Introduction to Poetry Components of a poem Lines Stanza Figurative Language Rhyme Rhyme Scheme Alliteration Consonance Assonance Onomatopoeia

Lines Most poems are written in lines. How many lines does this poem soft Most poems are written in lines. How many lines does this poem have? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Stanza 1 2 3 A group of lines in a poem is called a stanza. soft A group of lines in a poem is called a stanza. Stanzas separate ideas in a poem. They act like paragraphs. How many stanzas does this poem have? 1 2 3

Figurative Language Review Simile - a comparison using like or as Metaphor – comparing two things using exaggeration Personification – giving objects or animals qualities or characteristics of a person Idioms – a special phrase with a special meaning Hyperbole – is an exaggeration to emphasize your point Figurative Language Review Hyperbole - an exaggeration to emphasize your point Example: I have played this game a thousand times. Personification - giving objects or animals qualities or characteristics of a person Example: The flower begged for water. Metaphor A comparison of two things using exaggeration without using like or as Example: This computer is an old dinosaur. Idioms - a special phrase with a special meaning Example: Time flies when you’re having fun. Imagery - helps readers form pictures in their mind Examples: Simile A comparison using like or as Example: She is as gentle as a lamb.

Find the rhyming words in this poem. RHYME Two or more words which match in the same last sound. Example: hat, cat, mat, sat soft Find the rhyming words in this poem.

Rhyme within a line of poetry. Internal Ryme Rhyme within a line of poetry. . My Pet Germs I have a half a billion germs I keep as tiny pets. They're cute and clean and never mean and give me no regrets. They spend all day engaged in play upon my skin and hair. They're on my clothes, between my toes and in my underwear. They dance and shout and bounce about. They run and jump and slide. My epidermis teems with germs who party on my hide. I never fret about the pets inside my shirt and socks. I love them there but wonder where they keep their litter box? --Kenn Nesbitt For example, the poem My Pet Germs by Kenn Nesbitt contains an internal rhyme on the third line of each stanza

Rhyme Scheme My Cat Goes Flying The pattern of the last words in the lines rhyme. My Cat Goes Flying My cat goes flying through the air from over here to over there. He lands and runs back, and then goes flying through the air again. a a b b Video example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ1NbMTir-c

The repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in a line. ALLITERATION Example: How much dew would a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop did drop dew? soft Find the alliteration in this poem. Video example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhrY5ZCYtlU

Consonance The repetition of consonant sounds. Examples: I dropped the locket in thick mud. The dove moved above the waves.

Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds. Examples: I made my way to the lake. Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack, Onomatopoeia Words that imitate the sounds of what they represent. Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack,

Let’s see what this looks like in a poem. Noise Day by Shel Silverstein Let’s have one day for girls and boyses When you can make the grandest noises. Screech, scream, holler, and yell – Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell, Sneeze – hiccup – whistle – shout, Laugh until your lungs wear out, Toot a whistle, kick a can, Bang a spoon against a pan, Sing, yodel, bellow, hum, Blow a horn, beat a drum, Rattle a window, slam a door, Scrape a rake across the floor . . .. Onomatopoeia

Interactive Poetry Game http://www.funenglishgames.com/readinggames/poem.html