Poetic Devices

Aranui’s guide to better poetry.

Poetry is, first of all, a communication - a thought or message conveyed by the writer to the reader. It is not only an act of creation, but an act of sharing. It is therefore important to the reader that he understands how the poet uses words, how he puts fresh vigor and new meaning into words. The reader's understanding is immeasurably increased if he is familiar with the many techniques or devices of poetry. Some of these are extremely simple; a few are rather elaborate.

What is Poetry ?

Devices

• Rhyme - My example

• Assonance - My example

• Alliteration - My example

• Onomatopoeia - My example

• Simile - My example

• Metaphor - My example

• Hyperbole - My example

• Rhythm

OnomatopoeiaThe formation of a word from a sound.This is not so unusual a term among those who write about words—though linguists today often prefer others, like echoism or imitation. The Greeks had a word for it, and we have borrowed it through Latin: onomatopoiia, the process of making words, which derives from onoma, a name, and poiein, to make. But we have extended the meaning beyond just making words to making words in a specific way—by echoing a sound that is linked to the thing we want to name.English is full of such terms. Among them are repetitive childish imitations like boo-hoo, choo-choo and bow-wow, and exclamations such as argh and ouch. But there’s also a whole medley of nouns and verbs, some of them created in other languages and borrowed into English:

Examples:bang, bash, bawl, beep, belch, blab, blare, bleat, blurt, bonk, bump, burble, buzz, clang, cheep, clank, clap, clatter, cuckoo ... life is too short to go right through the alphabet, but you get the idea.

Examples:bang, bash, bawl, beep, belch, blab, blare, bleat, blurt, bonk, bump, burble, buzz, clang, cheep, clank, clap, clatter, cuckoo ... life is too short to go right through the alphabet, but you get the idea.

It’s not only single words that can be onomatopoeic. The effect is common in poetry, as in “The moan of doves in immemorial elms / And murmuring of innumerable bees” and “I heard the ripple washing in the reeds / And the wild water lapping on the crag”, both of which are from poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

It’s not only single words that can be onomatopoeic. The effect is common in poetry, as in “The moan of doves in immemorial elms / And murmuring of innumerable bees” and “I heard the ripple washing in the reeds / And the wild water lapping on the crag”, both of which are from poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Onomatopoeia Example

Boom !Boom !

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is a form of speech that could be described as 'extravagant exaggeration'. way to colour the speech of a character in a short story or poem, or to make a point effectively in a humourous piece of writing.

Examples.

Here's an example: "I had so much homework, I needed a pickup truck to carry all my books home!" Hyperbole is supposed to evoke a ridiculous picture in your mind, ... and in the process, make the point effectively. (You must have had a lot of homework!)

I could sleep for a year.This box weighs a ton.I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.Your mother is so small she does chin-ups on the curb.

Examples.

Here's an example: "I had so much homework, I needed a pickup truck to carry all my books home!" Hyperbole is supposed to evoke a ridiculous picture in your mind, ... and in the process, make the point effectively. (You must have had a lot of homework!)

I could sleep for a year.This box weighs a ton.I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.Your mother is so small she does chin-ups on the curb.

Hyperbole Example

“I have asked you a

thousand times to tidy your room !.”

Simile

Simile is the comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Example:

He eats like a pig. Vines like golden prisons.

Example:

He eats like a pig. Vines like golden prisons.

The simplest and also the most effective poetic device is the use of comparison. It might almost be said that poetry is founded on two main means of comparing things: simile and metaphor. We heighten our ordinary speech by the continual use of such comparisons as "fresh as a daisy," "tough as leather," "comfortable as an old shoe," "it fits like the Paper on the wall," "gay as a lark," "happy as the day is long, pretty as a picture." These are all recognizable similes; they use the words "as" or "like."

Simile Example

My tongue felt like sand paper.

Metaphor

Metaphor comparison of two unlike things using the verb "to be" and not using like or as as in a simile.

Example:He is a pig. Thou art sunshine.

Example:He is a pig. Thou art sunshine.

A metaphor is a kind of comparison. It is actually a condensed simile, for it omits "as" or "like." A metaphor establishes a relationship at once; it leaves more to the imagination. It is a shortcut to the meaning; it sets two unlike things side by side and makes us see the likeness between them. When Robert Burns wrote "My love is like a red, red rose" he used a simile. When Robert Herrick wrote "You are a tulip" he used a metaphor

Metaphor Example

My teacher cried crocodile tears when I gave my reason for not completing my homework.

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two repetitions in a row.

Example:Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. The first letter, p, is a consonant. It is repeated many times. (If you use a syllable rather than a consonant, it is assonance.)

Example:Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. The first letter, p, is a consonant. It is repeated many times. (If you use a syllable rather than a consonant, it is assonance.)

Example

Rhyme

The best-known poetic device is rhyme.

When the words at the end of lines rhyme, they are called end rhymes.

When the rhyme is arranged within the line itself, it is called internal rhyme.

An example follows of internal and end rhyme:        

I enjoyed the shade in the hidden gladeAnd spread out the picnic that I had made.

An example follows of internal and end rhyme:        

I enjoyed the shade in the hidden gladeAnd spread out the picnic that I had made.

Example

Rhythm

 Rhythm is another useful tool in the puzzle-building craft of poetry. Poems often have a rhythmic pattern in the syllables, a pattern that says, "BOOM ba BOOM ba BOOM ba BOOM." (That pattern fits the rhyme, "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.") Certain syllables are stressed, while others are unstressed. Think of your name! If it is a one-syllable name like Ann or Jake, then it is stressed-BOOM! If it has two syllables, then it is either "BOOM ba" or "ba BOOM." Examples are David or Michelle. If it has three syllables, usually just one of them is stressed, while the others aren't. Valerie and Jonathan have a pattern that goes "BOOM ba ba," while the pattern for Marisa and Josiah is "ba BOOM ba."

Example

My teacher cried crocodile tears when I gave my reason for not completing my homework.

More About Rhythm

6     The rhythm or repeating pattern, chosen for a particular poem is called a meter. (In music it's called the beat.) The sequence of stressed and unstressed syllables is represented by "/" for the stressed syllable and "U" for the unstressed syllable. Were we to write a poem and choose this pattern, "ba BOOM ba BOOM ba BOOM," we'd mark it "U / U / U /" and work to find words that fit that pattern. Look at our pattern, and you'll see that its meter is "U /" with three meters. Apply the pattern to the statement, "The queen has lost her cat," and you have "The QUEEN has LOST her CAT." There are specific names for different meters, but we'll leave that for a future lesson. For now, the idea to remember is that each line of poetry should agree by rhythm.

Example

Assonance

Example: fleet feet sweep by sleeping geeks Example: fleet feet sweep by sleeping geeks

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds as in consonance

The Mourners lay dazed at the grave sideThe Mourners lay dazed at the grave sideThe Mourners lay dazed at the grave side

Example

Daring Daughters………

By Al Li Teration

drew

diving

diving

diving

Daredevils

On detonation

On detonation

On detonation

On detonation

duties

duties

duties

duties

duties

Daring daughters drew daring daredevils on detonation duty. Daring daughters drew daring

daredevils on detonation duty.