The Building Blocks of Poetic Voice

Four Important Building Blocks of Poetic Voice

By Mr. Dahl

1. Diction

Diction refers to the particular words an author chooses to use. Poets use diction to convey tone and meaning.

"The things he did were bad" vs. "His crimes were heinous."​

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Some text here about the topic of discussion

2. Imagery

Imagery refers to any language that an author uses to appeal to one of the five senses (not just sight!).

Sight = Visual imagery ("Her eyes bulged out of her face")

Sound = Auditory imagery ("The icicles clinked together like a strange choir")

​Touch = Tactile imagery ("She rubbed her dry, callused hands together")

Taste = Gustatory imagery ("​The tart apricots made her wince")

Smell = Olfactory imagery ("Thick and heavy, the smell of the cows permeated everything") ​

3. Figurative Language

​Authors use figurative language to convey meaning using comparison between abstract and concrete ideas.

metaphor — a comparison between two things that don't have a direct, literal relationship. ("he was a tornado on the football pitch")

simile — a comparison between two things using "like" or "as". ("the assignment was like a boulder, weighing on her conscience")

personification — imbuing a non-human object with human traits or actions. ("the amulet stared at her malevolently from the shelf.")

hyperbole — extreme exaggeration. ("Mr. Dahl assigned 1,000 hours of home learning.")

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4. Echo

​Echo refers to an author's repetition of sounds or syllables.​

Rhyme = ​repetition of the same sound at the end of words, usually at the end of poetic lines.

Internal rhyme = rhyming that occurs within a verse line rather than with ending words.​

​Alliteration = repetition of sounds at the beginning of words. ("tried and true tricks")

Assonance = repetition of vowel sounds ("long, drawn out pauses")

Consonance = repetition of consonant sounds ("bubbling cool and calmly")

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Multiple Choice

Poetic diction refers to...

• The structure of poetic lines.

• A poet's particular word choice.

• The way that a poet pronounces words.

• A poet's particular use of figurative language.

Multiple Choice

"With smell of steaks in passageways..." is an example of...

• metaphor

• gustatory imagery

• olfactory imagery

• auditory imagery

Multiple Choice

"The pen tip jabbed in my back, I feel the mark of progress..." is an example of...

• hyperbole

• simile

• auditory imagery

• tactile imagery

Multiple Choice

“Freedom / Is a strong seed / Planted / In a great need." is an example of...

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• olfactory imagery

Multiple Choice

“...my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold..." is an example of...

• gustatory imagery

• metaphor

• simile

• olfactory imagery

Multiple Choice

"assonance" refers to...

• The repetition of consonant sounds.

• The repetition of vowel sounds.

• The repetition of "a" sounds.

• The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.

Multiple Choice

"consonance" refers to...

• The repetition of consonant sounds.

• The repetition of vowel sounds.

• The repetition of "a" sounds.

• The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.