Poetic Devices
A direct comparison using "like" or "as"
Simile
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words.
Alliteration
I was called the "Bard of Avon." I am mainly known for my plays, but I have a extensive collection of poetry as well. My favorite style of poetry is the sonnet.
William Shakespeare
A single row of words in a poem.
Line
Find the rhyme scheme:
Once upon a midnight dreary,
As I pondered weak and weary.
AA
A direct comparison without using "like" or "as"
Metaphor
A metaphor that is developed over multiple sentences or throughout a piece of writing.
Extended metaphor
I am known for my dark poetry. I had a really difficult life, and it shows in my poems. I am considered one of the greatest American poets of all time.
Hint: Mr. Dillard's favorite poet
Edgar Allan Poe
A group of lines.
Stanza
Find the rhyme scheme:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
ABCB
A word that imitates a natural sound.
Onomatopoeia
A phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning.
Idiom
I am one of the most famous female poets of all time. You discussed me as part of your Black History Month Community Circle. Ms. Berthelot chose one of my poems as her favorite!
Maya Angelou
The space between two stanzas.
Stanza Break
Find the rhyme scheme:
I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
AABB
The writer’s attitude toward the subject, conveyed through word choice and style.
Tone
An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or humor.
Hyperbole
Although I am not considered a poet, all of my short stories have rhyme and rhythm. I am the author of "The Lorax" and Oh The Places You'll Go."
Dr. Seuss
Similarities of sound between words or the endings of words.
Rhyme
Find the rhyme scheme:
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
ABCB
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines of poetry.
Anaphora
Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things.
Personification
I am mainly known for my children's poetry. I wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends," "The Giving Tree," and "A Light in the Attic."
Shel Silverstein
The rhythm or beat of a poem.
Meter
Find the rhyme scheme:
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
ABACD