Poetic TechniquesHow Writing Becomes Poetry

AlliterationThe repeating of beginning

consonant sounds◦Betsy’s Barbie doll baked on the big

bureau by the bay window

◦Alliteration can help a writer create mood, rhythm, make one laugh, or make one remember

HyperboleAn outrageous exaggeration that

emphasizes a point, and can be ridiculous or funny“You snore louder than a freight train.”“My parents are going to kill me.”

Hyperbole adds color and depth to ideas and descriptions

Line BreaksPoint at which one line of poetry

ends and another beginsThe woods are lovely, dark and deepBut I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Line breaks help to create and establish a rhythm and give the poem its shape.

MeterThe rhythm or “pattern of

accented and unaccented syllables” in the lines of a poem

Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;

MetaphorA comparison between two unlike

ideas or objects

“time is a thief,” “you are my sunshine,” “my father is a rock”

These don’t make literal sense until you can understand the connection between the two items

Help create images and appeal to one or more of the senses

OnomatopoeiaWords that sound like their

meaning or mimic sounds

“The burning wood hissed and crackled.”

Onomatopoeia adds a level of fun and reality to writing

PersonificationGives human characteristics to

animals, inanimate objects, or ideas“The sun greeted me this morning”“The radio stopped singing and stared

at me”

Affects the way a reader imagines ideas

RhymeRepetition of sounds in a word

◦End rhyme—rhyming of words at the end of a lineAunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a

screen,Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.

◦Internal rhyme—rhyming of words within a lineJack Sprat could eat no fat; his wife could

eat no lean

SimileA comparison between two unlike

ideas and uses the words, “like,” or “as.”

“We were as quiet as mice.”“Her eyes were like blue ocean pools.”

Similes add imagery and appeal to one or more of the senses

SymbolismWhen a word has a meaning in

itself, but is used to represent something different

American flag = patriotism, freedomApple = education

Emphasizes important ideas; creates images