Poetic Elements, Figurative Language, and Sound

DevicesA Study in Poetic Forms

What is Poetry?

Poetry is defined as a patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas in concentrated, imaginative, and rhythmical terms.

Poetry is one of the three major types of literature.

Most poems use highly concise, musical, and emotionally charged language.

Poems are often divided into lines and stanzas and often employ regular rhythmical patterns, or meters.

Figurative Language/Figures of Speech

Figurative language is defined as an expression in which the words are used in a non-literal sense to present a figure, picture, or image.

Writers use figurative language to express ideas in vivid and imaginative ways.

Figures of Speech/

Figurative Language

Kinds of Figures of Speech

Simile Metaphor Personification Synecdoche Metonymy

Hyperbole Litotes Antithesis Apostrophe Symbol

Simile

A simile is defined as a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two subjects, using either like or as.

The comparison is usually between two unrelated things indicating likeness or similarity between some attribute found in both things.

Simile Examples

John swims like a fish. He is sleeping like a log. The ball was thrown like a bullet. Marie eats like a bird. Her hair was as red as a robin’s breast. She runs as fast as a fox. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never

know what you are going to get.

Metaphor

A metaphor is defined as an implied comparison between two usually unrelated things indicating a likeness or analogy between attributes found in both things.

A metaphor, unlike the simile, does not use like or as to indicate comparison.

Something is/was something else.

Metaphor Examples

All the world’s a stage. She was peaches and cream. Fred is a pig at the table. Life is a short summer, man a flower. Death is a long sleep. Jack is a tiger on the football field.

Personification

Personification is defined as giving human characteristics to inanimate objects, ideas, or animals.

Effective personification of things or ideas makes them seem vital and alive, as if they were human.

Personification Examples

Let the rain sing you a lullaby. The wind whistled. Her heart cried out. The screams of cut trees… The waves behind them dance. The dog smiled as I gave him a treat. The laughing brook runs through the forest.

Synecdoche

A synecdoche is the technique of mentioning a part of something to represent the whole.

Synecdoche Examples

All hands on deck! (hands = sailors) Give us this day our daily bread. (bread =

food) A sail! A sail! (sail = ship)

Metonymy A metonymy is defined as the substitution of a

word naming an object for another word closely associated with it.

Metonymy Examples Pay tribute to the crown. (crown = king) The White House has decided. (White House =

President) The pen is mightier than the sword. (pen = reason

sword = brawn) He had to sweat for his bread. (sweat – hard work)

Hyperbole

A hyperbole is defined as a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement, often used for comic effect.

It is not meant to be taken literally.

Hyperbole Examples

Sweat to death Rivers of blood As old as time Million times a day

Litotes A litotes is defined as an understatement and is

achieved by saying the opposite of what one means or by making an affirmation by stating the facts in the negative.

It is the opposite of a hyperbole.

Litotes Examples Calling a fat man Slim Calling a slow person Speedy

Antithesis

An antithesis is defined as a balancing or contrasting one term against another.

Antithesis ExamplesLife is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destined end or way…

Apostrophe

An apostrophe is defined as the direct addressing of an absent person or personified quality, object, or idea as if they were there.

Apostrophe Examples

O Capitan! My Capitan! Our fearful trip is done. Death, be not proud, though some have called thee/Mighty and

dreadful,… Break, break, break/On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

Symbol

A symbol is defined as a word or image that signifies something other than what is literally represented.

A conventional symbol is one that is widely known and accepted.

A personal symbol is one developed for a particular work by a particular author.

Symbol Examples

The cross as a symbol for Christianity. The donkey and elephant are symbols of the

Democratic and Republican parties. Hawthorne’s black veil Melville’s white whale

Sound Devices

Sound Devices

Rhyme Rhyme Scheme Alliteration Onomatopoeia

Assonance Consonance Refrain Repetition

Rhyme

Rhyme is defined as the similarity or likeness of sound existing between two words.

Rhyme usually comes at the end of words. A true rhyme should consist of identical

sounding syllables that are stressed and the letters preceding the vowel are different.

run/fun willow/pillow fog/bog

End Rhyme

End rhyme occurs when rhyming words are repeated at the ends of lines.

I WishI wish that my room had a floor; aI don’t so much care for a door, a

But this walking around bWithout touching the ground b

Is getting to be quite a bore! aGelett Burgess

Internal Rhyme

Internal Rhyme occurs when rhyming words fall within a line.

from The RavenOnce upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak

and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten

lore –While I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there came a

tapping,As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber

door-

Slant Rhyme

Approximate or slant rhyme occurs when the rhyming sounds are similar, but not exact.

