Figurative Language and Common Poetry Terms Poetry is

Figurative Language and Common Poetry Terms “Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn. ” ~Thomas Gray “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. ” ~Robert Frost

Sound Devices cont. l Alliteration: The repetition of a sound at the beginning of a series of words l l l “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…” “Rain races, ripping like wind. Its restless rage rattles like rocks ripping through the air. ” A fly and a flew up in a flue. Said the fly to the flea, “What shall we do? ” “Let’s fly, ” said the flea. “Let’s flee, ” said the fly. So they fluttered and flew up a flaw in the flue.

Sound Devices l Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds at any place in a series of words l l l Do you like blue? We viewed the movie about mooing rookies at the school. “Well he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no” – Robert Service (“The Cremation of Sam Mc. Gee, pg. 709)

Sound Devices cont. l Consonance: The repetition of a consonant sound at any place in a series of words. l I dropped the locket in the thick mud. l Eric liked the black book l “And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain. ” –Edgar Allen Poe

Sound Device cont. l Onomatopoeia: The use of words whose sound makes one think of its meaning l l l Wham! Bonk! Ding-dong “Cuckoo” Tick-tock “snap, crackle, pop”

Figurative Language l Simile: A comparison of two nouns using the words like or as l l Metaphor: A comparison of two nouns saying that one thing is another l l “My love for you is like a red, red rose” “All the world is a stage” Idiom: An expression that is like a saying. When it’s translated literally, it makes no sense l “Easy as pie”

Figurative Language cont. l Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration l l The books weigh a ton. I could sleep for a year. I have a million things to do. Personification: When a non-living object has been given qualities of a person l l l The wind whispered through the trees The moon danced on the water “Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie. ”

Figurative Language cont. l A Symbol: a person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well. l These show up in poems as Allusions: direct or indirect reference to a familiar figure, place or event from history, literature, mythology. Examples: the American flag symbolizes freedom, liberty, and love for America. A wedding band symbolizes_______. A white flag symbolizes_____. l l l

Figurative Language cont. l l l l Prominent Symbols in Literature The Four Seasons: Spring: birth, rebirth, new beginnings, new life, etc. Summer: the prime of life, youthful, energetic, growing Fall: the decline, the approach of death, getting old Winter: death, the end of life, something comes to an end Day: life, goodness, knowledge, honesty, happiness, energy, purity, positive, light, understanding, clarity Night: death, evil, darkness, mystery, bad, the end, scary, uninformed, unknown

Figurative Language cont. l Prominent Symbols in Literature cont. l The Cycle of Life: l Dawn: new beginning, birth, rebirth Dusk: approach of the end, unknown l l l Paths/Roads: journey, life’s journey, choices, obstacles Bridges: movement form one place to another symbolically Water: gives and takes life, thought to be the source of first life, rebirth Earth: mother, life giving, fertility Gardens: fertility, life giving Rocks/Doors/Weather: obstacles, problems (could be good or bad)

Rhythm l Repetition: The repeating of a word or phrase to add rhythm or to emphasize an idea l “And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. ” –Robert Frost, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” l “The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding- Riding-riding. The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. ” –Alfred Noyes, “The Highwayman”

Form l Stanza: A division in a poem named for the number of lines it contains, such as a couplet (2 lines), triplet (3 lines), quatrain (4 lines), and octave (8 lines) l This is as though the poem is broken up into “paragraphs” l “Gleaming in silver are the hills! Blazing in silver is the sea! And a silvery radiance spills Where the moon drives royally!” –James Stevens, “Washed in Silver”