Elements of Poetry Reviewed

​Elements of Poetry Reviewed

By Gino Paradela

Multiple Choice

Identifying Rhyme

From my study I see in the street,

The lights of the gas-lamps glimmer and gleam,

And I hear the tramp of the passing feet,

And the sound of a voice in a near-by dream

• see and street

• gleam and dream

• glimmer and gleam

• tramp and passing

Rhyme

Rhyme is when two or more words have the same ending sound.

The words feet and street end with the same sound, so they rhyme.

Multiple Choice

Identifying Line Breaks

Come, let me read to you now,

A tale of the good old days,

When people were simple and true,

And lived in simple ways.

Question: How many lines (rows of words) are in this short passage?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

A line in poetry is like a row of words that ends when the poet decides to move to the next row. Count the rows—there are four lines.

Line

Multiple Choice

Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day's occupations,

That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear the sound of the wandering feet,

I hear the sound of the church-bell tolling,

And a sudden sadness comes over my spirit,

And a feeling of loneliness comes upon me.

Question: How many stanzas (groups of lines) are in this passage?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Stanza

A stanza is a group of lines in a poem, separated from other groups by a space. This passage has two separate groups of four lines, so there are two stanzas.

Multiple Choice

I have you fast in my fortress,

I hold you fast in my keep,

I am the warden of the sea,

I am the ruler of the deep.

Question: Which word is an example of repetition in this passage?

• fast

• hold

• ruler

• I

Repetition

Repetition is when a word or phrase is used again and again in a poem to make an idea stronger or create a rhythm.

The word I is repeated at the beginning of each line.

Multiple Choice

There is a silent stream in the street,

Where the gas-lamps shine so still and deep,

And a sound of sleepy sighs on the shore,

And the whisper of the wind through the tall trees.

Question: Which line has words that show alliteration (words close together that start with the same sound)?

• There is a silent stream in the street,

• And a sound of sleepy sighs on the shore,

• Where the gas-lamps shine so still and deep,

• And the whisper of the wind through the tall trees.

Alliteration

Alliteration is when several words that are near each other start with the same consonant sound. The words sleepy sighs both start with the "s" sound.

Multiple Choice

The dark little room is my fortress,

My castle, and my keep;

I am a King in my home,

I guard you while you sleep.

Question: When the speaker calls the room a "fortress", which figurative language element is this?

• Simile (using 'like' or 'as')

• Metaphor (saying one thing is another)a

• Onomatopoeia (a sound word)

• Repetition

Metaphor

A Metaphor is a way of comparing two unlike things by saying one thing is another. The room is not a real fortress, but the speaker says it is to show it is strong and safe.

Multiple Choice

Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day's occupations,

That is known as the Children's Hour.

Question: The words dark, daylight, and beginning to lower help you see a picture in your mind. What poetry element is this?

• Rhythm

• Tone

• Imagery

• Line

Imagery

Imagery is the use of descriptive language (words that describe) to create a picture or feeling in the reader's mind, often using the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). These words help you see the time of day.

Multiple Choice

O pleasant thought of sweetest folly!

O lightest thought of melancholy!

With what a delight I come to see

The happy faces that smile on me.

Question: What is the tone (the feeling or attitude) of this short passage?

• Angry and loud

• Happy and loving

• Sad and worried

• Confused and strange

Tone

The Tone is the author's feeling about the subject. Words like pleasant, sweetest, delight, and happy show a happy and loving tone.

Multiple Choice

My three little daughters come in to see,

Their mother and me, at the close of the day,

Their laughter rings like a silver bell,

That chases all worries away.

Question: Which line has a simile (a comparison using the word 'like' or 'as')?

• Their mother and me at the close of the day.
• Their laughter rings like a silver bell.
• My three little daughters come in to see.
• That chases all worries away.

Simile

A Simile is a comparison that uses the words like or as. The line compares the sound of laughter to a silver bell using the word like.

Multiple Choice

The clock on the wall said "Tick-tock,"

The water in the kitchen went "drip, drip, drip,"

And the cat made a sound like "Meeoow,"

Before it jumped onto the ship.

Question: Which words in the passage are an example of onomatopoeia (a word that sounds like what it means)?

• Tick-tock, drip, drip, drip, Meeoow
• Ship

• clock and cat

• on the wall

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is when a word imitates a real-world sound.

Tick-tock, drip, and Meeoow are words that sound like the noises they describe.