Poetry Unit
Notes
alliteration- the repetition of the same
consonant sounds in words that are close together
in a poem.
Example: Gentle giants glide gracefully through
wild waters of Alaska. “G” & “W” are stressed.
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Alliteration examples
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My amazing mother’s soft, sultry hair comforts
and calms me when her arms are around me.
Sister, you are silly and sassy. You are messy and
mischievous!
Mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookie
crumbs cover her cheeks when we kiss her.
Mom, your eyes are warm, wistful and
wonderful, big and brown-always watching over
me.
Alliteration Examples
Example: “The soothing sounds of the
summer waves crash on the shore.”
 onomatopoeia-
the use of a word
whose sound mimics its meaning.
Examples: meow, Howwwwwl, bang!
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imagery - is language that appeals to
our 5 senses. A visual image helps
you to see a picture in your mind.
Example: Inside of the cabin, it was warm and
toastie, and smelled like cinnamon. We
listened to the crackling fire as we sipped
hot cocoa topped with cool whipped
cream.
is giving human like
qualities to non human things.
Ex: The shadows danced across the
white sand.
 Personification-
Poetry Notes
*SIMILE- a comparison between two
unlike things, using
a word such as like, as, or resembles. A simile is
figure of speech.
Her eyes resemble two
sapphires sparkling in the twilight.
METAPHOR – Compares two unlike things
directly. It does NOT use like, as or resembles.
My father’s strength is a lighthouse that
provides guidance during stormy
seas.
Example: During the storm, the sky was a cloudy sea.
INTERNAL RHYMES- are rhymes that occur WITHIN
the lines.
“Never free, never me, so I’ve done the unforgiven.”
Example:
“There are strange things done in the
midnight sun.”
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RHYME- a word having a
sound that is similar to
another. Rhyme lends a song
like quality to poetry.
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RHYTHYM – is the pattern of
stressed and unstressed words
that create a beat, as in music.
1. Sensory Poetry
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SENSE POETRY- a form of poetry that
uses adjectives to describe a noun. The
adjectives FOCUS on the SENSES.
Example:
Line 1 – Visual or
Audio (hearing)
Line 2 & 3 – Touch
Line 4 - Taste/ Scent
Line 5 – a descriptive statement
that ties the poem together.
Sensory Poem Example
 Ferocious
Feline (visual)
 Sleek ( touch)
 Smooth (touch)
 Salivating and Hungry (applies to taste)
 A Captured Beast. (statement)
2. Free Verse
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FREE Verse- A poem that follows no
specific metrical pattern and usually does
not rhyme. It does not have a set length of
line but the poet determine a unity of
structure and rhythmic tone.
Example
Cloud
Camouflaged tower
Giant whipped-cream sundaes
Beauty
Stolen from the
Promised Land
Sky Art.
3. CINQUAIN
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Cinquain- A five line poem. There are
variations of a cinquain, but the following is
a typical pattern:
Line 1 – Subject of the poem (1 noun)
Snowflakes
Line 2- How it looks (2 adjectives)
White, lacy
Line 3- What it does (3 action verbs).
Floating, swirling, twirling
Line 4- Author’s feelings about the subject.
Peaceful, silent, sleeping world
(4 words)
Line 5- Synonym or antonym referring to the
subject (1 noun).
ICE
4. Haiku
HAIKU- A form of unrhymed Japanese poetry
(usually about nature), which attempts to
bring about an emotional response. Haiku is
written in three lines in a
5-7-5 syllable pattern.
Haiku
Summer to autumn
Leaf colors announce
their changes
Wondrous exhibit
5. Lyric
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A Lyric is a poem that expresses personal and
emotional feelings.
The Law of the Jungle
By Rudyard Kipling
Wash daily from nose-tip to tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;
And remember the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for sleep.
The Jackal may follow the Tiger, but, Cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the Wolf is a Hunter -- go forth and get food of thine own.
Keep peace with the Lords of the Jungle -- the Tiger, the Panther, and
Bear.
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the Boar in his lair.
When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither will go from the
trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken -- it may be fair words shall prevail.
6. Ballad
Ballads tell of an event. They were often
used to spread the news, provide
entertainment, or create a "bigger than real
life" story.
Ballad Writing Tips
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often have verses of four lines
Most usual is 4 lines, with the 2nd line rhyming with the
last.
repetition often found in ballads
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entire stanzas can be repeated like a song's chorus (refrain)
lines can be repeated but each time a certain word is changed
Ballads contain a lot of dialogue.
Action is often described in the first person
Two characters in the ballad can speak to each other on
alternating lines
Sequences of "threes" often occur: three kisses, three
tasks, three events, for example
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On Top of Spaghetti
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On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.
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It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.
It rolled in the garden,
And under a bush,
And then my poor meatball,
Was nothing but mush.
The mush was as tasty
As tasty could be,
And then the next summer,
It grew into a tree.
The tree was all covered,
All covered with moss,
And on it grew meatballs,
And tomato sauce.
So if you eat spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball,
Whenever you sneeze.