PoetryPoetry4BG

Poetry is…• A way to express yourself

creatively• Poets often write in short lines and

use patterns of rhythm and rhyme. • Some poets, however, feel free

from following any rules and experiment with words, shapes, language, and subjects.

• Poets write about anything and everything-from silly to serious.

Elements of Poetry• Poets have many tools that they can use in

writing poems. These tools add to the poem’s sound, meaning, and emotional effect on the reader. Some of the elements poets use are:

• Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme• Simile• Metaphor• Alliteration• Onomatopoeia• Personification• Repetition• Hyperbole (Exaggeration)

Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme

• When two words rhyme, they sound the same at the end. Poems often use rhyme, usually at the ends of lines.

• A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhymes in a poem.

• Rhyme schemes are labeled according to their rhyme sounds.  Every rhyme sound is given its own letter of the alphabet to distinguish it from the other rhyme sounds that may appear in the poem. 

For example, the first rhyme sound of a poem is designated as a.  Every time that rhyme sound appears in the poem, no matter where it is found, it is called a.  The second rhyme sound to appear in the poem is designated b.  Every other time that rhyme sound appears in the poem, no matter where it is found, it is called b.  The third rhyme sound to appear would be c, the fourth d, and so on, for as many rhyme sounds as appear in the poem.

The following short poem illustrates the labeling of a rhyme scheme.

                  There once was a big brown cat      a                  That liked to eat a lot of mice.        b                  He got all round and fat                 a                  Because they tasted so nice.          b

Rhyme Schemes

Example of Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme

“Ten Minutes till the Bus” by David L. Harrison

Ten whole minutesTill 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,

Scads of time, What’s the fuss?

Figurative LanguageWhat is Figurative Language?

• Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else,you are using figurative language. 

• Some examples of figurative language are:

– Similes– Metaphors– Alliteration– Onomatopoeia– Personification– Exaggeration– Repetition

Simile• A poet uses the words like or as to

compare two things in a simile. • For example:

The baby was as cute as a button.

The rain falls like the sun,rising upon the

mountains.

Metaphor• A metaphor is a direct comparison

between two things. It does not use the words like or as. It states that one thing is another.

• Example:Brian was a wall, bouncing every

tennis ball back over the net.

Alliteration• Alliteration is the repetition of the

same consonant sound at the beginning of several words of a sentence or a line of poetry.

Example:• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper

pick?

Do you know any others?

Onomatopoeia• Poets use language to its fullest.

They choose words not only for what they mean but also for how they sound.

• Onomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like the noises they describe.

• For instance, CRASH! BANG! ZOOM! BUZZ!

Personification• Poets often create strong images by

making nonhuman things seem human. • Personification is a type of figure of

speech that gives human qualities to animals, objects, or ideas.

• Example:“Snowy Benches” by Aileen Fisher

Do parks get lonelyin winter, perhaps,

When benches have onlySnow on their laps?

More Examples of Personification

• The flowers begged for water. • The wind screamed as it raced

around the tree.

• Lightning danced across the sky.

Repetition• Poets use repetition quite often in

their writing.• Repetition is using the same word,

sound, or phrase over and over again within the poem

• Repetition in poetry is pleasant to the ear.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course And no one can talk to a horse of course That is, of course, unless the horse Is the famous Mr. Ed

Repetition

Hyperbole

• A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration.

• When using a hyperbole, you can make things seem larger or more important than they actually are .

• A hyperbole should not be taken literally- we call this a “figure of speech”.

Example: I am so hungry, I could eat a horse. (I really don’t want to eat a horse)