Download EngII Poetic Devices Handout

http://www.chaparralpoets.org/devices.pdf
POETIC DEVICES
“Poetry is the kind of thing poets write.” – Robert Frost
A poet is limited in the materials used to create the work: all he/she has are words to express his/her
ideas.
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Words must sound right to the listener as they delight.
Words must have an unanticipated meaning that seems to be the perfectly right one.
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Words must be arranged in a relationship and placed on the page in ways that are easy to
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follow and assist the reader in understanding.
Words must probe the depths of human thought, emotion, and empathy while appearing
simple, self-contained, and unpretentious.
Fortunately, the English language contains many words to choose from for multiple purposes, including
poetic devices, which are word and sound arrangements, to assist the writer in conveying their intended
message.
Even though most poetry today is read silently, it must still carry with it the feeling of being spoken
aloud, and the reader should practice “hearing” it in order to catch all of the artfulness with which the
poet has created the work.
THE SOUNDS OF WORDS
Alliteration: repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other, usually on the
same or adjacent lines.
Example: fast and furious
Example: _____________________________________________________
Assonance: repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent
lines. These sounds should be accented, or stressed.
Example: He’s a bruisin’ loser
Example: _____________________________________________________
Consonance: repeated consonant sounds at the end of words placed near each other, usually on the same
or adjacent lines. These sounds should be accented, or stressed.
Example: cool soul
Example: _____________________________________________________
Onomatopoeia: words that sounds like their meaning.
Example: boom, tick, buzz, crackle, hiss, pop, snap, swish, sizzle, bang
Example: _______________________________________________________
Repetition: the purposeful re-use of words and phrases for effect.
http://www.chaparralpoets.org/devices.pdf
Example: Half a league, half a league, half a league onward…
Example: _______________________________________________________
Rhyme: words with different beginning sounds, but endings that sound alike. Double rhymes are the last
two syllables, and triple rhymes include the last three syllables.
Example: time, slime, mime revival, survival greenery, machinery, scenery
Example:________________________________________________________
Rhythm: patterns of verbal stresses in a line of poetry. Sometimes referred to as meter.
Pattern
-/
Name
Iamb/iambic
Example
invite
/-
Trochee/trochaic
deadline
--/
/--
Anapest/Anapestic
Dactyl/Dactylic
to the beach
frequently
//
Spondee/Spondaic
true blue
Example: _______________________________________________________
THE MEANING OF WORDS:
Most words contain several meanings at the same time. It is the poet’s job to find words which, when
used in relation to other words in the poem, carry the precise intention of thought. The ways in which
the meanings of words are used can be identified:
Allusion: a brief reference to some person, historical event, work of art, Biblical or mythological
situation or character.
Example: He fell from grace like Icarus from the sky.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Analogy: a comparison, usually something familiar to something unfamiliar.
Example: The plumbing took a maze of turns where even the water got lost.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Cliché: a figure of speech that was once clever and original but through overuse has become outdated.
Example: busy as a bee
Example: _______________________________________________________
Connotation: the emotional, psychological or social overtones of a word; implications and associations
apart from its literal meaning.
Example: She hesitated for a minute, looking around defiantly, and then set her lips and went up
to the box. (Shirley Jackon’s The Lottery)
Example: _______________________________________________________
http://www.chaparralpoets.org/devices.pdf
Denotation: the dictionary definition of a word.
Example: The refugee thanked the border patrol guard profusely for stamping his visa.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Hyperbole: an outrageous exaggeration used for effect.
Example: He weighs a ton.
Example:________________________________________________________
Irony: a contradictory statement or situation to reveal a reality different from what appears to be
true.
Example: The characters in Twelfth Night believe “Cesario” is a eunuch, but the audience knows
he’s really “Viola”.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Metaphor: a direct comparison between two unlike things, stating one is the other or does the action of
the other.
Example: Her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Oxymoron: a combination of two words that appear to contradict each other.
Example: bittersweet; liquid gas
Example: _______________________________________________________
Paradox: a statement where a seeming contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth.
Example: The hurrier I go the behinder I get.
Example:________________________________________________________
Personification: attributing human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or idea.
Example: Some of the ears on the floor caught this scrap of voice.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Simile: a direct comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.
Example: He’s as dumb as an ox.
Example: _______________________________________________________
Symbol: an ordinary object, event, animal or person which has been attached an extraordinary meaning
and significance.
Example: During the Vietnam War, the American flag meant pride for some, slaughter for others.
Example: _______________________________________________________