Introduction to Poetic Devices Metaphor and Simile Reading poetry is challenging in any language. Depending on the poetry you are reading, outof-date vocabulary and expressions are often used. To help you get a feeling for poetry in English there are a few devices that you can recognise to help you understand the text better. Metaphors Metaphors make a comparison between two objects with the intent of giving clearer meaning to one of them. Often forms of the "to be" verb are used, such as "is" or "was", to make the comparison. Similes Similes make a comparison between two objects using a specific word or comparison such as "like", "as", or "than". Of course, there are many other poetic devices. You will find a list of the most important poetic devices arranged by their purpose on the following pages. Another useful tool to use when reading poetry is a thesaurus. A thesaurus is a book containing systematized lists of synonyms and related words. Metaphor - A comparison between two objects giving meaning to one of them. Often forms of the "to be" verb are used, such as "is" or "was", to make the comparison. Example: The boy was a helpless bird waiting for its mother. Simile - A comparison between two objects using a specific word or comparison such as 'like', 'as', or 'than'. Example: We watched the ghostly dancers spin To sound of horn and violin, Like black leaves wheeling in the wind. Like wire-pulled automatons, Slim silhouetted skeletons Went sidling through the slow quadrille. (by: Oscar Wilde) Alliteration - The repetition of beginning consonant sounds.
Example: Silently seeking the silky sounds. Assonance - The repetition of vowel sounds. Example: Elaine waited in plain train. Rhyme - The similarity of ending sounds existing between two words. Example: Inside, above the din and fray, We heard the loud musicians play Meter - The recurrence of a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Example: We caught the tread of dancing feet, We loitered down the moonlit street, And stopped beneath the harlot's house. (by: Oscar Wilde) Onomatopoeia - The use of words which imitate sound. Example: He crashed into the car as he heard the screech of the wheels. Repetition - the repeating of words, phrases, lines, or stanzas. Example: Hear the sledges with the bells -Silver bells! What a world of merriment their melody foretells! How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night! (by: Edgar Alan Poe) Imagery - Words or phrases that use the senses or a combination of senses.
Example: His could almost taste his fear as he smelt the fright of the bolting horse. Personification - A figure of speech which endows animals, ideas, or inanimate objects with human traits or abilities. Example: The window winked at me. Poetic Devices - Point of View Point-of-view - The author's point-of-view concentrates on the speaker, or "teller", of the story or poem. Example: Walking through the streets at night, Looking at stars that shine so bright, It hurts to consider things not to be. Things not to be had by me. 1st person: the speaker is a character in the story or poem and tells it from his/her perspective (uses "I") Example: Then, turning to my love, I said, `The dead are dancing with the dead, The dust is whirling with the dust.' (by: Oscar Wilde) 3rd person: the speaker is not part of the story, but tells about the other characters. Example: His story is old, His heart is young, He the strong, noble one.
1. ___ The girl never tells the truth.
A. It's as smooth as silk.
2. ___ Please water that plant.
B. I'm as busy as a beaver.
3. ___ Those two children don't like each other.
C. She has been as quiet as a church mouse.
4. ___ That girl won't harm anyone.
D. Then I can fly like an eagle.
5. ___ I have many things to do today.
E. It's as flat as a pancake.
6. ___ Be careful of the broken glass.
F. He's as strong as a bull.
7. ___ The water has frozen.
G. She's as slow as molasses in January.
8. ___ This material is very soft.
H. It's as fresh as a daisy.
9. ___ Did you scrub the floor?
I. He eats like a pig.
10. ___ Put on some warm gloves.
J. He eats like a bird.
11. ___ This cake is soft and fluffy.
K. She can sing like an angel.
12. ___ I want to do well on my tests.
L. She lies like a rug.
13. ___ This bed sheet is very clean and smells good.
M. It's as hard as a rock.
14. ___ I can't understand this question.
N. They're as black as coal.
15. ___ He will get lung cancer if he's not careful.
O. She looks as white as a ghost.
16. ___ My father taught me many things.
P. It's as light as a feather.
17. ___ Why is she taking so much time?
Q. It's as sweet as honey.
18. ___ I have heard that story many times before.
R. Time flies like an arrow.
19. ___ He's such a sloppy eater.
