Poetry, Figurative Language, and Sound Devices Poetry is rhythmic compressed language that uses figurative language, imagery, and sound devices to appeal to emotion and imagination. Figurative language is writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. Figurative language includes figures of speech such as: metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and personification Imagery is the use of vivid description, usually sensory words, to create pictures, or images, in the reader's minds. Imagery creates and IMAGE, or picture. Sound devices are elements of literature and poetry that emphasize sound. The most common sound devices are alliteration, accent, rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and onomatopoeia.
Poetry is sometimes organized into groups of lines called stanzas. Stanzas are a way of organizing ideas, or forming patterns within a poem. They are similar to paragraphs within an essay. Not all poems are organized into stanzas or follow rhythmic patterns. Free verse poetry does not use rhythm, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.
Figures of Speech: Sound Devices: A metaphor is figurative language that compares two unlike things. A simile is figurative language that compares two unlike things using like, as, than, or resembles. Personification is a figure of speech that gives animals and objects human qualities or characteristics. Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or to emphasize Sound Devices: Alliteration is the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words. It creates a rhythmic sound. Accent is the emphasis given to a syllable within a word. The placement of an accent changes the sound of a word. Rhyme is the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the end of words. Repetition is the use of same words over and over to emphasize importance. Onomatopoeia is a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning. These are “comic book” words.
Rhyme Scheme – the pattern of rhyme at the end of the lines Find the rhyme scheme of the stanza below by looking at the last word in each line. The Toaster A silver-scaled Dragon with jaws flaming red ______________ Sits at my elbow and toasts my bread. ______________ I hand him fat slices, and then, one by one, ______________ He hands them back when he sees they are done. ______________
A word, phrase, or expression that has meaning beyond the literal meaning of the word(s) Example: It’s clear as a bell that you’re going bananas because your girlfriend has you under her thumb? What are the three idioms in this sentence? Can you rewrite the sentence to have the same meaning without the idioms? Idiom
Imagery Vivid sensory description Authors use imagery to help their readers see, hear, smell, taste, and even feel what they are reading about. Think of the lunchroom. Can you describe the scene using all five of your senses? Imagery
A word whose sound imitates the sound of the object or action it is describing. Examples: gobble, pop, squeak, click, splash Can you create a sentence with one of these examples? Onomatopoeia
Metaphor An implied comparison between two unlike things Example: All life is an experiment –Emerson Create your own metaphor for life. Life is a _______ Explain the significance of your metaphor Metaphor
Personification Giving human qualities to animals or objects. Example: The sun smiled on Sally’s class picnic. What is being personified? Based on this sentence, describe the day of the picnic. Personification
A statement that compares two unlike things and uses the word “like” or “as.” Example: Her eyes twinkled like stars in the sky. How does this simile help the you understand how the speaker feels about her eyes? Complete the following simile: Keeping a secret is like … What does your simile explain about keeping secrets? Simile
Symbol Something that represents an idea beyond itself. Example: The bald eagle represents the United States. What is another symbol for the United States? Symbol