In your notebook, write a paragraph responding to this poem. If you’re stuck, pick one line and write about that one.

“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,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor --Bare.But all the timeI'se been a-climbin' on,And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,And sometimes goin' in the darkWhere there ain't been no light.So boy, don't you turn back.Don't you set down on the steps'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.Don't you fall now --For I'se still goin', honey,I'se still climbin',And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son”

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE & LITERARY DEVICES

THE “WHAT”DEFINE POETRY!

• Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content.

WHAT DOES ALL THAT MEAN??!!

THE “REAL” DEFINITION OF POETRY IS…

UP TO YOU!

TAKE A MOMENT TO WRITE YOUR OWN DEFINITION OF POETRY AND LET’S DISCUSS IT…

THE “WHY”WHY IS POETRY IMPORTANT?

• Poetry takes a simple concept and makes it more powerful, beautiful, meaningful, and memorable.

• Which one of these poems is better? Why?

The Turtlebreaks from the blue-black

skin of the water, dragging her shell

with its mossy scutes

across the shallows and through the rushes

and over the mudflats, to the uprise,

to the yellow sand,

to dig her ungainly feet

a nest, and hunker there spewing

her white eggs down

into the darkness…

By: Mary Oliver

The Turtlecomes out of the water

walks across the sand

digs a nest

and lays some eggs

By: Mr. Brooks

WHAT IS FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE?

Literally: words function exactly as definedThe car is blue.He caught the football.

Figuratively: figure out what it meansI’ve got your back.You’re a doll.

^Figures of Speech

Denotation and Connotation• Denotation is when you mean what you say,

literally. • Connotation is created when you mean

something else, something that might be initially hidden. It is an idea or a feeling which a word brings up for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Example: Greasy is a completely innocent word: Some things, like car engines, need to be greasy. But greasy contains negative associations for most people, whether they are talking about food or about people.

MOOD AND TONE • The tone of the poem is the "voice" you

imagine the poem is read in. It can be angry or sinister or sad etc.

• The mood is the overall feeling of the poem, this can be created by the tone or by the language choices of the poem.

All But Blind

All but blindIn his chambered hole,Gropes for wormsThe four-clawed mole.

All but blindIn the burning day,The barn owlBlunders on her way.

And blind as areThese three to me,So blind to someoneI must be.

Walter de la Mare

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: IT’S LIKE A SIMILE

– a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as.

Examples of simile: • “Life is like a box of chocolates.” • “The girl is as beautiful as a rose.” • “…his shadow was like an flagpole…”

SIMILE: Willow and GinkgoBy Eve Merriam

The willow is like an etching, Fine-lined against the sky. Then ginkgo is like a crude sketch, Hardly worthy to be signed. The willow’s music is like a soprano, Delicate and thin. The ginkgo’s tune is like a chorus With everyone joining in. The willow is sleek as a velvet-nosed calf, The ginkgo is leathery as an old bull. The willow’s branches are like silken thread; The ginkgo’s like stubby rough wool. The willow is like a nymph with streaming hair; Wherever it grows, there is green and gold and fair. The willow dips to the water, Protected and precious, like the king’s favorite daughter. The ginkgo forces its way through gray concrete; Like a city child, it grows up in the street. Thrust against the metal sky, Somehow it survives and even thrives. My eyes feast upon the willow, But my heart goes to the ginkgo.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:IT IS A METAPHOR

– a comparison of two unlike things without using the words like or as.

Examples of metaphor: • “My father is a tall, sturdy oak.” • “The hotel is a diamond in the sky.” • “the American flag was raised high on a

mountain of garbage…”

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;                          But O heart! heart! heart!                             O the bleeding drops of red,                                Where on the deck my Captain lies,                                   Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills, For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding, For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;                          Here Captain! dear father!                             The arm beneath your head!                                It is some dream that on the deck,                                  You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;                          Exult O shores, and ring O bells!                             But I with mournful tread,                                Walk the deck my Captain lies,                                   Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! By Walt Whitman

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:SYMBOL

• something used for or regarded as representingsomething else; a material object representingsomething, often something immaterial

The Road Not TakenBY ROBERT FROSTTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:PERSONIFICATION

– the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea.

