Spot the Device
Name the figure of speech
from The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas
What is a metaphor?
from Willow and Ginkgo by Eve Merriam
The willow is like an etched fine-tuned flute,
The ginkgo is a leathery leaf, an old bull’s horn.
The willow is sleek as a velvet-nosed fawn
What are simile and metaphor?
From The Old Man and the Sea by Ogden Nash.
The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other, milk.
This is an example of a couplet because it consists of two consecutive lines that rhyme.
True
from As You Like It by William Shakespeare:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
Metaphor
From The Railway Train by Emily Dickinson:
I like to see it lap the miles,
And lick the valleys up,"
Question: Why does the poet use the metaphors "lap" and "lick" to describe a heavy, industrial train?
A) To show that the train is dangerous and predatory.
B) To create a playful and curious tone by treating the train like a pet.
C) To explain the mechanical process of how steam engines work.
D) To create a tone of fear and intimidation.
B
Name the sound device
from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;"
What is an alliteration?
from Song of Myself by Walt Witman
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
What are free verse and hyperbole?
From Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Glory be to God for dappled things—"
The repetition of the "g" sound in "Glory" and "God" is an example of consonance.
False
from Flint by Christina Rossetti:
An emerald is as green as grass,
A ruby red as blood;
Not a metaphor
From The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Question: What is the primary purpose of the alliteration (the repeating "S" sounds) in this line?
A) To create a cheerful, rhythmic beat for the reader.
B) To emphasize the wealth and luxury of the speaker’s house.
C) To create a suspenseful and anxious mood that mimics a whispering sound.
D) To show that the speaker is bored and falling asleep.
C
from The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo by Gerard Manley
"How to keep—is there any any, is there none such, nowhere
known some bow or brooch or braid or brace, lace, latch or catch or key to keep..."
What is assonance?
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
What are alliteration and onomatopoeia?
From Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
These lines are an example of irony.
False (This is a metaphor for a hard life. There is no irony here because she is being direct and sincere about her struggles; she is explicitly saying her life has not been easy).
From I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay
Not a metaphor
Prompt: From "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,"
Question: How does the extended metaphor of the "tacks" and "splinters" support the theme of the poem?
A) It warns the son to be careful when walking in old buildings.
B) It suggests that the speaker is angry at the world for being unfair.
C) It represents the pain and obstacles the speaker has overcome.
D) It proves that life was easier in the past than it is now.
C
Alike all authors of Pindaric art,
Soft is his vocal term, hard is his heart.
With fools admiring and with wits advised,
He sits triumphant and he sits despised.
Answer: What is antithesis?
"We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
What are caesura and enjambment?
From The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot:
April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire...
This is an example of enjambment.
True
He tried to ignore the truth, but it hammered at the door of his consciousness.
Metaphor
From A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane:
A man said to the universe:
'Sir, I exist!'
'However,' replied the universe,
'The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.'
Question: In this poem, what theme does the irony highlights?
A) The theme is that if you speak politely to the world ("Sir"), the world will reward you with success.
B) The theme is that humans are the most important part of the galaxy and we must protect our status.
C) The irony shows that the man is a hero for standing up to the universe's rudeness.
D) The irony reveals the theme of Cosmic Indifference: the idea that the universe is vast and doesn't actually care about individual human lives.
D
The golf links lie so near the mill That almost every day The laboring children can look out And see the men at play.
What is irony?
Name one figure of speech and one sound device
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap
What are personification and consonance?
from Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
This couplet contains a clear antithesis.
False
From The Vulture by Hilaire Belloc
He does not seize the fish that swim,
Or hunt the woods for prey;
He waits for death to visit him,
And works the other way.
He keeps his steady, watchful eye
On those who faint and fall;
He never takes a soul to fly,
But waits to claim them all."
Metaphor (comparison to time passing)
From The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy
Had he and I but met / By some old ancient inn, / We should have sat us down to wet / Right many a nipperkin (a drink)!
But ranged as infantry, / And staring face to face, / I shot at him as he at me, / And killed him in his place.
Question: The speaker points out the Irony that the man he killed was just like him—someone he would have bought a drink for in a different life. How does this irony reveal the Theme of the poem?
A) The theme is that soldiers should only drink with people they know well to avoid conflict.
B) The theme is the Senselessness of War: It turns "brothers" or potential friends into enemies for no personal reason other than a uniform.
C) The theme is Identity: The speaker killed the man because he realized they were actually long-lost relatives.
D) The theme is Success: It shows that the speaker was a better soldier because he shot first.
B