Poetry Notes

Devices Verse a short poem or a section of a poem

Stanza a section of a poem

Alliteration the repetition of the same first sound in a group of words or a line of poetry

Onomatopoeia a word whose sound suggests its meaning

Rhyme the repetition of similar end sounds

Rhythm any regular, repeating pattern

Rhyme scheme the pattern of end rhymes or lines

Hyperbole an exaggeration for effect

Idiom an expression that has a figurative meaning and a literal meaning

Imagery evokes mental images, not only of the visual sense, but also of sensation (touch, taste, smell, sound, orientation) and emotion.

Metaphorthe comparison between unrelated things

Simile the comparison between two unlike nouns using “like” or “as” to bridge the connection

Personification assigning human traits to inanimate things

Types of PoetryFree verse

HaikuLimerick

Cinquain

Free Verse

You don't know my life and you don't know my story,But one thing I can tell you;Is it's not sprinkled with glory.My days were filled with ridicule and rumors,And all those lies spread like cancerous tumors.I pretended to block out the words as if they don't hurt,But after awhile, that no longer worked.Your words make me change into something I'm not,And for you, I pretended,I pretended a lot. Now I come home every day and lay on my bedAnd for hours on end, my tears are shed. I shed tears for I am so ashamed,ashamed I'm pretending to play your game. Today I end my pretending,I will pretend no more.No longer will my heart be so sore,I will be me and me I will be, and I will be me for all the others to see. And as for the rest of you,You'll always be pathetic pretenders.

Amanda Leigh, Maine

HaikuShort, centuries old, Japanese poetry that reflects on nature and feelings.

Line 1: 5 syllablesLine 2: 7 syllablesLine 3: 5 syllables

Snow melts after months.Suddenly, the village isfull of playing kids.

Limerick

There was a young man from DealingWho caught the bus for Ealing.It said on the doorDon't spit on the floor So he jumped up and spat on the ceiling.

humorous verse of five linesfirst, second, and fifth lines rhyme third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet

Cinquain(sin-cane)

Line 1: Title (noun) – 1 wordLine 2: Description – 2 wordsLine 3: Action – 3 wordsLine 4: Feeling (phrase) – 4 wordsLine 5: Title (synonym for title) – 1 word

An example

Mom (title – noun)

Helpful, caring (2 describing words)

Loves to garden (3 action words)

Excitable, likes satisfying people (4 word phrase)

Teacher (synonym for “mom”)