Poetic Devices

Poetic Devices

English 3

Objectives

We will analyze relationships among characteristics of poetry, including stanzas, line breaks, speaker, and sound devices in two poems. 

We will evaluate how the author's use of language shapes the perception of readers.

What are poetic devices?

Poets use a number of devices to create meaning, generate ideas, appeal to the senses, and evoke emotional responses from readers. Poetic devices are those techniques poets use to get the most out of their arrangements of words on a page. One important device poets use is the choice of the speaker, or the “narrator” of the poem. A reader should not assume that the speaker is always the poet.

Vocabulary

• Poetic Devices - a feature of a poem such as rhyme, sound devices, and figurative language

• Speaker - the “narrator” of the poem; the speaker has a separate identity from the poet, who is the author of the poem

Defining poetic devices continued

Sound devices are tools used by poets to create imagery, convey meaning, and invoke an emotional response through the use of sound. This use of language creates a specific effect when poetry is read or spoken aloud.

 

Perhaps the most common sound device is rhyme. Another sound device is alliteration, which is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words. The repetition of consonant sounds within a line or sentence is called consonance. The repetition of vowel sounds, such as a short a or long e sound, is called assonance.

Vocabulary Continued

• Sound devices - the use of language to create certain effects when read or spoken aloud

• Rhyme - the repetition of the same or similar sounds in a poem

• Alliteration - the repetition of initial sounds in a series of words

• Consonance - the repetition of internal or ending consonant sounds in a series of words

• Assonance - the repetition of internal vowel sounds in a series of words, and is most often used in poetry

Defining poetic devices conclusion

The inclusion of figurative language is a key feature of poetry. Similes and metaphors help poets compare unlike things and show these things to readers in a new way.

Vocabulary Continued

• Figurative language - expressions used for descriptive or rhetorical effect that are not literally true but that express some truth beyond the literal level

• Similes - a figure of speech that uses the word like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things

• Metaphors - a figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike things but implies a comparison instead of stating it directly with the word like or as

Vocabulary Review

Poetic Devices

Multiple Choice

What is alliteration?

• the repetition of internal or ending consonant sounds in a series of words

• the repetition of internal vowel sounds in a series of words, and is most often used in poetry

• the repetition of initial sounds in a series of words

• expressions used for descriptive or rhetorical effect that are not literally true but that express some truth beyond the literal level

Multiple Choice

Define poetic device

• the “narrator” of the poem; the speaker has a separate identity from the poet, who is the author of the poem

• a figure of speech that uses the word like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things

• a feature of a poem such as rhyme, sound devices, and figurative language

• the use of language to create certain effects when read or spoken aloud

In order to identify the speaker of the poem, note the following:

the use of first person, or implied first person

language that indicates the speaker’s perspective or view about something

figurative language in the poem

In order to identify sound devices of a poem, note the following:

• alliteration: repeated consonant sounds at the beginnings of words

• assonance: repeated vowel sounds within words

• consonance: repeated consonant sounds within words

• rhyme: the inclusion of rhyming words at the ends of lines or within lines

• rhythm: a pattern created by stressed and unstressed syllables

To identify figurative language in a poem, note the following:

• metaphors and similes

• imagery

Poetic Devices Guide Questions

• Who is the speaker? What is the speaker’s perspective?

• What sounds do I hear when I read the poem aloud?

• What are the effects of the sound devices?

• What figurative language does the poet use, and what is the effect?

• What is the effect of the language on the poem’s meaning?

Skill Practice

Poetic Devices

Questions to think about

As you watch both videos, note the following:

• What did you notice? 

• What did you wonder?

• What stood out to you?

• Why might poets be tapped to read or speak at Presidential Inaugurations?

Answer the discussion questions on the next few slides after viewing each video.

Poetic devices

Open Ended

Who is the speaker for each poem? What is the speaker’s perspective for each poem?

Open Ended

What figurative language is used in each poem, and what is the effect? Make sure to use text evidence.

Open Ended

What is the effect of the language on each poem’s meaning?

Conclusion

Poets use a number of devices to create meaning, generate ideas, appeal to the senses, and evoke emotional responses from readers. 

Make sure to complete the lesson on Diction & Syntax as well.

End of the 2nd 9 weeks and semester is January 29th.