poetry and

FIGURATIVELANGUAGE

Prose vs. PoetryProse Poetry

Each line is called a sentence

Groups of sentences are called paragraphs

Paragraphs together are called works of literature

Each line is called a line and it may not be a complete sentence

Groups of lines are called stanzas

One or several stanzas make up a poem

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGEWriters use figurative language to

Paint a picture for the reader

Make connections for the reader

Help to convey meaning

Convey the thoughts and sounds the poet wants to

express

Figurative LanguageSimile: A comparison between two

things using “like” or “as”• My love is like a red rose.

Metaphor: A comparison between two things without using “like” or “as”

• My love for you is a red rose.

Personification: Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects

• Whistling wind • Dancing leaves

Onomatopoeia: Sound words• Crash, pop, bang

Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration• My sister used so much makeup, she broke a chisel trying to

get it off last night.• I am so hungry, I could eat a horse.

Assonance: When two or more words in a line have the same vowel sound

• I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless.• I must confEss that in my quEst I felt deprEssed and

rEstless.

Alliteration: When two or more words in a line begin with the same consonant or sound

• Rabbits running over roses• Rabbits Running over Roses

What do you know?1. What is a stanza?2. What is alliteration?3. What is a simile?4. What is a “paragraph” of poetry called?5. What does figurative language do for the

reader?6. Define hyperbole.7. Give an example of personification.8. Define metaphor.9. Give an example of a simile.10.Define onomatopoeia.11.What is the difference between assonance and

alliteration?

How to Eat a PoemBy Eve Merriam

Don’t be polite.Bite in.Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your chin.It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.

You do not need a knife or fork or spoon or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no coreor stemor rindor pitor seedor skinto throw away.

Unfolding BudOne is amazedBy a water-lily budUnfoldingWith each passing day,Taking on a richer colorAnd new dimensions.

One is not amazed,At first glance,By a poem,Which is as tight-closedAs a tiny bud.

Yet one is surprisedTo see the poemGradually unfolding.Revealing its rich inner self,As one reads itAgain And over again.

Naoshi Koriyama