Teaching Literary Devices in Poems

​Intro to Poetry:

Literary Devices​

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​What is poetry? What does it mean to you?

Symbol

​(n.) a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

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Example: ​The limousine was another symbol of his wealth and authority

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Multiple Choice

Which one of these phrases includes an example of a symbol?

• The warrior was very brave and fought hard.

• The warrior had several tattoos of lions, bears, and wolves to give him strength.

• The warrior used his sword to defend his people.

• The warrior never ran away from a fight.

​Metaphor

​(n.) a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

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Examples:​ Ali is a walking dictionary. -- Time is money​.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements includes an example of a metaphor?

• Life can be difficult at times.

• My life is unpredictable.

• Life is a roller coaster.

• I love life!

​Simile

​(n.) a comparison between two things using "like" or "as".

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Example: Charles was moving like a cheetah.

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following phrases includes an example of a simile?

• That dog is bigger than a bear!

• That dog is super fluffy.

• That dog is humongous!

• That dog is as big as a baby elephant!

​Alliteration

(n.) the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words.

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Example: ​Adam always assists Ariel at school.​

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sentences features an example of alliteration?

• Kira likes to collect postal stamps.

• Kira is always collecting rocks.

• Kira collects clams on the coast.

• Kira likes to collect shells on the beach.

​Hyperbole

​(n.) exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

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Example: His list of accomplishments is a mile long.

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Poll

Which of the following sentences has an example of a hyperbole?

• Jennie's eyes were bright and clear.

• Jennie's eyes were extremely bright.

• Jennie's eyes shined brighter than a thousand stars.

• Jennie's eyes were the brightest I'd ever seen.

Multiple Choice

A metaphor is a ...

• disease you get from kissing too many people.

• thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

• comparison between two things using "like" or "as"

• a sound that is repeated at the beginning of consecutive words.

Multiple Choice

What is a symbol?

• a comparison between two things that are similar.

• a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

• a percussive instrument that can be part of a drum-set.

• something special to a person.

Multiple Choice

Alliteration is the repetition of what?

• Symbols in a poem.

• Important ideas in a poem.

• Sounds or letters at the end of words that follow each other.

• Sounds or letters at the beginning of words in close proximity.