forms of Poetry
1. Acrostic- a poem that is based on adjectives/word phrases that incorporates a name.
2. Haiku- a Japanese form of poetry that is usually about nature or self-revelation. This poem doesn’t rhyme.
Line 1 and 3 have 5 syllables
Line 2 has 7 syllables
3. Cinquaine- constructed out of 5 lines and is based on syllables.
Structure:
Line 1- 2 syllables
Line 2- 4 syllables
Line 3- 6 syllables
Line 4- 8 syllables
Line 5- 2 syllables
4. Diamante- called the kite poem
Structure:
Line 1- one noun
Line 2- two adjectives describing the noun
Line 3- three verbs
Line 4- four nouns
Line 5- three verbs describing the four nouns
Line 6- two adjectives describing the four nouns
Line 7- opposite noun of line #1
Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme
1. Scheme- a plan or patterns
2. Rhyme scheme- the pattern of rhyme at the end of line
3. Internal rhyme- rhyme within a single line
Rhythm
1. Rhythm- a pattern of stressed and unstressed beats in a poem
/ stressed
ᵕ unstressed
2. Regular rhythm- has the same pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
3. Irregular rhythm- has no particular rhythm
Structure of Poetry
1. Line- may be a phrase or a sentence that can be arranged in an unusual shape
2. Stanza- a group of lines that are used to separate the ideas in a poem
Understanding Meaning
Denotation- dictionary meaning of a word
Connotation- refers to all the ideas and feelings that a reader gets when he or she reads/hears a word
Language
Figurative language- a way of speaking or writing in which the speaker or writer describes a familiar thing in a new of
different way
Literal language- the exact meaning of what is being stated