1. Literary Elements
a writer’s tools

2. The Elements Assonance Figurative Language Lyric poems Concrete poem
Onomatopoeia
Rhyme
Simile
Repetition
Consonance
Alliteration

3. Assonance
The repetition of the same middle vowel sound in two or more closely grouped words
Example
“I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless.”
- "With Love" by Thin Lizzy

4. Figurative Language
Give readers a clear picture of what is being described.
Example
“I have a baseball
That sits on a throne…”
- My Championship Baseball by Troy B.

5. Lyric Poems Short and songlike and express the feelings of the speaker
Example
Paper Birds Our minds have become intimate with words. We fly together like two paper birds. Small creeks, big rivers and the mighty sea, Sustains the lyrics of calligraphy. My friend, the lamp of sunset lights the grass. Leaves paint old panes with poems of stained glass. Deft fingers pluck the lyre-strings of the heart. Emotion is as beautiful as art.
-Sandra Fowler
Short and songlike and express the feelings of the speaker

6. Concrete Poem
Poems shaped to look like the poem’s subject matter

7. Onomatopoeia
The use of words that sound like the action or thing they describe

8. Rhyme
End words that sound the same and mostly occur a the end of lines of poetry
Example
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
-Dr. Seuss

9. Simile A comparison between two unlike things using like or as
Examples
The sun is like a glowing lightbulb in the sky.
That bear was as big as a building.
My pillow is as soft as a cloud.
I slept like a baby.

10. Repetition Repeating a word or phrase for rhythmic effect and emphasis
Examples
I Dream a World
I dream a world where man
No other will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn.
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom’s way…
-Langston Hughes

11. Consonance
The repetition of final consonant sounds in two or more words grouped closely together
Example
"He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake."
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (Robert Frost)

12. Alliteration The repetition of the same initial consonant sound
Example
“Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, He bravely breach'd his boiling bloody breast.”
- Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night's Dream"