Introduction to Poetry

Literary Terms and Techniques

Poetically Speaking…

“Poetry is the art of substantiating shadows.”~Edmund Burke We use poetry to take things that are

abstract and make them tangible with words.

Poetry uses descriptive language along with figures of speech to create mental pictures. It’s like art for the mind.

Basic Literary Terminology for Poetry

Figures of Speech

Figures of speech are expressions such as metaphors, similes, and personifications that make comparisons or associations meant to be taken imaginatively rather than literally.

Simile

A figure of speech that uses like, as, or as if to compare two essentially different objects, actions, or attributes that share some aspect of similarity. In contrast to a metaphor, in which a comparison is implied, a simile expresses a comparison directly. Example: Her words were like gunfire,

exploding with every blow.

Metaphor

A figure of speech, an implied analogy in which one thing is imaginatively compared to or identified with another, dissimilar thing. Example: grass- the beautiful uncut

hair of graves (Walt Whitman)

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which two contradictory words or phrases are combined in a single expression, giving the effect of a condensed paradox. Examples: wise fool; living death;

silent screams; heavy lightness

Personification

A figure of speech in which human characteristics and sensibilities are attributed to animals, plants, inanimate objects, natural forces, or abstract ideas.

Example of Personification

The moon was but a chin of gold,A night or two ago,

And now she turns her perfect faceUpon the world below…

By Emily Dickinson

A Starter Template for “Energy Wheel” Poem

(Emotion) is (Color) like ____________ and also like__________ it (Verb) through my (place)

It reminds me of the time_____________It makes me feel_______ like_________It makes me want to___________

Synesthesia

This is the “mixing” of the senses in poetry

Sometimes, it is when the senses are crossed.

Abstract nouns or ideas that have to texture or smell can gain it through the use of synesthesia in poetry

A few tips for using Synesthesia

Try to create ideas using the senses that are impossible or fantasy.

There is no right answers, but the reader should be able to experience a connection.

You are expected to use fresh ideas that are different and unexpected. Use care in choosing the right words to create your “sense-mixing”.

“Synesthesia or What Blue Sounds Like”

See Read magazine, April 1, 2011, issue, page 20-21

Try out the activity on pg 21. Prepare to share.

“Like What” poem sampleFairness is gray

It is neither black nor whiteIt is warm like a sunny spring dayCool like room temperature waterSounds like an umpire calling a foul ballTastes like justiceSmells like victoryLooks like two friends sharing recognitionIt feels smooth like a well-earned certificateIt moves like a calm ocean wave…

-Collaborative Class Poem, April 2009

Poem Templates

“Like what” poem (Synesthesisa)

(Emotion or Abstract idea) is (color) like________

(hot) like…(cold) like…sounds like…tastes like…smells like…looks like…(texture) like…moves like…

Self-Portrait PoemMy_________is like__________

My __________are like_________

My _________ are_________

My_________ is___________

My heart holds_______that is______ as ________

I live in_________

and eat___________

The Sounds of Poetry

More Literary Terms and Techniques

Assonance

a close repetition of middle vowel sounds, like the “o” sound in words like roses and golden or the “e” sound in sleep and green. Use in poetry for unity or rhythmic effect.

Consonance

The close repetition of identical consonant sounds before and after differing vowel sounds. Uses the same final consonant sound, like up/drip, pain/bone, leave/love, or short/shirt.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or within words such as “after life’s fitful fever”. Used to create unity, emphasis, and musical effect. Commonly used in nonsense verse, jingles, and tongue twisters.

Example of Alliteration

Betty Botter bought some butterBut, said she, “the butter’s bitter.”

Onomatopoeia

Words whose sound imitates the sound of the thing being named such as boom, whoosh, pop, hum, buzz, clang, hiss, crack, and twitter.

Example of Onomatopeoia

The murmuring haunt of flies on summer eves.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain.

The moan of doves in immemorial elms.And murmuring of innumerable bees. “Tis the night of doom” said the ding-

dong doom-bells.