Introduction to PoetryComponents of a poem

•Lines•Stanza•Figurative Language•Rhyme•Rhyme Scheme•Alliteration•Consonance•Assonance•Onomatopoeia

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Lines

• Most poems are written in lines.

• How many lines does this poem have?

1234

5678

9101112

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Stanza• A group of lines in a poem is called a stanza. • Stanzas separate ideas in a poem. They act like paragraphs.

• How many stanzas does this poem have?

1

2

3

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Figurative Language Review

•Simile - a comparison using like or as•Metaphor – comparing two things using exaggeration•Personification – giving objects or animals qualities or characteristics of a person•Idioms – a special phrase with a special meaning •Hyperbole – is an exaggeration to emphasize your point

Simile

A comparison using like or as

Example: She is as gentle as a lamb.

MetaphorA comparison of two things using exaggeration without using like or as

Example: This computer is an old dinosaur.

Personification - giving objects or animals qualities or characteristics of a person

Example: The flower begged for water.

Idioms - a special phrase with a special meaning

Example: Time flies when you’re having fun.

Hyperbole - an exaggeration to emphasize your point

Example: I have played this game a thousand times.

Imagery - helps readers form pictures in their mind

Examples:

Two or more words which match in the same last sound. Example: hat, cat, mat, sat

Find the rhyming words in this poem. sof

t

. Rhyme within a line of poetry.

For example, the poem My Pet Germs by Kenn Nesbitt contains an internal rhyme on the third line of each stanza

My Pet Germs

I have a half a billion germsI keep as tiny pets.They're cute and clean and never meanand give me no regrets.

They spend all day engaged in playupon my skin and hair.They're on my clothes, between my toesand in my underwear.

They dance and shout and bounce about.They run and jump and slide.My epidermis teems with germswho party on my hide.

I never fret about the petsinside my shirt and socks.I love them there but wonder wherethey keep their litter box?

--Kenn Nesbitt

The pattern of the last words in the lines rhyme.

My Cat Goes Flying

My cat goes flying through the airfrom over here to over there.He lands and runs back, and thengoes flying through the air again.

a

a

b

b

Video example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ1NbMTir-c

The repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in a line.

Example: How much dew would a dewdrop drop if a dewdrop did drop dew?

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Find the alliteration in this poem.

Video example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhrY5ZCYtlU

The repetition of consonant sounds.

Examples:

I dropped the locket in thick mud.

The dove moved above the waves.

The repetition of vowel sounds.

Examples:

I made my way to the lake.

Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Words that imitate the sounds of what they represent.

Examples: growl, hiss, pop, boom, crack,

Let’s see what this looks like in a poem.

Noise Day

by Shel SilversteinLet’s have one day for girls and boyses

When you can make the grandest noises.

Screech, scream, holler, and yell –

Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell,

Sneeze – hiccup – whistle – shout,

Laugh until your lungs wear out,

Toot a whistle, kick a can,

Bang a spoon against a pan,

Sing, yodel, bellow, hum,

Blow a horn, beat a drum,

Rattle a window, slam a door,

Scrape a rake across the floor . . ..

Onomatopoeia

Interactive Poetry Game

•http://www.funenglishgames.com/readinggames/poem.html