1. The Essential Tools Poets Use to Make Their Writing Amazing

2.   Take a deep breath. Relax. It’s going to be okay.  Poetry is a type of art that intimidates many people. I understand: poetry can sometimes be challenging. If you give it a chance, however, it can also be funny, inspiring, and life-changing.  The purpose of this unit is to break down the essential elements of a poetry so that you can feel more confident in reading and writing poetry. So, You’re About To Study Poetry…

3.   There are five major types of “figurative language” that we are going to study:  1) Simile  2) Metaphor  3) Hyperbole  4) Personification  5) Symbolism #1: Figurative Language

4.   Definition: A comparison between two things using “like” or “as”.  “Let words grow tall like skyscrapers, let them glow like sunsets. “Let similes run wild, like an unsaddled horse across the plain.” -Mr. Foley’s poem “Gather Round”  “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” - Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” Simile

5.   Definition: A comparison between two things without using “like” or “as”.  “All the world is a stage” – Shakespeare  “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and hope of the slave. - Maya Angelou You're not another fat joke or last Sunday's horoscope. You're the prize catch, grandma's brownie batch. You're the idyllic rising sun, ultra-number one. - “Halitus” by Derek Berry Metaphor

6.   Definition: Use of extreme exaggeration.  That was the easiest question in the world.  I can smell pizza from a mile away.  I went home and made the biggest sandwich of all time. “So I sit in a sea of ink stains Then swim through an endless stream of inspiration” - “The Spark” by Marcus Amaker Hyperbole

7.   Definition: When a non-human subject is given human characteristics.  The drooping plant was begging for water.  The sun touched me with its warmth. “My money’s been acting funny lately Now I don’t mean haha funny No, I’m talking strange, weird, different type funny This time money’s gone all out Leaving me, showing up, then leaving as quickly as she came” - “Money” by Poetri Personification

8.   Definition: A thing that represents or stands for something else.  Everyday Examples: The American flag is a symbol of the United States of America. A dove represents peace.  Poetic Example: Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack on the concrete? Funny it seems, but by keeping it’s dreams it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared. - Tupac Shakur Symbolism

9.   Definition: A writer’s attitude or emotions towards their subject.  Possible Tones: Scared, Excited, Worried, Solemn, Angry, Funny, Confident, Sarcastic, Lonely...  How would you describe the tone in this example? Yes, we are our fathers' sons and daughters But we are not their choices For despite their absences we are still here Still alive, still breathing With the power to change this world One little boy and girl at a time Knock knock Who's there? We are - “Knock, Knock” by Daniel Beaty #2: Tone

10.   Definition: A writer’s choice of unique or interesting words for a particular reason.  Common reasons for unique word choice:  1) Alliteration  2) Repetition  3) Rhyme  4) Allusion #3: Word Choice

11.   Definition: The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of a series of words.  “Her hardest hue to hold…”  “So dawn goes down to day.”  - from “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost We’ll take your spirit on a stretcher To the Hip Hop Hospital And… CLEAR!!... Beat box you back to life. - “What You Will Need in Class Today” by Mr. Foley Alliteration

12.   The act of repeating a word or phrase to create emphasis.  “Come lovers. Come enemies. Come mere acquaintances.”  “Let a guitar be strummed, let a drum be hit, let the turntables spit round and round. - from “Gather Round (Let the Poetry Begin)” Knock knock down doors of racism and poverty that I could not Knock knock down doors of opportunity For the lost brilliance of the black men who crowd these cells Knock knock with diligence for the sake of your children Knock knock for me for as long as you are free These prison gates cannot contain my spirit - “Knock, Knock” by Daniel Beaty Repetition

13.   Definition: When two or more words have similar ending sounds.  A) End Rhymes : When the rhymes come at the end of the line. “Stars hide your fires These here are my desires And I will give them up to you this time around And so I'll be found With my stake stuck in this ground” - Mumford & Sons  B) Internal Rhymes : When the rhymes come in the middle of the line  “I melted microphones instead of cones of ice cream.” - Rakim (from the old school hip hop group Eric B & Rakim) Rhyme

14.   Definition: When an author references another work of literature, a story, a film, a famous character, etc.  “So Eden sank to grief” - Robert Frost  Robert Frost is creating an allusion to the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden.  “Let us hear Ginsberg and all the beats be-bopping”  In Mr. Foley’s poem, he creates an allusion to the poet Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation of poets from the 1950’s. Allusion

15.   Definition: Language that appeals to one of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell.  Grandma’s warm kitchen smelled of chocolate chip cookies.  I licked the sticky sweet strawberry frosting from my fingers. So pack your backpack full of sunrises First kisses, your mother’s voice, Your father’s hands, The taste of your own breath on a cold morning, The sound of footsteps down a lonely street, The smell of a damp forest.” - What You Will Need in Class Today by Mr. Foley #4: Imagery

16.   Definition: The type of poem the poet chooses to write.  A Few Basic Types of Poetry: Rhyming (Uses a rhyme scheme) Free Verse (Does not use a rhyme scheme) Haiku Epic Ballad Sonnet Ode Slam #5: Style

17.   Definition: The message, life lesson, or main idea of a poem.  Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. - “To The Virgins, To Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick Theme: Life is short. Therefore, live life to the fullest. #6: Theme