1. POETRY Genre

2. Rhyme Repetition of sounds in words
End rhyme—happens at the ends of lines
If you tell me why the fen
Appears impassable, I then
Internal rhyme: happens in the middle of a line
Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and weary

3. Rhyme Scheme Rhyme Pattern
“Ten Minutes Till the Bus”
By David L. Harrison
Ten whole minutes
Till the bus,
Scads of time,
What’s the fuss?
Two to dress,
One to flush,
Two to eat,
One to brush,
That leaves four
To catch the bus,
Words rhyme when they end in the same vowel and consonant sound
Rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes in a poem
The rhyme scheme is shown using letters. It always begins with A. Words that rhyme have the same letter.
Patterns might be:
AABB or ABCB or ABAB for example

4. Rhythm The beat of a poem.
You get a sense of the rhythm and can tap your fingers to the beat.
It is the pattern of beats or stressed or unstressed syllables.

5. Rhythm
From “Windy Nights” by Robert Louis Stevenson Whenever the moon and stars are set, Whenever the wind is high, All night long in the dark and wet, A man goes riding by. Late in the night when the fires are out, Why does he gallop and gallop about?

6. Speaker The voice of the poem Who is talking in the poem
This is usually not the poet
It is sometimes a narrator

7. Form
The way the poem looks on the page.

8. Haiku
Traditional Japanese poem. Made up of 3 lines First line has 5 syllables Second line has 7 syllables Third line has 5 syllables
The warmth on my skin. The fire falls beneath the trees. I see the sun set.

9. Lines
In poems, lines are usually just a phrase or just one or two words.
Lines are usually not complete sentences.

10. Lines “To a Snowflake” Hello little snowflake!
Where are all your friends?
Should I expect a lot of them
Before the morning ends?
5 I love it when you come to me
And you all fall down together,
And I get dressed to visit you,
Toasty warm in cold, cold weather
2 lines grouped together are called a couplet
A group of 4 lines is called a quatrain
A group of 5 lines is called a cinquain

11. Stanza Some poems are broken up into stanzas
Stanzas are a grouping of lines in a poem
They look like paragraphs but they are not.

12. “First and Last” by David McCord A tadpole hasn’t a pole at all, And he doesn’t live in a hole in the wall. You’ve got it wrong: a polecat’s not A cat on a pole. And I’ll tell you what 5 A bullfrog’s never a bull; and how Could a cowbird possibly be a cow? A kingbird, though, is a kind of king, And he chases a crow like anything.
Stanza
Stanzas often have groups of 2, 4, 5, or 6 lines
2 line stanzas are called couplets
Usually each stanza has one idea and builds on it
Beginning a new stanza usually shows the beginning of a new thought, picture, or idea
They give a poem structure

13. Free Verse A poem that has no rhythm, no rhyme, and no form.
Sounds like every day normal conversation

14. Repetition Repeated words, or phrases, or sentences
MLK Jr.’s “I have a dream!”

15. Figurative Language
Doesn’t mean exactly what the words say

16. Idiom
“Last Night” By David. L. Harrison Last night I knew the answers. Last night I had them pat. Last night I could have told you Every answer, just like that! Last night my brain was cooking! Last night I got them right. Last night I was a genius, So where were you last night?
Everyday saying that doesn’t mean exactly what words say
Poets use idioms because that’s the way people talk to each other

17. Simile A comparison between two things using LIKE or AS
She smells as sweet as a flower.
He is strong like an ox.

18. Simile
“The World” by Noel Berry The trees are like the hair of the world. The city is like the heart of the world. The wind is a flute player Playing in the night. The cars beeping horns are like buttons Beeping inside the earth. Each bird is like a single piccolo Singing away And the grass, just like me, Being buried under the snow.

19. Metaphor A comparison between two things WITHOUT using LIKE or AS
The river was a ribbon of shimmering light.

20. Metaphor
“Dreams” by Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.

21. Personification Giving human characteristics to non-living things
The car crept down the street.

22. Personification
“Snowy Benches” by Aileen Fisher Do parks get lonely In winter, perhaps, When benches have only Snow on their laps?

23. Imagery Uses word to excite the 5 senses
See, hear, taste, smell, touch
Paints a picture with words.

24. Imagery
“There is a Thing” by Jack Prelutsky There is a thing Beneath the stair With slimy face And oily hair That does not move Or speak or sing Or do another Single thing But sit and wait And oily hair.

25. Theme The meaning, or main idea, that the poem hints to
Examples of themes:
Friendship, love, happiness, life, death

26. Symbol Something that stands for something more than just itself.
Hints at a bigger meaning
Example: white flag is surrender
Dove is peace

27. Symbol
“The Farmer” By Carole Boston A plot of weeds, An old grey mule. Hot sun and sweat On a bright Southern day. Strong, stern papa Under a straw hat, Plowing and planting His whole life away. His backbone is forged Of African Iron And red Georgia clay.

28. Mood Feeling that a poem creates in the reader.
Can be positive or negative.
Mood can be made with line length, word choice, punctuation and sounds of the words

29. “Poor” by Myra Livingston I heard of poor It means hungry, no food
“Poor” by Myra Livingston I heard of poor It means hungry, no food. No shoes, no place to live. Nothing good. It means winter nights And being cold, It is lonely, alone, Feeling old. Poor is a tired face. Poor is thin. Poor is standing outside Looking in.
Mood

30. Tone
Attitude
The way the writer feels towards the subject or audience.
Can be positive or negative.
Tone can be made with word choice.

31. Tone
“The Crocodile” How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the water of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws.

32. Hyperbole An exaggeration He’s so tall his head touches the clouds.
The bully is so tough he eats pushpins for a snack.

33. Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like what they mean
Splash!
Boom!
Bang!

34. Onomatopoeia
“The Fourth” by Shel Silverstein Oh CRASH! My BASH! It’s BANG! The ZANG! Fourth WHOOSH! Of BAROOM! July WHEW!

35. Alliteration Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words
Sweet and sour
Dog days of summer
Cookies, cakes, and coffee

36. Alliteration
“Surf” by Lillian Morrison Waves want to be wheels, They jump for it and fail fall flat like pole vaulters and sprawl arms outstretched foam fingers reaching.