Poetic Devices “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” William Shakespeare click

What is the difference between poetry and prose? Poetry has a more musical quality and is written in lines. The garbage rolled on down the hall, It raised the roof, it broke the wall… Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs, Globs of gooey bubble gum from Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out by Shel Silverstein Prose refers to novels, short stories, letters, etc. – the ordinary form of written or spoken language

Imagery: the mental pictures created by a piece of writing Example: “Folks sway in the Palace aisles grinning and stomping and out of breath…” From Out of the Dust p. 13-14

Simile: A phrase that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as” Example: “Right hand playing notes sharp as tongues…” From Out of the Dust p. 13-14

Similes - - - Yes? No? The water was cold like an icicle. NO- this is just descriptive. The water was as cold as my girlfriend’s look when she saw a girl trying to flirt with me. YES! He looked like he was in pain. NO – this is just descriptive. His painful look was like a tooth looking at the dentist’s drill. YES! This sounds more atypical and not cliché. She was angry like a lion after his prey. Yes, but this is really overused and not always true. Is a lion always angry when he hunts? YAWN!!!! She was as angry as a principal at a cafeteria food fight. YES!!! I can just picture the controlled anger on the principal’s face as he/she tries to restore order. He ran as fast as a cheetah. If you like me even a tiny bit, you will NEVER use this or any other overused animal simile. I am begging, here. He ran as fast as my little brother after the ice-cream truck. YES, not quite as overused. Let’s think of an even better one…

Metaphor: a phrase that compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as”. Example: “That is heaven. How supremely heaven playing piano can be.” From Out of the Dust

Personification: giving human characteristics to nonhuman things Example: “When I point my fingers at the keys, the music springs straight out of me.” From Out of the Dust p. 13-14

Rhyme: Words at the end of lines of poetry that sound the same. Example: Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam Once upon a time I caught a little rhyme I set it on the floor but it ran right out the door I chased it on my bicycle but it melted to an icicle I scooped it up in my hat but it turned into a cat I caught it by the tail but it stretched into a whale I followed it in a boat but it changed into a goat When I fed it tin and paper it became a tall skyscraper Then it grew into a kite and flew far out of sight

Rhyme pattern aka rhyme scheme: indicating the pattern of end rhyme by using the letters of the alphabet Example: Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam Once upon a time a I caught a little rhyme a I set it on the floor b but it ran right out the door b I chased it on my bicycle c but it melted to an icicle c I scooped it up in my hat d but it turned into a cat d I caught it by the tail e but it stretched into a whale e I followed it in a boat f but it changed into a goat f When I fed it tin and paper g it became a tall skyscraper g Then it grew into a kite h and flew far out of sight h

Different kinds of rhyme End rhyme: Up into the cherry tree Who should climb but little me Exact rhyme: tree, me Slant or near rhyme: crisis, illness Internal rhyme: Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the garbage out She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans, Candy the yams and spice the hams

Alliteration: the repetition of the first consonant sound in a group of words Example: Rain Rain races, Ripping like wind. Its restless rage Rattles like Rocks ripping through the air.

Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds in a group of words Example: “… the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore…” From The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

Hyperbole: A figure of speech involving exaggeration to help create a desired image. Example: Why does a boy who’s fast as a jet Take all day —and sometimes two— To get to school? by John Ciardi from “Speed Adjustments”

Onomatopoeia: use of a word that is an actual imitation of the sound it is referring to Example: Swoosh, swish paddling down a creek splish, splash, whump a fish jumps on me!

Idiom: a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say. Examples: Raining cats and dogs Teach an old dog new tricks Skating on thin ice A day late and a dollar short Air your dirty laundry in public

Poetic Devices in Literature In groups of three or four, locate four different poetic devices in a published poem. Materials needed: file card, poetry book or literature book, pencil. Write the poetic device in the upper left, then your name in the upper right, then copy the part of the poem, underline or highlight the poetic device, then put the poem’s title and the poet’s name. Like this: Metaphor Your Name “Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly.” from “Dreams” by Langston Hughes