TEACHING POETRY

Maria Carmela
LITERARY DEVICES
 LITERARY DEVICES

• Create a mood or atmosphere

• Set the scene
• Foreshadow events
• Characterize people or objects
• Provide structure
• Enjoyable to read
 APOSTROPHE

•Address an inanimate object

•Address a person who is not present
•Address a person who is dead
When a writer uses apostrophe, they are
using it as a way to speak directly to
someone or something that is not
physically present.
 METONYMY

•Metonymy is a figure of speech that

involves using a word or phrase to
refer to something else, usually
something closely associated with it
 SYNECDOCHE

•Synecdoche, on the other hand,

is a figure of speech that uses a
part of something to represent
the whole. For instance, the
phrase “wheels” can be used to
refer to a car.
 OXYMORON

•In poetry, an oxymoron is a

figure of speech that combines
two seemingly contradictory
terms. For example, the phrase
“sweet sorrow” oxymoronically
combines the opposing concepts
of sweetness and sadness.
 ZEUGMA

•It’s when a poet uses a word in one

sentence to mean two different
things, often meaning a literal one,
and one meaning a figurative one.
For example, “he lost his passport and
his temper” or “I left my heart and my
favourite scarf in Santa Fé” are two
instances where the verb is used in
both literal and figurative ways.
 METER

•A writer may use meter to give

their poems a rhythmic
structure.
•This can make the poem feel
more musical and can help to
create a particular mood or
atmosphere.
•Meter is usually created by
using stressed and unstressed
syllables in a regular pattern.
 RHYME

One of the most important aspects of a

poem is its rhyme scheme. This is the
pattern of end rhymes that the poet
uses throughout the poem.
Rhyme can add a great deal to a poem,
creating a sense of unity and helping
the poem to flow more smoothly.
It can also add an element of fun and
playfulness, making the poem more
enjoyable to read. In addition, rhyme
can create a sense of suspense or
anticipation, urging the reader onward
to see how the poem will end.
 ALLITERATION

Hearkening back to the days when

poetry was mostly sung or read out
loud, this poetic device uses repeating
opening sounds at the start of a series
of successive words, giving them a
lovely musical quality.
The “Wicked Witch of the West” is an
example of alliteration. So are “political
power play” and “false friends.”
“Cold cider” is not an example of
alliteration, because even though the
words begin with the same letter, they
don’t have the same sound. A ”sinking
circus,” on the other hand, kicks off each
word with the same sound even though
they look different on the page.
 ALLITERATION

Hearkening back to the days when

poetry was mostly sung or read out
loud, this poetic device uses repeating
opening sounds at the start of a series
of successive words, giving them a
lovely musical quality.
The “Wicked Witch of the West” is an
example of alliteration. So are “political
power play” and “false friends.”
“Cold cider” is not an example of
alliteration, because even though the
words begin with the same letter, they
don’t have the same sound. A ”sinking
circus,” on the other hand, kicks off each
word with the same sound even though
they look different on the page.
 ALLUSION
Allusion is where the poet makes
an indirect reference to something
outside of the poem, whether that’s
a real person, a well-known
mythological cycle, or a struggle
that’s happening in the world we
know.
Sometimes this is simply to draw a
parallel that the reader will easily
understand, but often allusions are
used to hint at something that it
would be insensitive, or even
dangerous, to directly
acknowledge.
• Achilles’ heel (alluding to the one
weakness of Achilles)
• arrow of love (allusion to Cupid)
• carrying the weight of the world on your
shoulders (allusion to Atlas)
• pushing a boulder uphill every day
(allusion to Sisyphus)
• hot as Hades (alluding to the god of
death/king of the underworld)
• looking like Venus (alluding to the
goddess of beauty)
 ANAPHORA
• Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two
Cities: “It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times, it was
Anaphora is the act of beginning the age of wisdom, it was the
a series of successive sentences age of foolishness, it was the
or clauses (sentence fragments) epoch of belief, it was the epoch
with the same phrase. of incredulity, it was the season
of light, it was the season of
darkness.”
• I came. I saw. I conquered
 ASSONANCE

Also called “vowel rhyme,”

assonance is a poetic device
that repeats vowel sounds in
a word or phrase to create
rhythm
 CHIASMUS

A chiasmus (a word that

brings to mind the word
“chimera”, coincidentally
enough) is a stylized poetic
device that plays with the
reversal of words or ideas.
Sometimes the words might
be used together in a
different way—“Never let a
Fool Kiss You, or a Kiss Fool
You”
 CONSONANCE

Compared to assonance,
consonance is the repetition of
consonants in a word or phrase.
Repeated consonants can occur
at the beginning, middle, or
ending of a word. You may
recognize this from classic
children’s tongue twisters like
“Betty Botter bought some butter
but she said the butter’s bitter” …
the repeated B’s and T’s add a
jig-and-reel quality to the speech.
 EPISTROPHE
• See no evil, hear no evil, speak
no evil
Unlike to anaphora, • I swear to tell the truth, the
epistrophe is a poetic device
in which successive whole truth, and nothing but
sentences or sentence the truth
fragments end with the same
phrase. Our ears naturally
attune to the landing point of
any given word grouping, and
so writers and speakers can
use this tool to draw
particular attention to a word
or idea.
 ONOMATOPOEIA

Onomatopoeia are great

poetic devices for adding
rhythm and sensory
presence to your work.
Onomatopoeia are
words that, when spoken
out loud, make a sound
like what they’re
intended to mean.
 PERSONIFICATION

