Hyperbole

For example:I pulled up with a million trucks—looking, smellin,

feeling like a million bucks. (Ludacris)

People often use exaggeration to make their point strong and clear. In this example the speaker does not really have a million trucks; Why would he say this??

Classic Poets use it…

I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears of all my life! (Elizabeth Browning)

This little world of mine has lost its light. (Dorothy Parker)

A robin redbreast in a cage Sets all heaven in a rage. (William Blake)

Contemporary poets use it…Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the garbage out!

She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans, Candy the yams and spice the hams,

And though her daddy would scream and shout, She simply would not take the garbage out.

And so it piled up to the ceilings: Coffee grounds, potato peelings,

Brown bananas, rotten peas, Chunks of sour cottage cheese.

It filled the can, it covered the floor, It cracked the window and blocked the door

With bacon rinds and chicken bones, Drippy ends of ice cream cones,

Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel, Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,

Pizza crusts and withered greens, Soggy beans and tangerines,

Crusts of black burned buttered toast, Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . .

The garbage rolled on down the hall, It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . .

Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs, Globs of gooey bubble gum,

Cellophane from green baloney, Rubbery blubbery macaroni, Peanut butter, caked and dry, Curdled milk and crusts of pie,

Moldy melons, dried-up mustard, Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,

Cold french fried and rancid meat, Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.

At last the garbage reached so high That it finally touched the sky.

And all the neighbors moved away, And none of her friends would come to play.

And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said, "OK, I'll take the garbage out!"

But then, of course, it was too late. . . The garbage reached across the state,

From New York to the Golden Gate. And there, in the garbage she did hate,

Poor Sarah met an awful fate, That I cannot now relate

Because the hour is much too late. But children, remember Sarah Stout

And always take the garbage out! Shel Silverstein, 1974

Hip-hop poets use it!!

My mom’s words echo in my head and if I let go I’m dead. (Nas)

I can roast an MC like a barbecue.

(Big Daddy Kane)

Tall Tales

My grandfather came home from fishing yesterday and explained to me how he caught the largest bass in the river. But it wasn’t just a gigantic bass– it was a gigantic, speaking bass. This is why, he explained, that he didn’t return home with the fish… it ask to be let go.

Use hyperbole to create a tall poem…

Tell a short story Be filled with exaggeration Be at least 8 lines long Attempt to use some rhyming words

For Example…

I’m the baddest rapper

With the sweetest ride

But it’s not about the money,

It’s about the pride.

I came through with my army,

my truck is like a tank.

If you try to test me,

I’ll take you straight to the bank.

Again…

Tell a short story Be filled with exaggeration Be at least 8 lines long Attempt to use some rhyming words

IDIOMS!!!

An idiom is a word, phrase, or expression that has meaning beyond the literal meaning of the word(s). Such as “it’s raining cats and dogs.”

Can you change the sentences?

Example:

I know we don’t see eye to eye, but it’s time to bury the hatchet.

I know we don’t agree, but it’s time to stop fighting about it.

It’s clear as a bell that your going bananas because your girlfriend has you under her thumb.

If you don’t hold your horses and really think about that pie in the sky scheme to earn money, you’re going to get ripped off.

Why do you fly off the handle every time I lay down the law and tell you to put your nose to the grindstone and do your homework?

Here are some common idioms try to use at least one of them in your poem today.

Seems fishyStuffed to the gillsLost my headCracks me upFeel like a million bucksUnder the weatherToot your own hornAll in the same boatBreak the ice

Tied game, two outs, last inning.

Your hands gripped me so tightly

I could feel your sweat.

You held me back, not too high,

Your chin up, your feet firmly planted.

It came fast, a white blur.

You swung, I felt the air rush by

And then the crack.

I heard the whoops and howls of victory.

You keep me tucked in your closet.

A special memory.

Use personification & onomatopoeia as you write a poem about one of your favorite possessions. Like the baseball bat in this poem, your possession should speak to you, perhaps reminding you of a special time you shared or explaining something about its nature to you. The title of your poem should name the object you are personifying.