POETRY:
Literary
DEVICEs
“Poetry is a treasure island, and your keen mind
and sharp eyes are needed to spot these precious
gems. Share your thoughts, young adventurers of
learning!”
LITERARY DEVICES
Poets use tools and techniques to make their
poems fun and interesting. These special words
and tricks help us picture things in our heads and
understand the poem better.
Imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating
vivid mental pictures for the reader.
EXAMPLE
The scent of fresh rain on the earth.
Simile
A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or
"as"
EXAMPLE
Her smile was as bright as the sun.
Metaphor
A comparison between two unlike things, suggesting a
similarity or shared characteristic without using "like" or
"as."
EXAMPLE
Time is a thief.
Personification
Giving human characteristics or qualities to non-human
objects, animals, or abstract concepts.
EXAMPLE
The wind whispered through the trees.
Symbolism
Using objects, colors, or elements to represent deeper
meanings or ideas beyond their literal significance
EXAMPLE
A dove symbolizes peace.
Red roses symbolize love.
A rainbow symbolizes hope.
Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme
The repetition of similar sounds, usually at the ends of
lines in poetry. Common rhyme schemes include AABB,
ABAB, and ABCB.
Types of Rhyme
• A perfect rhyme is a rhyme that includes words
with identical sounds
Example:
“dead” and “head”
“game” and “tame”
“table” and “fable”
Types of Rhyme
• An imperfect rhyme or slant rhyme is a rhyme
that link words together through similar (but not
exactly the same) sounds
Example:
“crate” and “braid” both share a vowel sound ("ay") in their final syllable
both share similar consonant sounds after a differing
“ridge” and “fudge” emphasized vowel (“i” and “u”)
Types of Rhyme Scheme
• Alternate rhyme is ABAB
CDCD EFEF and so on.
EXAMPLE RHYME SCHEME
The coolness of the night A
Refreshes my skin. B
The stars shine so bright A
Causing me to grin. B
Types of Rhyme Scheme
• Coupled rhyme is any
rhyme scheme in which
rhymes occur in pairs, such
as AABBCC. The rhymes
themselves are called
couplets.
EXAMPLE RHYME SCHEME
I was angry with my friend; A
I told my wrath, my wrath did end. A
I was angry with my foe: B
I told it not, my wrath did grow. B
“A Poison Tree” by William Blake
Types of Rhyme Scheme
• Monorhyme is the term
used for poems that use
just one rhyme throughout
the entire poem, as in
AAAA.
EXAMPLE RHYME SCHEME
For possessed of day A
Thousand spirits stray A
That sweet joys betray A
“Silent Silent Night” by William Blake
Types of Rhyme Scheme
• Enclosed rhyme is the
term used for "sandwich"
rhyme schemes like ABA
or ABBA.
EXAMPLE RHYME SCHEME
Let me fetch sticks, A
Let me fetch stones, B
Throw me your bones, B
Teach me your tricks. A
“Bliss” by Eleanor Farjeon
Types of Rhyme Scheme
• Chain rhyme describes
rhyme schemes in which
stanzas are linked
together by rhymes that
carry over from one stanza
to the next, as in ABA
BCB CDC.
EXAMPLE RHYME SCHEME
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, A
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead B
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, A
Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, B
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou, C
Who chariotest to their dark wintery bed B
“Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
