Poetry Terms

1
Poetry Terms Examples

• Figurative Stylistic Language
• Devices that enhance and add interest to the
  written and spoken word

2
Imagery/Sensory DevicesPurpose is to create an
IMAGE in the readers mind using words to convey
the five senses.

• 1. Simile
• 2. Metaphor
• 3. Personification

3
1. Simile

• A comparison of two things using the words like
  or as.

4
Examples of a Simile

• Bob is hungry as a wolf.
• Bob and wolf are the two things being compared,
  using as
• Sue smells like a rose.
• Sue rose are the two things being compared,
  using like

5
2. Metaphor

• A comparison of two things without using like or
  as. (Things person, place, thing, or thought)

6
Examples of a Metaphor

• Bob is a hungry wolf.
• Bob is compared to a wolf.
• Sue is a rose, filling the room with her sweet
  scent.
• Sue (or Sues scent) and rose are being compared.

7
3. Personification

• A type of metaphor in which non-human things or
  ideas possess human qualities or actions.

8
Examples of Personification

• The wind whispered her name.
• Wind is being personified wind whispered,
  because wind cant actually whisper.
• Justice is blind.
• Justice is being personified blind justice,
  because justice has no actual eyes that could be
  blinded.

9
Sound DevicesPurpose is to create a RHYTHM or
set the TONE in the poem.

• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Onomatopoeia
• Rhyme
• A. (True/Pure) Rhyme
• B. Internal Rhyme
• C. Near/Half Rhyme (or Impure rhyme)
• D. Eye Rhyme

10
1. Alliteration

• The repetition of a consonant sound at the
  beginning of neighboring words. (Consonants are
  all the letters except a, e, i, o, u, and y.)

11
Examples of Alliteration

• The dark dance of death whisked her away.
• Repetition of the d sound in dark dance of
  death
• Like a lucky charm, he looks on.
• Repetition of the l sound in Like, lucky,
  and looks

12
2. Assonance

• The repetition of vowel sounds (within stressed
  syllables) of neighboring words. (Vowels are a,
  e, i, o, u, and y.)

13
Examples of Assonance

• Talking and walking, hours on end.
• Repetition of the ah sound in talking
  walking
• A turtle in the fertile soil.
• Repetition of the er sound in turtle fertile

14
3. Onomatopoeia

• Words which imitate the sound they refer to.

15
Examples of Onomatopoeia

• The eagle whizzed past the buzzing bees.
• whizzed and buzzing
• Rip-roar fire, the gun stutters on.
• Rip-roar and stutters

16
4. Rhyme

• A. Rhyme (true or pure rhyme) Words which end
  with the same sounds, usually at the end of lines.

17
Examples of Rhyme

• The deepest night
• burning bright.
• night and bright
• A time to feel,
• and a time to heal.
• feel and heal

18
4. Rhyme

• B. Internal Rhyme Rhyme within a line.

19
Examples of Internal Rhyme

• Bright night, a full moon above.
• bright and night
• We will stay today and then
• we must go.
• stay and today

20
4. Rhyme

• C. Near/Half Rhyme Slight or inaccurate
  repetition of sounds (also called impure rhyme).

21
Examples of Near/Half Rhyme

• On top of the hill,
• the moon is full.
• hill and full
• Give this to the man,
• hell know what I mean.
• man and mean
• This as also called consonance when the
  consonants match (man/mean) but the vowel sound
  doesnt.

22
4. Rhyme

• D. Eye Rhyme Words that look like they rhyme
  (similar spelling), but do NOT rhyme (also called
  sight rhyme).

23
Examples of Eye Rhyme

• Listen to the water flow,
• from above I dont see how.
• flow and how
• When the game is over,
• a true champion well discover.
• over and discover

24
Miscellaneous Devices

• 1. Hyperbole
• 2. Irony/Paradox
• 3. Anaphora

25
1. Hyperbole

• An obvious and deliberate exaggeration (to
  emphasize something or for humorous purposes).

26
Examples of a Hyperbole

• I love you more than life itself.
• Love is exaggerated.
• He could eat a horse.
• His appetite is exaggerated.

27
2. Irony

• Saying the opposite of what you actually mean.

