Poetic Devices
Hope is a thing with feathers
-Emily Dickinson
Metaphor
“Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” by Robert Frost:
The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land
They look at the sea all day.
ABAB
This type of poem, often humorous, features five lines with a specific meter and an AABBA rhyme scheme
a limerick
Famed for his realistic, nature-focused poetry that captured rural life.
"The Road Not Taken"
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
William Wordsworth
Personification
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Coleridge:
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
By thy long grey beard and gliering eye,
Now wherefore stopp’st thou me?
ABCB
The term for a group of lines in a poem, considered as a unit
Stanza
Famous for his 154 sonnets and romantic plays, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers.
William Shakespeare
"Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn yard." This line of poetry illustrates what poetry term?
Alliteration
An elderly man called Keith
Mislaid his set of false teeth—
They’d been laid on a chair,
He forgot they were there,
Sat down, and was bitten beneath.
AABBA
This form of poetry, originating in Japan, traditionally reflects on nature and consists of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern
a haiku
Known for his dark, musical, and melancholic poetry, such as "Masque of the Red Death," often exploring themes of death.
Edgar Allan Poe
What is imagery in a poem or in any literary work?
It is descriptive writing that appeals to the senses of the reader. (Sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell)
Bee, be, B,
I’d rather climb a tree,
than learn to spell,
the same old word,
not just one way, but three
AABCA
This poem type consists of 14 lines, typically in a specific rhyme scheme (think Shakespeare)
A sonnet
A key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, known for jazz-influenced poetry.
"Let America Be America Again"
"I, Too"
Langston Hughes
The criminal got a slap on the wrist
Idiom
Others abide our question. Thou art free.
We ask and ask—Thou smilest and art still,
Out-topping knowledge. For the loftiest hill,
Who to the stars uncrowns his majesty,
ABBA
A narrative poem that tells a story, often in a musical or rhythmic manner
a Ballad
A modern poet known for her powerful, autobiographical work focusing on identity and resilience.
"And Still I Rise"