Poetic Devices & Other Poetry
Terms
Terminology
Analogy
• A comparison; in poetry, the most
common analogies are similies and
metaphors.
Simile
• A comparison of two things that are not
alike, by using comparison words such as
“like”, “as” or “than” to show how similar
they are
• Example: She is busy as a bee.
• Ex. He is meaner than a rattlesnake
Metaphor
• Comparison of two different things as if
they were the same, but without using
comparison words such as “like” or “as”
• Example: My brother is such a bear!
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• My love is like a red, red
rose.
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• The darling dachshunds are
mean bolts of lightning,
yapping at anything that comes
near.
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• The moon is a white frisbee
floating over the mountain.
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• I’m hungry as a horse.
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• Oh my gosh! Your feet are
boats!
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• I’m so tired that I feel like I
could sleep forever.
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• Sunshine is God’s fingers
tickling your face.
You decide…
Simile, metaphor or neither?
• Her hair is brighter than a field
of golden wheat.
Your turn…
• Write 2 examples that are
similes.
• Write 2 examples that are
metaphors.
Symbol
• Something concrete (real or touchable) that
represents an idea or feeling
• Examples:
– Eagle = Freedom
– Red Rose = Love
Imagery
• Words and phrases that paint a picture in the
mind of the reader. They contain vivid verbs
and descriptors.
• Ex. The dogs are on the basement stairs and
coming up.
• Their eyeballs roll,
• their blond legs burn like brush.
Repetition
When a poet repeats the same word or phrase to
emphasize a certain part of a poem.
For example, musicians use the ‘chorus’ of a song to
repeat a certain part that is important.
I.E. In Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” he repeats:
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo,
Alliteration
• The repetition of the beginning
SOUND or letter in two or more words
in a line of poetry.
• Examples:
– Dappled doggies dash
– Suzy sold seashells down by the seashore
– Phony fillies flaunted their phenomenal tails.
Assonance
• The repetition of a VOWEL sound in
two or more words within a line of
poetry.
• Examples:
– Do you like blue? (the oooo sound)
– My dear, it’s good to hear you ate the potato
peel.
– My bud likes butter only on his spuds.
Onomatopoeia
• A word that mimics the sound it
represents (it actually sounds like
the sound it makes)
• Examples:
– Swish, Hiss, Zip, Ding Dong, Quack
Hyperbole
• Hyperbole – an exaggeration
• As the Tilt-a-Whirl started spinning, Jackie
held on tighter than a tick on a dog’s ear.
Personification
• giving human qualities to a nonhuman thing
• Toby knew he couldn’t put off his
homework much longer. His algebra
book seemed to stare at him, whisper
to him, call out his name, demanding
his attention.
Stanza
• A ‘paragraph’ in a
poem.
Couplet
• Two rhymed lines of poetry.
• We strolled alongside the beautiful bay
• The sun wished us a wonderful day.
End Rhyme/External Rhyme
• Rhyming patterns of words at the end of
two or more lines of a poem.
• Example:
– Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
– Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
–
–
–
–
I want to know why when I’m late
For school, they get into a state.
But if invited out to tea
I mustn’t ever early be.
Rhyme Scheme
• a pattern of rhyme in a poem, that is
repeated the same in every stanza.
–
–
–
–
Bid me to weep, and I will weep,
While I have eyes to see;
And having none, yet I will keep
A heart to weep for thee.
"A"
"B"
"A"
"B"
Slant Rhyme (Half Rhyme)
• words that are used to create a rhyme scheme that
are similar in spelling, and look to rhyme, but are
pronounced differently. The poem MUST have a
regular rhyme pattern to have slant rhyme.
• Example: slaughter and laughter
–
–
–
–
At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted even song
Of joy illuminated;
Internal Rhyme
• rhyming of words within a line of poetry
(NOT at the end of the lines)
• Examples:
– Jack Sprat could eat no fat
– The wind was nipping and clipping at my face
– The sails of noon left off their tune
Free Verse
• Poetry that is free from fixed patterns of
either rhyme or beat/rhythm.
• Example:
If I were in charge of the world
I’d cancel oatmeal,
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also
Curfews
Your turn again…
• Poetry Fire Drill!!
Rhythm & Meter
• The basic rhythmic structure of poetic verse (the
basic sing-song sound that occurs when poetic
verse is spoken). Da-du, da-du, da-du, da-du…
• Meter is measured in ‘feet’ with one foot being
two syllables in length.
• 1 foot—I am
• 2 feet—The sun will shine
• 5 feet—Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Pattern Poetry
• Poems written so that the words form a
certain pattern; some examples are:
limerick, diamonte, concrete (shape) poetry,
etc.
Sonnet
• A 14-line poem, written in 3 stanzas of 4
lines each, with a couplet at the end, with a
specified rhyme scheme.
• The most famous is the Shakespearean
Sonnet, which is written in ABAB, ABAB,
ABAB, CC rhyme scheme, with an iambic
pentameter rhythm.