28
Examples of Irony

• Water, water everywhere,
• but not a drop to drink.
• Surrounded by water in the ocean, but none of it
  is drinkable.
• The directions were as clear as mud.
• Obviously, they werent very clear directions
  (this is also a simile!).

29
2. Paradox

• A statement that seems to contradict or oppose
  itself, yet actually reveals some truth.

30
Examples of a Paradox

• Its hard work doing nothing.
• Youth is wasted on the young.
• The more we know, the less we understand.
• The less you have, the more you are free. (Or
  the more you have.)
• I can resist anything but temptation.
• Her silence was deafening.

31
3. Anaphora

• The repetition of words at the beginning of
  clauses.
• Purpose is to add emphasis/meaning or build to a
  climax.
• EXAMPLE Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a
  Dream Speech

32
4. Epistrophe

• The repetition of words at the end of clauses.
• Purpose is to add emphasis/meaning or build to a
  climax.
• Example "For no government is better than the
  men who compose it, and I want the best, and we
  need the best, and we deserve the best."
• (Senator John F. Kennedy, speech at Wittenberg
  College, Oct. 17, 1960)

33
How Figurative Stylistic Devices are used in
Song Lyrics

• Examples using the songs
• The River by Garth Brooks
• Crossroads by Tracy Chapman
• She by Green Day
• One by Metallica

34
Examples of Simile

• The River by Garth Brooks
• You know a dream is like a river / Ever changing
  as it flows

• Which two things are being compared?
• Dream and river using the word like

35
Trickier Example in The River

• And I will sail my vessel / Til the river runs
  dry / Like a bird upon the wind / These waters
  are my sky

• Which two things are being compared using a
  simile?
• I (the speaker) and bird using like
• Re-wording the sentence helps to see the simile
  
• I sail these waters like a bird flies through the
  sky.

36
Examples of Metaphor

• Crossroads by Tracy Chapman
• Some say the devil be a mystical thing / I say
  the devil he a walking man

• Which two things are being compared?
• Devil and man
• Take off the adjectives to get the two NOUNS that
  are being compared (not comparing devil with
  walking man, just man).

37
Are These Metaphors?More from Crossroads

• Devil man is a metaphor
• Devil/man and fool is NOT a metaphor. Fool is
  an ADJECTIVE describing the man/devil
• Same for liar, conjurer, and thief--he could
  actually BE all these things, so it is not a
  metaphor.

• I say the devil he a walking man
• (yes devil man)
• He a fool (devil/man fool?)
• He a liar (devil/man liar?)
• (a) conjurer (devil/man conjurer?)
• and a thief (devil/man thief?)

38
Trickier Example of Metaphorfrom Crossroads

• Which two things are being compared?
• Folks and demons
• Even though the speaker never says folks are
  demons, it is implied. When someone uses the
  cliché, Go to hell, they are calling that
  person a devil or demon--or a resident of Hell.
  The meaning of the metaphor is for the folks to
  stay out of other peoples business let the
  speaker live her own life.

• All you folks think you run my life / say I
  should be willing to compromise / I say all you
  demons go back to hell / Ill save my soul, save
  myself

39
Examples of Personification

• She by Green Day
• Waiting for a sign / To smash the silence with
  the brick of self-control

• What thing is given human-like qualities?
• Sign
• The sign to smash the silence because a sign
  cannot physically smash anything.

40
PracticeListen to One by Metallica In this
One song (thats a pun), find examples of

• 1. Simile
• 2. Personification
• 3. Alliteration
• 4. Rhyme

• 5. Internal Rhyme
• 6. Near/Half Rhyme
• 7. Irony
• 8. Paradox

41
Examples in One

• 6. Near/Half Rhyme speech/hearing, myself/cell
• 7. Irony Machines keep him alive, but he wishes
  to die
• 8. Paradox Speaker cant live, yet he cant die
  war is also the implied paradox soldier sent to
  kill in order to save lives.
• Kudos if you found an Eye Rhyme live/die

• 1. Simile Speaker/narrator and a wartime novelty
• 2. Personification Darkness imprisoning me
• 3. Alliteration scream / This terrible silence
  stops me
• 4. Rhyme dream/scream, me/see, real/feel/reveal,
  etc.
• 5. Internal rhyme Hold my breath as I wish for
  death