The Stillness in the Room / Was like the Stillness in the Air / Between the Heaves of Storm

Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme scheme is defined as a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem.

To describe a rhyme scheme, one uses a letter of the alphabet to represent each rhyming sound in a poem stanza.

The first sound is designated as a, the second sound is designated as b, and so on.

When the first sound is repeated, it is designated as a also.

Rhyme Scheme Example

With innocent wide penguin eyes, three a

large fledgling mocking-birds below b

the pussywillow tree, a

stand in a row. b

Alliteration

Alliteration is defined as the repetition of constant sounds at the beginning of two or more words or accented syllables.

Alliteration Examples

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Sally sells sea shells down by the sea shore.

A Tutor who tooted the fluteTried to teach two tooters to toot;Said the two the Tutor,“Is it harder to toot, or

To tutor two tooters to toot?”

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is defined as the use of words that imitate sounds.

buzz, hiss, murmur, rustle, crash, crunch, sizzle, gurgle

Assonance

Assonance is defined as the repetition of vowel sounds in conjunction with dissimilar consonant sounds.

It can be partial or near rhyme.

Lake, fate base, fade The bad man ran to the stand.

Consonance

Consonance is defined as the repetition of similar final consonant sounds at the ends of words or accented syllables.

Consonance is similar to alliteration except that consonance doesn’t limit the repeated sound to the initial letter of the word.

Consonance Examples

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

Too full for sound and foam, (alliteration)

Oh yet we trust that somehow good

Will be the final goal of ill

To pangs of nature, sins of will,

Defects of doubt, and taints of blood;

Refrain A refrain is defined as a repeated line or group

of lines in a poem or song. A refrain usually comes at the end of the

stanza. The refrain often takes the form of a chorus. Although some refrains are nonsense lines,

many increase suspense or emphasize character and theme.

“And the tide rises, the tide falls…”

Repetition

Repetition is defined as the reiterating (repeating) of a word or phrase within a poem.

From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -

But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

Meter &

Foot

Meter

Meter is defined as a poems rhythmical pattern.

The pattern is determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats in each line.

The stressed syllable is also called the accented or long syllable.

The unstressed syllable is also called the unaccented or short syllable.

Foot

A poetic foot is defined as a unit of meter. A metrical foot can have two or three syllables. A foot consists generally of one stressed and

one or more unstressed syllables. Poetic lines are classified according to the

number and feet in a line. There are six types of metrical feet.

Types of Metrical Feet

The basic types of metrical feet determined by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables are:a. Iambic foot d. Dactylic foot

b. Trochaic Foot e. Spondaic foot

c. Anapestic foot f. Pyrrhic foot

Iamb The iambic foot is a two syllable foot with the

stress on the second syllable. The iambic foot is the most common foot in

English

be low de light a muse

Trochee The trochee foot consists of a stressed syllable

followed by an unstressed syllable.

ne ver ga ther hap py

`

` ` `

` `

Anapest

The anapestic foot consists of three syllables – two unstressed followed by one stressed syllable.

cav a lier in ter twine in a flash

Dactyl

The dactylic foot contains three syllables – one stressed followed by two unstressed syllables.

hap pi nessmer ri ly mur mur ing` ` `

` ` `

Spondee

The spondaic foot consists of two stressed syllables. Compound words are examples of spondees.

heartbreak childhood football

Pyrrhic

The pyrrhic foot consists of two unstressed syllables. This type of foot is rarely used and is found interspersed with other feet.

` ` ` ` ` `

Kinds of Metrical Lines

The basic kinds of metrical lines are:a. monometer – one foot per lineb. dimeter – two feet per linec. trimeter – three feet per lined. tetrameter – four feet per linee. pentameter – five feet per linef. hexameter – six feet per lineg. heptameter – seven feet per lineh. octometer – eight feet per line

Verse& Stanza

Forms

There are three kinds of verse forms:

Rhymed Verse Consists of verse with end rhyme and usually with

regular meter. Blank Verse

Consists of lines of iambic pentameter without end rhyme.

Free Verse Consists of lines that do not have a regular meter

and do not contain rhyme.

There are 8 stanza forms:The basic stanza forms are:

a. couplet – two line stanzab. triplet – three line stanzac. quatrain – four line stanzad. cinquain/quintet – five line stanzae. sestet – six line stanzaf. septet – seven line stanzag. octave – eight line stanzah. other are indentifed as nine, ten, or eleven line stanzas.