Poetry
Characteristics of Poetry Poems are usually divided into lines and then grouped into stanzas Figurative language states ideas in new, creative ways Sound devices enhance mood
Figurative Language Metaphor Personification Simile Symbol
Metaphor Describes one thing saying it is something else as in: The house was a zoo this morning!
Personification Gives human qualities to something that is not human, as in: The cars growled in the traffic.
Simile To use the words like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things, as in: He stormed into the meeting like a tornado.
Symbol A symbol is anything that represents something else, as in: A dove is a common symbol for peace.
Sound Devices Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the beginning of words, as in: Copying homework begins the swift, slippery slope to academic dishonesty.
Repetition The use of any element of language—a sound, a word, phrase, clause, or sentence—more than once, as in: Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.
Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in stressed syllables, as in: Try to light the fire.
Consonance The repetition of similar consonant sounds at the ends of accented syllables, as in: I will stand on the beach in the wind and the sand.
Onomatopoeia The use of words that imitate sounds, as in: There was a loud crash as the baseball shattered the window.
Rhyme The repetition of sounds at the ends of words, as in: Winning the crown will eliminate your frown!
Meter The rhythmic pattern in a poem, as in: Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.
Forms of Poetry Narrative Haiku Free Verse Lyric Ballad Concrete Limerick Rhyming couplets
Narrative Narrative poetry tells a story. Narrative poems often have elements similar to those in short stories, such as plot and character.
Haiku Haiku is three line Japanese verse form. The first and third lines have five syllables, and the second line has seven syllables. Usually nature-themed. O, foolish ducklings, you know my old green pond is watched by a weasel!
Free Verse Free verse poetry is defined by its lack of strict structure. It has no regular meter, rhyme, fixed line length, or specific stanza pattern. once a snowflake fell on my brow and i loved it so much and i kissed it and it was happy and called its cousins and brothers and a web of snow engulfed me then i reached to love them all and i squeezed them and they became a spring rain and i stood perfectly still and was a flower
Lyrics and Ballads Lyric poetry expresses thoughts and feelings Ballads are songlike poems that tell a story, often dealing with romance and adventure
Concrete Concrete poems are shaped to look like their subjects. The poet arranges the lines of the poem to create a picture on the page
Limericks Limericks are humorous, rhyming, five-line poems with a specific rhythm pattern and rhyme scheme. There once was a girl from Troy She always tried to annoy She looked like a moose She laughed like a goose She’s the kid we all should avoid!
Rhyming Couplets Pairs of rhyming lines, usually of the same meter and length I cannot go to school today Said little Peggy Ann McKay I have the measles and the mumps A gash, a rash, and purple bumps!
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