1. Poetry is like a song… (That’s a simile. If you don’t know what a simile is, you will in a minute. Read on…)

2. Poetry Terms Figures of Speech- Tools that help to create images in a reader’s mind to help him understand a person or an idea Devices of Sound- Language tools that poets use to help their writing sound “cool”… also used to help highlight important ideas

3. Simile Figure of speech A direct comparison using like or as Example: Your nose is LIKE a button Example from a song:

4. Metaphor Figure of speech An implied/indirect comparison Example: Her eyes were an inviting blue lake, and I wanted to dive in for a swim… Example from a song:

5. Personification Figure of speech Human qualities attributed to inanimate objects or animals Words used to make something seem alive Example: The wind howled Example from a song:

6. Hyperbole Figure of speech An extreme exaggeration to attain desired effect Example: My dad had a cow when he saw my grades Example from a song:

7. Imagery Use of sensory information to create mental pictures which reinforce common themes Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste Often occurs in groups- image clusters Example: Color imagery, Religious imagery Example from a song:

8. Symbolism The use of a concrete object, name, place, event or character to represent an abstract idea Example: Red rose= love River= a journey Example from a song:

9. Irony When the opposite of what’s expected occurs Example: You can’t get a job because you have TOO much education Example from a song: UGH !

10. Onomatopoeia Device of sound A word that sounds like the sound it describes Example: Buzz, honk, tweet Example from a song:

11. Assonance Device of sound The repetition of a vowel sound Example: My words like silent raindrops fell Repetition of long “I” sound Example from a song:

12. Consonance Device of sound The repetition of a consonant sound Example: Rubber baby buggy bumpers Repetition of “B” sound Example from a song:

13. Alliteration Device of sound The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginnings of words Example: Tangled trail of tears Repetition of “T” sound Example from a song:

14. Rhyme Device of sound The use of similar/identical sounds in a pattern Example: the cat in the hat ate a rat on a mat Example from a song:

15. Iambic Pentameter The most common verse line in English poetry. It consists of five verse feet, with each foot an iamb-that is, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Shakespeare’s plays are written almost exclusively in iambic pentameter. Guess which famous English poet (and playwright) used this rhythm and meter often when he wrote? We can use these sound devices and their natural stressed syllables, lack of stress syllables, and pauses to create rhythm in poetry… one of which is