Personification is a poetic
device that gives a non-human
entity—whether that’s an
animal, a plant, or a
cantankerous dancing
candlestick—human actions
and feelings. Sometimes this
might be so extreme as to
create an entirely human
character with a nonhuman
shape. Many, many Disney
movies follow this pattern.
 TMESIS

Tmesis, apart from being a

word that kind of looks like a
sneeze, is another dialectal
poetic device. It comes from a
Greek word meaning “to cut,”
and involves cutting a word in
half for emphasis. Sometimes
this is colloquial, like “abso-
bloody-lutely” or “fan-bloody-
tastic” (really, any time an irate
British person sticks “bloody”
into a perfectly serviceable
word).
FUN POETRY

LIMERICKS
A limerick is a poem that consists of five
lines in a single stanza with a rhyme
scheme of AABBA. Most limericks are
intended to be humorous, and many are
considered bawdy, suggestive, or downright
indecent
• There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared! —
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard.”
• Our novels get longa and longa
Their language gets stronga and stronga
There’s much to be said
For a life that is led
In illiterate places like Bonga. (H. G. Wells)
 WRITING A LIMERICK

• Overall, as a literary device, limerick functions as poetic form that is specifically structured in
terms of rhyme, rhythm, and meter. However, its intention to provide humor, levity, and
entertainment for readers, both young and old, makes it an effective form of literary and
creative expression. Limerick is often a starting point for amateur poets as a means of
learning the craft of rhyme and meter, while using poetry as a vehicle for telling a brief story.
Since limericks are generally intended to be nonsensical and even silly, poets can utilize
this form to expand the impact and use of words to convey meaning while following
stipulated patterns.
• It’s important that writers follow the rhyme scheme of limerick and it’s anapestic
rhythm/meter pattern. One way to ensure adherence to limerick structure and patterns is for
writers to read their lines aloud. It’s also essential that writers consider the narrative aspect
of limerick. Most limericks follow a story arc with a brief plot, primary character, and
quick resolution.

RIDDLES
A riddle is a question, a puzzle,
a phrase, or a statement devised to get
unexpected or clever answers. It is
a folklore genre as well as rhetorical
device, often having veiled or double
meanings.
When someone uses it as a puzzle or a
question, it could be a thought-
provoking challenge for the audience to
figure it out themselves, or it could be a
funny comment intended to make the
audience laugh.
There are two main types of riddle:
• Enigma – Enigmas are problems
expressed in an allegorical or
metaphorical language, requiring careful
thinking and ingenuity to solve them.
• Conundrum – Conundrums are
questions that rely on punning for
creating effects in a question.
A riddle, however, doesn’t need to be
classified as one of these types. As long
as it is difficult to figure out and has an
answer or a meaning to it, it can be
classified as a riddle.
WHAT GETS WETTER AND WETTER
THE MORE IT DRIES?

towel
WHAT WORD BECOMES SHORTER
WHEN YOU ADD LETTERS TO IT?

short
WHAT WORD BEGINS WITH A T, ENDS
WITH A T, AND HAS A T IN IT?

teapot
WHAT BELONGS TO YOU, BUT IS USED
BY EVERYONE ELSE?

Your name
THE MAN WHO BUILT IT DOESN'T WANT IT. THE
MAN WHO BOUGHT IT DOESN'T WANT IT. THE
MAN WHO'S USING IT DOESN'T KNOW HE'S
USING IT. WHAT IS IT?

A coffin
 THE MAN WHO BUILT IT DOESN'T WANT IT.
THE MAN WHO BOUGHT IT DOESN'T WANT IT.
THE MAN WHO'S USING IT DOESN'T KNOW
HE'S USING IT. WHAT IS IT?

A coffin
FIVE BROTHERS ARE BUSY AT HOME. ADAM IS
STUDYING, BRIAN IS PLAYING CHESS, CARL IS
READING, AND DAVID IS WRITING. WHAT IS
ELLIOT DOING?

(Answer: Playing chess with

Brian)
 A MAN LOOKS AT A PAINTING AND SAYS,
“BROTHERS AND SISTERS I HAVE NONE, BUT
THAT MAN’S FATHER IS MY FATHER’S SON.”
WHO IS IN THE PAINTING?

(Answer: His son)

 I AM ALWAYS HUNGRY AND NEVER STOP
EATING, BUT WATER WILL KILL ME. WHAT
AM I?

(Answer: Fire)
 • Spring is in the air
HAIKU Flowers are blooming sky high
Children are laughing
• Like the sun rises
Haiku, a three-liner poetic Each morning and sets each night,
output, originated from Japan. It Family love is.
has set records in popularity • I feel it tugging
due to its conciseness, Hanging on – It must be huge!
precision, and directness, and Bluegill, smiles, grandpa
that too in all three lines. It
could have three phrases or
three clauses and even
sometimes sentences.
Interestingly, it has 17 syllables
having 5, 7, and 5
arrangements in all three lines.
 SHAPE POEMS

Also known as concrete poems,

shape poems are words arranged
to form the shape of an object.
The words will usually be linked to
the shape the poem talks about.
For example, you can write a
poem about a house and arrange
the word of the poem to form the
shape of a house. You can also
write a poem about milk and
arrange the words into the shape
of a milk carton.
 ACTIVITY

1. Write your own poetry.

a. Create 3 haikus (separate, not continuous) that describe any object that
can be seen around you.
b. Write 2 limericks (separate, not continuous) on what you feel about this
suspension (extreme heat)
c. Make your own shape poem (topic is anything under the sun)

Remember to use the following literary devices in making poetry*