S. It's as clear as mud.
20. ___ He doesn't listen to anyone.
T. She is flying as high as a kite.
21. ___ The patient looks very ill.
U. She's as blind as a bat.
22. ___ He doesn't eat very much.
V. Your hands are as cold as ice.
23. ___ She sings with much feeling.
W. He's as stubborn as a mule.
24. ___ The man can lift this heavy box.
X. He sits there like a bump on a log.
25. ___ We shouldn't waste time worrying.
Y. It's as dry as a bone.
26. ___ Go to the bathroom to clean your hands.
Z. He smokes like a chimney.
27. ___ The boy is very lazy.
a. It's as clean as a whistle.
28. ___ The pudding tastes delicious.
b. It's as sharp as a knife.
29. ___ She has very poor eyesight.
c. She's as gentle as a lamb.
30. ___ Did you step on this?
d. He's as wise as an owl.
31. ___ She is very excited about getting her driver's license.
e. They always fight like cats and dogs.
32. ___ I will go check on the baby.
f. It's as old as the hills.
What is a Metaphor A metaphor is a descriptive term; basically, it is a way of expressing an understanding about something by using nouns to compare or even contrast this with something else, thereby giving a more descriptive sense to a passage. Remember that a metaphor, never uses the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, since the use of either of these would transform the figure of speech into a simile. So a metaphor might read, ‘His face was paler than a sheet.’ This uses the noun ‘sheet’ to illustrate just how pale that person was looking. If we were to use a simile in this context, then the sentence would read, ‘His face was as pale as a sheet.’ The metaphor is the strongest descriptive term here, because it indicates that his face was actually paler than a sheet. The metaphor can give added depth and meaning and is usually more powerful than a simile. The word, ‘metaphor’ is derived from the Greek, where it literally meant, ‘transferring something across.’ A metaphor is closely related to a simile and sometimes there is a good deal of confusion about the difference between the two. When using metaphors be careful to use them appropriately, otherwise you can end up with mixed metaphors which can sometimes be amusing but are nevertheless incorrect. When your writing is completed either proofread your work yourself or use some kind of online grammar checker (there is lots of software available) to ensure that your metaphors are appropriate and that they convey the appropriate message. When used in the correct sense they can really make your work come alive.
Simile - A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get" - Forrest Gump (or) "My love is like a red, red rose" — Robert Burns Metaphor – The metaphor is similar to the simile, but doesn't say that one thing is like another thing. A metaphor says one thing IS another thing! For example, “Life is a process of becoming . . ." - Anaïs Nin (or) "No man is an island" —John Donne
Elements of a Story 1. Introduction – The beginning of the story where the characters and setting are introduced. 2. Conflict – The problem of the story that needs to be solved. 3. Rising Action – The major events in a story that lead from the problem to the solution. 4. Climax – A major event that could cause the problem to be solved in a certain way, either good or bad. 5. Resolution – How the problem is solved. 6. Epilogue – The end of the story where loose ends are tied up, and the story comes to an end.
Literary Terms - What's the Secret Message? Fill in the correct literary term after each definition. Then read down the letters in parentheses () to find the hidden message. reference to something that happened before the story began __ __ __ __ (__) __ __ __ __ when several words begin with the same sound __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (__) __ __ __ __ fictional story of some length __ __ (__) __ __ concept running through a literary work __ __ (__) __ __ attitude or opinion of the author or a character __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ when several words have the same vowel sound inside (__) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ settling of the conflict at the end of a story __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ sequence of events in a story (__) __ __ __ comparing two things, with the words like or as __ __ __ (__) __ __ comparing two things, without like or as __ (__) __ __ __ __ __ __ the tensest moment and turning point (__) __ __ __ __ __ when words imitate the sound they represent __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (__) __ __ part of plot when conflict emerges and tension rises __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ how an author shows a character's personality __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (__) __ after the climax, when tension decreases (__) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ where and when a story takes place __ __ __ __ __ __ __ a person in a story, poem, or play (__) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ hinting at something that's going to happen __ __ __ __ __ __ (__) __ __ __ __ __ __ giving information about what happened before the story began __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (__) a short piece of action, or scene, in a story __ __ __ __ __ (__) __ when what happens is the opposite of what's expected, or a character says the opposite of what he/she really means __ __ __ __ (__)