42
Practice Group workWith a partner or group,
find school-appropriate song lyrics and pick out
examples of figurative and stylistic
devices.Which group can come up with the most
examples in a single song in 15 minutes or less?
43
Teachers Here are the lyrics to the song
examples.
The River by Garth Brooks You know a dream is
like a river, ever changing as it flows. And a
dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where
it goes. Trying to learn from what's behind you
and never knowing what's in store makes each day
a constant battle just to stay between the
shores. And I will sail my vessel 'til
the river runs dry. Like a bird upon the
wind, these waters are my sky. I'll never
reach my destination if I never try, So I
will sail my vessel 'til the river runs dry. Too
many times we stand aside and let the water slip
away. To what we put off 'til tomorrow has now
become today. So don't you sit upon the shore
and say you're satisfied. Choose to chance the
rapids and dare to dance the tides. And
I will sail my vessel 'til the river runs dry.
Like a bird upon the wind, these waters are
my sky. I'll never reach my destination
if I never try, So I will sail my vessel
'til the river runs dry. There's bound to be
rough waters, and I know I'll take some
falls. With the good Lord as my captain, I can
make it through them all. And I will
sail my vessel 'til the river runs dry.
Like a bird upon the wind, these waters are my
sky. I'll never reach my destination if I
never try, So I will sail my vessel 'til
the river runs dry.
Crossroads by Tracy Chapman performed by Tracy
Chapman, 1988 All you folks think you own my
life But you never made any sacrifice Demons
they are on my trail Im standing at the
crossroads of hell I look to the left I look to
the right Therere hands that grab me on every
side All you folks think I got my price At
which Ill sell all that is mine You think money
rules when all else fails Go sell your soul and
keep your shell Im trying to protect what I
keep inside All the reasons why I live my life
Some say the devil be a mystical thing I say the
devil he a walking man He a fool he a liar
conjurer and a thief He try to tell you what you
want Try to tell you what you need Standing at
the point The road it cross you down What is at
your back Which way do you turn Who will come
to find you first Your devils or your gods All
you folks think you run my life Say I should be
willing to compromise I say all you demons go
back to hell Ill save my soul save
myself conjurer someone who conjures
magic conjure someone who orders or commands
something or someone
She by Billie Jo Armstrong (performed by Green
Day, 1993) Inspired by a poem titled
She She She screams in silence A sullen riot
penetrating through her mind Waiting for a
sign To smash the silence with the brick of
self-control Are you locked up in a world Thats
been planned out for you Are you feeling like a
social tool without a use Scream at me until my
ears bleed Im taking heed just for
you She Shes figured out All her doubts were
someone elses point of view Waking up this
time To smash the silence with the brick of
self-control Are you locked up in a world Thats
been planned out for you Are you feeling like a
social tool without a use Scream at me until my
ears bleed Im taking heed just for you Are you
locked up in a world Thats been planned out for
you Are you feeling like a social tool without a
use Scream at me until my ears bleed Im taking
heed just for you heed paying close
attention sullen somber gloomy or showing
irritation
44
One by James Hetfield Lars Ulrich (performed
by Metallica, 1989 written in 1987) I cant
remember anything Cant tell if this is true or
dream Deep down inside I feel to scream This
terrible silence stops me Now that the war is
through with me Im waking up I can not see That
there is not much left of me Nothing is real but
pain now Hold my breath as I wish for death Oh
please God, wake me Back in the womb its much
too real In pumps life that I must feel But cant
look forward to reveal Look to the time when Ill
live Fed through the tube that sticks in me Just
like a wartime novelty Tied to machines that make
me be Cut this life off from me Hold my breath
as I wish for death Oh please God, wake me Now
the world is gone Im just one Oh God, help me
hold my breath as I wish for death Oh please God
help me Darkness imprisoning me All that I
see Absolute horror I cannot live I cannot
die Trapped in myself Body my holding
cell Landmine has taken my sight Taken my
speech Taken my hearing Taken my arms Taken my
legs Taken my soul Left me with life in hell