Examples of personification: • “Hunger sat shivering on the road.” • “The flowers danced on the lawn.” • “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Smokey the Bear” are

personified characters.• “With sweat weeping off my brow, I jabbed the shovel

into the ground.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWNWnm3IX2M&feature=player_embedded#at=143

“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein

http://the-giving-tree.info/

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:HYPERBOLE

- an exaggerated statement used to make a point.

Examples of hyperbole: • “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” • “I could sleep for a year.” • “This book weighs a ton.”• “I was ready for life, ready to get down and

shovel all the way to China…”

I’m bigger than the entire earthMore powerful than the seaThough a million, billion have triedNot one could ever stop me.I control each person with my handand hold up fleets of ships.I can make them bend to my willwith one word from my lips.I’m the greatest power in the worldin this entire nation.No one should ever try to stopa child’s ___________.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:IMAGINE THE IMAGERY

-figures of speech or vivid descriptions used to produce mental images (appeal to the five senses).

Examples of imagery: • “Her clammy back felt like bark of the tree after a

summer’s rain.” • “…the small pond behind my house was lapping

at it’s banks…” • “the recliner’s cotton guts spilling out…”

Cherry Blossoms AdriftBy Mary O. Fumento

Pink petals passingScents above so highPainted porcelain perfectionBlossoms caress the sky

Swaying silent shroudSuitors strolling byPink petals passingLover's gentle sigh

Pastel hues fallingSlow fluttering gracePink petals passingLining streams in lace

Pink petals passingSmoothest transit bySoft essence floatingIn most subtle lullaby

Inducing springtime slumberUpon a satin shoreSailing with the currentPink petals pass before

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:IDIOM IN A NUTSHELL

– a word or phrase that is not meant to be taken literally

Examples of idioms:• “It is raining cats and dogs” doesn’t literally

mean there are cats and dogs falling from the sky… What does it mean?

• “5 o’clock shadow” has nothing to do with a shadow at 5 o’clock… What does it mean?

• Now you think of an example….

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining:I've looked up to the sky,Counted all the clouds with a silver lining,There are none.Not one single trace of silver in the grey.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder:I left my heart alone,My absence was present,Yet...Fonder, it did not grow.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words:I asked my actions,In hushed tones,How loudly they could speak.I received no reply.

All's Well, That Ends Well:When my day ended well,Nothing else seemed to be...I had regrets from earlier on,All was not at ease.

All Roads Lead To Rome:Jumping into a taxi,The driver asked me where to go.Rome.Roads don't carry overseas.

Bark Is Worse Than One's Bite:I nipped my dog on the nose,His bark was but a yip.He jumped up and bit my own,Which is now bleeding from it's tip.

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep:With this, I cannot disagree...My cat was so pretty,But then,I ripped off all it's skin.

Beggars Can't Be Choosers:He begged for me to stay,Then, chose someone else.He was a beggar, he chose.What's left to say?

Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea:Under the waves in my submarine,Below, stalks the Devil,Above, walks the sea...Why am I underwater?

Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush:I found a bird, the other day. Picked him up, In my hand he shall stay. But, oh, I must have held too tight. In my hand, dead, he lay.There's two in the bush, still alive.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water:Have I blood?No.You cut me deep,And my heart shot you ice.

Boys Will Be Boys:Does that make it okay,To lie, cheat, and throw women away?Why can't girls be girls,Because some are the same way?

Children And Fools Speak The Truth:I was with my niece,She's only two,I ask her about her political views..."Poop." It must be true.

Crime Doesn't Pay:I took my brothers change today,Made off with 4.25,I say that's some nice compensationFor the littlest of crimes.

