Lesson

9
JUNIOR
POETRY

Making Comparisons & Repetition

I CAN

I can make Comparisons &

Repetition
 PURPOSE

To know how to make

Comparisons & Repetition
 1
Making Comparisons in Poetry
“Writers, yesterday we talked about how poets use rhyming
words to make their poems sound good.

Today I want to teach you another strategy that poets use to write great
poems. Poets sometimes make comparisons in their poems.

For example, they might say that a tall person is as tall as a giraffe. In
that example, it doesn’t mean that the person is ACTUALLY as tall as a
giraffe – the comparison just shows that the person is very tall.
Let’s take a look at a couple of poems that have comparisons in
them.”

Let’s read out the EASTER Poem together

Easter
Poem by Joyce Kilmer

The air is like a butterfly

With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at
the sky
And sings.

“In this poem, the poet says that ‘the air is like a butterfly with frail blue wings.’
 What do you think that comparison means?

It means that the air blows like a butterfly but its not a butterfly

What is the poet saying about the air?”

The air is like a butterfly with frail blue wings.

“Here’s another example of a poem that uses a comparison.”

When I was Lost

Underneath my belt
My stomach was a stone.
Sinking was the way I felt
And hollow.
And Alone.

“How did the narrator feel when he or she was lost?”

(Sad, scared)
“In this poem, the narrator says that their stomach ‘was a
stone.’

Do you think that means that their stomach actually turned into a stone?” (No!)

“In this poem, the author compares how their stomach felt to how heavy a stone is.
The comparison helps us, as the readers, understand that the narrator was feeling very
sad and scared. The narrator was so upset that their stomach felt bad.”

“Let’s try making comparisons with our own poems. Right now, I’d like you to look
through your folder and take out a poem that you've written. It can be about anything - a
person, a place, a thing, or something that happened to you. Show me a thumbs-up
when you are ready.”
 Write your Poem here

“Now, think of a comparison that you can add to this poem. You might say that your topic is like
something else. If I was writing a poem about my cat, I might say that his fur is as soft as snow,
to show that he has really, really soft fur. Think about what comparison you might add to your
poem.”
“Would anyone like to share the comparison they’re thinking of?” “Okay. Now, find a good place in
your poem where you can add in that comparison. You might have to move some lines around, or
take something out.

Let me show you other Poems with Comparisons

Dragon

My dragon has eyes

as round as dinner “In this poem, the narrator says that the dragon
plates. It has sharp has eyes as round as dinner plates and Its mouth
teeth like daggers is dark and wide like a cave. It has craws which
Its mouth is dark and are pointed as needles
wide like a cave. It
has craws which are
pointed as needles
True Friend
© Ashley Campbell

A friend is like a star that twinkles and glows

Or maybe like the ocean that gently flows. “In this poem, the narrator compares a
A friend is like gold that you should treasure friend to a star that twinkles and
And take care of forever and ever. glows or like the ocean that gently
A friend is like an angel that is there to guide you. flows.
A friend is someone you can trust out of a few.
A friend is more than one in a million.
They are one in a ca-zillion,
And you, my friend, are very special
and so it is official.
Storm At Sea

© Amar Qamar

CRASHING waves... SMASHING seas...

Bringing sailors to their knees.
As they struggle to save their lives,
Hoping and praying help arrives.

The stormy seas as dark as coal,

Preventing the sailors from reaching their goal.
Battered and bruised, but still they fight...
Staring ahead into the dead of night.
Rocking and rolling as they try to stand... “In this poem, the narrator compares
Hoping against hope that they soon reach land. The stormy seas as dark as coal,
 2
Repetitions in Poetry
 “I want to show you one other strategy that poets sometimes use in their poems. It’s
called repetition. Repetition is repeating something. Poets sometimes repeat certain
words, groups of words, or lines in their poems.
I’m going to read you a poem in which the poet
repeats ‘Red is.’” “What is Red?”

Red is a brick and the sound of a band. Red is sunset Red is a lipstick, Red is a shout
Red is hotness you get inside Blazing and bright. Red is a signal that says
when your embarasse and want to hide. Red is feeling brave “WATCH OUT!”
fire-cracker, fire-engine with all your might. Red is great big rubber ball.
fire- flicker red–and you’re angry Red is a sunburn Red is the giantess color of all.
Red runs through your head. Spot on your nose. Red is a show-off. No doubt
Red is an Indian, a Valentine heart. sometimes red about it.
the trimmings on A circus cart. Is a red, red, rose. but can you imagine living with
Red squiggles out out it?
when you cut your hand.
Repetition is a poetic technique used to draw a person's attention to a certain idea. Think
about school. If a teacher wants to get her point across, is she going to say it once? No. She
is going to repeat it multiple times so it begins to sink in. The same works with poetry.

If you want to write a poem with repetition, first think about the point you want to get
across. What is the part you want your readers to focus on? Then plan on how you can
incorporate a repeated word, phrase, line, or stanza into your poem.

Many times, repeated phrases or lines come at the beginning and end of stanzas or
poems.

Lets go to the next Poem

“I think that the poet repeated ‘Red is’ so often to remind us

that this poem is all about what red can be.
These are repetitions from the Poem RED
Red is a brick
Red is hotness
Red runs through your head
Red is an Indian, a Valentine
heart
Red is sunset
Red is feeling brave
Red is a sunburn
Is a red, red, rose.
Red squiggles out
Red is a lipstick, Red is a shout
Red is a signal
Red is great big rubber ball
Red is the giantess color of all.
Red is a show-off
Popcorn
Popcorn, Popcorn
Sizzling in the pan.
Shake it up, shake it up
Bam,, bam, bam

Popcorn, popcorn
Now it’s getting hot,
Shake it up, shake it up,
Pop, pop, pop
When you are writing your poems, you might choose to repeat something like this
poet did.”
Write a Poem with repetitions here
WHAT DID WE LEARN TODAY?

• How to use comparisons in Poems

• Repetitions in Poetry
 Rules
1. Write Poems with repetitions

2. The winner is the one who writes that largest

number of Poems in 10 mins
 Repetitions in Poetry
Popcorn Popcorn Mary girl, Mary girl

Red is Red is A friend is, A friend is

Hit tap tap, hit tap tap

Lady Bug, Lady Bug
 THANK YOU
AND
KEEP LEARNING!