Poetic DevicesLiterary Elements NotesMiss Russ’s English Class

Figurative LanguageExpressions that

emphasize imaginative language.METAPHOR

SIMILEPERSONIFICATION

MetaphorComparison between

two unlike things.Example:

sea of griefgreen with envy

SimileComparison between two unlike things using like or

as.Example:

hungry as a horsebright like a flashlight

PersonificationGiving human

qualities to something that is not human.

Example

ImageryUsing language that

appeals to the senses.VISUALAURAL

OLFACTORYTACTILE

GUSTATORY

ThemeThe unifying subject

or idea.

OxymoronContradiction of word

meanings that create a new understanding.

Example:jumbo shrimp

living dead

SymbolSomething that stands

for something else.

HyperboleUsing exaggeration to evoke strong emotion or ideas, and are NOT

taken literally.

IronyContrast between what

we expect and what really happens.DRAMATIC

SITUATIONALVERBAL

SARCAS

M

ToneSpeaker’s attitude!

MoodEmotional effect that the text creates for

the audience.

RhymeThe repetition of similar sounds in more than one

word.

cat hat bat that vat gnat fat at chat splat brat flat spat mat pat

rat sat

Rhyme SchemePattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song.

“Sharing” by Shel SilversteinI’ll share your toys, I’ll share your money, I’ll share your toast, I’ll share your honey, I’ll share your milk and your cookies too— The hard part’s sharing mine with you.

AABB

RhythmMusical quality

produced by repetition.

Example

OnomatopoeiaWord that imitates sound.

BUZZ…

.

BOOM!

AlliterationRepetition of a particular

sound in a series of words; same sound at the beginning

of the words.

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

ConsonanceRepetition of the same

consonant (non-vowel) sound in a series of words; same

sound in the words.

Mammals named Sam are clammy.

AssonanceRepetition of a vowel

sound to create internal rhyming.

white high night