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Poetry Terminology
Rhyme The repetition of syllable sounds. End words that
share a sound are called end rhymes. Rhyming words within a line of poetry are called internal rhymes.
Rhymes create a pleasing effect in poetry and it also makes it easier to memorize things (i.e.: nursery rhymes)
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses, and all the King’s menCouldn’t put Humpty together again!
Rhyme Scheme A way of describing the pattern of end rhymes in
a poem. Each new sounds at the end of a line is given a
letter, starting with “a,” then “b,” and so on. If an end sound repeats the end sound of an earlier line, it gets the same letter as the earlier line.
My cat is nice. aMy cat likes mice.
aMy cat is fat.
bI like my cat.
b
My cat is nice. aMy cat is fat.
bMy cat likes mice.
aI like my cat.
b
My cat is gray. aMy cat is fat.
bMy cat is cute. cI like my cat.
b
My Penmanship is Pretty Bad
My penmanship is pretty bad.My printing’s plainly awful.In truth, my writing looks so
sadIt ought to be unlawful.
Rhyme scheme: a,b,a,b
Roses Are RedRoses are red.
Violets are blue.Sugar is sweet,And so are you.
Rhyme scheme: a,b,c,b
Today I Had a Rotten DayToday I had a rotten day.
As I was coming in from playI accidentally stubbed my toes
And tripped and fell and whacked my nose.
Rhyme scheme: a,a,b,b
Rhythm A series of stressed and unstressed sounds in a group of
words. Rhythm may be regular or it may be varied. Rhythm in writing acts as beat does in music. Rhythm
captivates the audience by giving musical effect to a speech, poem, or literary piece.
Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble DOU-ble, DOU-ble, TOIL and TROU-ble;
FI-re BURN, and CAL-dron BUB-ble (from Macbeth by Shakespear)
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
https://www.projected.com/contests/30-rhythm-and-the-raven#brief
Figurative Language
What is figurative language? Figurative language is
language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation.
Figurative language makes literature more vivid. It is especially common in poetry.
Examples include:SimileMetaphorOnomatopoeiaHyperbolePersonificationSymbolism
Simile A comparison between two unlike things using the words
like or as. Granny was as blind as a bat.
YES – Granny and bat are unlike things – compared with “as.” The dog was as fast as lightning.
YES – Dog and lightning are unlike things – compared with “as.” He is as tall as his brother.
NO – Uses “as” for comparison, but he and his brother are both tall boys, so this does not compare unlike things.
He slept like a log.YES – Boy and lumber are unlike things – compared with “like.”
Metaphor
A direct comparison of two unlike things; metaphors DO NOT use like or as for comparison.
When two unlikes you match direct
A METAPHOR makes them connect.
The streams are snakes, toupees are rugs,
And human arms give big bear hugs.
Metaphor He hogged the road.
YES – Humans and animals are unlike things. He is not really a hog, but he has acted in a manner often attributed to hogs by taking more than his fair share of something.
She toyed with the idea. YES – Her thought process is unlike a toy, but the implication is that she
considered the idea so lightheartedly that it is as if she were playing with a toy.
Dad was a rock through all their trouble. YES – Dad and a rock are unlike objects, but his ability to remain unchanged
through pressure conditions is compared to a rock not being changed by the conditions around it.
DAD was a man through all their trouble. NO – Dad is a man, so unlikes are not compared, even though being a male
adult and acting like a man may imply different things.
PersonificationGiving human characteristics to non-human
things
Personification is realized
When things not human are humanized.
This lets clouds skip on high and play
And trees lift leafy arms to pray.
Personification The sun was eaten by the storm clouds.
YES – Eating is a human activity. Clouds cannot eat.
Mickey MouseYES – Real mice do not wear clothes or speak.
There are many examples of animals that have been given human qualities in fiction, such as Winnie the Pooh, Lion King, or Bambi.
The flower grew.NO – While growing is a human activity, flowers
also grow, so the flower is not doing something restricted to humans.
Onomatopoeia
Occurs when the sound of the word gives the meaning of the word.
Buzz, whisper, meow, sizzle, hiss, ping
Edgar Allan Poe is considered the master of onomatopoeia in both his prose and his poetry. His poem “The Bells” is generally recognized as the greatest example of sustained onomatopoeia ever written. Each verse sounds like the type of bell it describes.
Read these excerpts from Verse III of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Bells.” Listen for the onomatopoeia.
HyperboleHyperbole is an extreme exaggeration. Poetry, especially love poems are a good source
for finding hyperbole.
“O, My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Hyperbole
Her boom box was loud enough to wake the dead.YES - No amount of noise can do that.
I have a million errands to run today.YES - If you run 100 errands a day, this would
take over 27 years. I caught a trophy fish! (Actually it was barely
big enough to keep.)NO – This is an exaggeration, but is just in the
“stretcher” category.
Symbolism Occurs when a
noun which has meaning in itself is used to represent something entirely different.
One example of symbolism would be to use an image of the American flag to represent patriotism and a love for one’s country.
Red rose or the color red Love / romance
The color black Evil / death
Lion Bravery / power
Book Education /
knowledge Dove
Peace
I ask them to take a poem
And hold it up to the light like a color slide
Or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
And watch him probe his way out,
Or walk inside the poem’s room
And feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to water-ski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with a rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
To find out what it really means.
Billy Collins
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