The Customer Is Always Right:At my lemonade stand,He put one dollar in my hand.I gave him back fifty cents,He asked for fifty more... Idiot.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:OH, THE IRONY

There are 3 types of irony• Situational Irony: When the opposite of

what you think is going to happen happens

Ex: When it rains after you wash the car.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:

OH, THE IRONY cont…• Verbal Irony

In a conversation, the speaker intends to be understood as meaning something that contrasts with the literal meaning or

what the statement usually means.

Ex: Saying “Oh great” after something negative or bad has happened.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:

OH, THE IRONY cont…

Dramatic Irony•When the reader or audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not.

Ex: Romeo and Juliette are excited about their love but we (the reader/audience) know what their fate will be.

•Makes the reader/audience feel suspense

Ex: When someone walks downstairs alone in a dark house to see if they are alone…

QuizOn a separate sheet of paper…

1. I will put an example of figurative language on the board.

2. You will write whether it is an simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, or understatement.

3. You can use your notes.

1

He drew a line as straight as an arrow.

2

Knowledge is a kingdom and all who learn are kings and queens.

3

Can I see you for a second?

4

The sun was beating down on me.

5

A flag wags like a fishhook there in the sky.

6I'd rather take bathswith a man-eating shark,or wrestle a lionalone in the dark,eat spinach and liver,pet ten porcupines,than tackle the homework,my teacher assigns.

7Ravenous and savage

from its longpolar journey,

the North Wind

is searchingfor food—

8The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

9

Can I have one of your chips?

10I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bearin the tide.Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI rise

Answers1. Simile2. Metaphor3. Understatement4. Personification5. Simile6. Hyperbole7. Personification8. Metaphor9. Understatement10. Metaphor

WHAT IS A SOUND DEVICE?

• The effect of a poem can depend on the sound of its words.

• HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES…

SOUND DEVICE:SOUNDS LIKE ONOMATOPOEIA

- the use of words whose sounds suggest their meanings.

Examples of onomatopoeia: • “The bang of a gun.” • “The hiss of a snake.” • “The buzz of a bee.” • “The pop of a firecracker.”

SOUND DEVICE: REPETITION- the repeating of sound, words, phrases or lines in a

poem used to emphasize an idea or convey a certain feeling.

Examples of repetition: • “Sing a song full of faith that the dark past has taught

us, Sing a song of the hope that the present has brought us…”

• “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…” • “The isolation during my vacation created a situation

of relaxation.”

SOUND DEVICE: I RHYME ALL THE TIME AND I GUESS IT SOUNDS

FINE…

- repetition of sound at the ends of words. (Rhyme occurring within a line is called internal rhyme. Rhyme occurring at the end of a line is called end rhyme)

Rhyme Scheme – the pattern of end rhyme in a poem. Lines that rhyme are given the same letter.

Example of internal rhyme, end rhyme, and rhyme scheme: • I looked at the shell in the ocean a• I looked at the bell in the sea, b• I noticed the smell and the motion a• Were very peculiar to me.” b

SOUND DEVICE: ALLITERATION- repetition of CONSONANT SOUNDS at the

BEGINNING of at least two words in a line of poetry. Example of alliteration:

Examples of Alliteration• “the frog frolicked frivolously on the forest floor.”• “…Little skinny shoulder blades Sticking through

your clothes…”• “…struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet…”

SOUND DEVICE: ASSONANCE

- repetition of VOWEL SOUNDS at the BEGINNING, MIDDLE or END of at least two words in a line of poetry.

Examples of Assonance• Repeating the “eh” sound in the words:

“crescent,” “flesh,” “extending,” “medicine” and “death”

SOUND DEVICE: CONSONANCE

- repetition of CONSONANT SOUNDS at the BEGINNING, MIDDLE or END of at least two words in a line of poetry.

Examples of ConsonanceRepeating the “sh” sound in the words: “shush,”

“wish,” “sharp,” “cushion” and “squash”