Mrs. Sells
POETRY
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Simile- comparing two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’
 Metaphor- comparing two things
 Personification- giving animals or objects human
characteristics
 Onomatopoeia- words that sounds suggest their
meaning
 Idioms- language that is common to a certain area
 Hyperbole- Extreme exaggeration

EXAMPLES OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Can you identify each example of figurative language?
1. She was as busy as a bee.
2. My teddy bear comforted me and caught my tears.
3. He was on fire as he scored point after point.
4. The bee buzzed as it flew by my ear.
5. Her abs are rock hard.
6. Bryan was a wall, hitting every tennis ball right back
over the net.
POETIC DEVICES:
Remember poetic devices when you are writing
and reading poetry!
Rhyme- Words that have the same ending sound
Figurative Language- similes, metaphors,
alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia
CLERIHEW

What is a clerihew?
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Structure:
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A four-line poem that makes a brief, humorous statement
about a person.
Line 1- ends with the person’s name
Line 2- rhymes with line 1
Lines 3 and 4- rhyme with each other
Example:
Little Mary Jane
Sittin’ in the rain,
Lost her red raincoat
And soon will be afloat!
DIAMONTE

What is a diamonte poem?
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A poem that starts on one subject and changes to a totally
different subject
Structure:
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Line 1- One Noun (Subject #1)
Line 2- Two adjectives (describing subject #1)
Line 3- Three participles (ending in –ing, about subject #1)
Line 4- four nouns (first two related to subject #1, second
two related to subject #2)
Line 5- Three participles (ending in –ing, about subject #2)
Line 6- Two adjectives (describing subject #2)
Line 7- One noun (Subject #2)
DIAMONTE EXAMPLE
Child
young, rambunctious,
playing, fighting,tumbling,
growth, change, development, maturity,
achieving, working, striving,
older, wiser
Adult
Haiku:

What is an Haiku?
A
unrhymed Japanese poem that consist of 17
syllables (3 lines)
 Most often about nature

Interesting Fact:
 Haiku’s
were once part of ancient Japanese
courtship (dating). A man would send a haiku to
the woman he loved. If she liked the poem, she
would write a Tanka response
Haiku:
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Structure:
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Line 1- five syllables
Line 2-seven syllables
Line 3-five syllables
Example
Loud, crashing thunder
And then the rain pouring down
The rainbow appears
Let’s practice counting the syllables
Tanka:

What is a Tanka?
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Another oriental verse form much like the haiku except two
more lines are added. Each additional line are 7 syllables.
Total: 31 syllables
Structure:
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Line 1- 5 syllables
Line 2- 7 syllables
Line 3- 5 syllables
Line 4- 7 syllables
Line 5- 7 syllables
Tanka:

Examples:
The gate is unlocked.
Boys and girls with shiny shoes
And full lunch boxes
Gather to talk of summer
While they listen for the bell.
~
The great out-of-doors
Beckoned to us one and all
We sought nature’s joys
Along her creeks and rivers
And in the cool of glade.
Couplets

What is a couplet:
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The simplest rhymed pattern. It consist of two rhyming lines. They
usually have a humorous twist. Rhythm and Rhyme should match the
mood of the poem.
Examples:
The teacher called the students in,
Then wished she could escape the din.
______________________________________
My son, Jonathan, came running out
To see what the noise was all about.
_______________________________________
Jack and Jill went up the hill
So their bucket they could fill.
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Limericks
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What is a limerick:
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A five lined poem with one couplet and one triplet.
The rhyme pattern is AABBA
They are meant to be funny
They normally use figurative language
Interesting Facts:

Some people say the limerick was invented by soldiers
returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the
1700’s.
Limericks:
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Structure:
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Line 1 & Line 2 rhyme
Line 3 & Line 4 rhyme
Line 5 rhymes with lines 1 & 2
Example:
There was an Old Man with a beard
Who said, “It is just as I feared!—
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren
Have all built their nest in my beard.”
Marcelo in the Real World
I am…
I am Marcelo.
I wonder if I will ever truly understand the real world.
I hear music and distracting sounds all the time.
I see my life passing before me.
I want to be normal’.
I am Marcelo.
I pretend people cannot see my differences.
I feel overwhelmed.
I touch my fate.
I worry I will fail.
I cry when I cannot make sense of my thoughts.
I am Marcelo.
I understand I am different.
I say I am not scared.
I dream of my future and what it will hold.
I try to go unnoticed.
I hope I will touch someone’s life.
FIRST STANZA
I am (the characters name)
I wonder (something of curiosity)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (an actual desire)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
SECOND STANZA
I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
I touch (an imaginary touch)
I worry (something that bothers you)
I cry (something that makes you sad)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
THIRD STANZA
I understand (something that is true)
I say (something you believe in)
I dream (something you dream about)
I try (something you really make an effort about)
I hope (something you actually hope for)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)