POETRY TECHNIQUES

HERE ARE A FEW OF THE POETRY TECHNIQUES THAT YOU LEARNT IN THIS UNIT.

Alliteration

Starting three or more words with the same sound. Example: The crazy crackling crops

Assonance

A repetition of vowel sounds within syllables with changing consonants. Example:

Tilting at windmill

Try to light the fire.

He gave a nod to the officer with the pocket.

fleet feet sweep by sleeping Greeks.

Hayden plays a lot.

Cliche

An overused word or phrase. Example: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Homonym

A word that has the same spelling (or different spelling but same sound) as another, but has a different meaning or origan.

ate= past tense of eat
eight = the number base of octal

Hyperbole

A large exageration, usually used with humor. Example: The fish was a football field and a granny long.

Metaphor

A word or phrase used to have a completely different meaning. Example: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" being a constant reminder of his loss and not truly a raven.

Onomatopoeia

A word imitating a sound. Example: 'buzz', 'moo' and 'beep'

Rhyme

Similarity of sound in the last syllable. Example: Spoon and Toon

Simile

An expression that compares one thing to another using 'like' or 'as'. Example: The milk tasted like pickles.

Personification:Personification can be described as a figure of speech in which an inanimate object is personified, by attributing human traits and qualities to it. In other words, whenever emotions, desires, sensations, physical gestures and speech are stated in context of non-living things, personification is said to have taken place. Through the technique, we describe lifeless things as human.

• Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there. - Proverb
• And like the flowers beside them chill and shiver, Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone - Robert Frost

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN- COME UP WITH AN EXAMPLE OF EACH OF THE ABOVE TECHNIQUES

HAIKU

A syllable is a part of a word pronounced as a unit. It is usually made up of a vowel alone or a vowel with one or more consonants. The word "Haiku" has two syllables: Hai-ku; the word "introduction" has four syllables: in-tro-duc-tion.

"Haiku" is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.

Here's a Haiku to help you remember:

I am first with five
Then seven in the middle --
Five again to end.

Because Haikus are such short poems, they are usually written about things that are recognizable to the reader. Animals and seasons are examples of recognizable topics children might enjoy exploring.

Here are a few more examples:

In early morning
My Dad goes out for seafood
From the ocean rocks


In the evening twilight
Only the mushrooms
Are illuminated

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO WRITE A HAIKU!

Pick a season or holiday or place to write about

LIMERICKS

Limericks - The History
Variants of the form of poetry referred to as Limerick poems can be traced back to the fourteenth century English history. Limericks were used in Nursery Rhymes and other poems for children. But as limericks were short, relatively easy to compose and bawdy or sexual in nature they were often repeated by beggars or the working classes in the British pubs and taverns of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventh centuries.

Where does the term 'Limerick' come from?
The word derives from the Irish town of Limerick. Apparently a pub song or tavern chorus based on the refrain "Will you come up to Limerick?" where, of course, such bawdy songs or 'Limericks' were sung.

Limericks - The form
Limericks consist of five lines.
Lines 1, 2, and 5 of Limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another.
Lines 3 and 4 of Limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.

How to write a limerick:

The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 8 or 9). The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 5 or 6).

Limericks often start with the line "There once was a..." or "There was a..."

Example of an 8,8,5,5,8 syllable limerick:

There once was a clover named Kate,
Who sat on the edge of a plate,
The fancy folk dined,
On foods of all kind,
Then tossed her at quarter past eight.

A Clumsy Young Fellow Named Tim

1. There once was a fellow named Tim (A)
2. whose dad never taught him to swim. (A)
3. He fell off a dock (B)
4. and sunk like a rock. (B)
5. And that was the end of him. (A)

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO WRITE A LIMERICK. Think about the form, rhyme and rhythm.

OK, now that you know what the rhythm and rhyme patterns of a limerick are, you’re ready to write one. Here are five simple steps to writing a limerick:

1.	An easy way to get started is to pick a boy’s or girl’s name that has one syllable (like Bill, Tim, Dick, Sue, or Jill). There once was a fellow (or young girl) named ____(pick an easy name with one syllable). We’ll pick “Jill.” So the first line is: “There once was a young girl named Jill.”
2.	Now make a list of words that rhyme with the last word in the first line—in this case, Jill. Your list of rhyming words might include: hill, drill, pill, skill, bill, will, and ill.
3.	Now write the second line using one of the rhyming words. Here’s an example: “Who freaked at the sight of a drill.” (Notice that the last words in the first two lines rhyme and that both the first and second lines contain 3 DUMS or beats.)
4.	Now think of an interesting story. What could happen to someone scared of a drill? Well, you might have an interesting story if Jill had to go to the dentist. Here’s what might happen in the third and fourth lines. “She brushed every day.” “So, her dentist would say,” (Notice that “day” and “say,” the last words in the third and fourth lines, both rhyme. And notice there are 2 DUMS or beats in each line.)
5.	Now you need to go back to the list of “A” rhyming words to find one that can end the poem. Here’s an example: “Your teeth are quite perfect. No bill.”

Here’s the poem we just wrote:

There once was a young girl named Jill.
Who was scared by the sight of a drill.
She brushed every day
So her dentist would say,
“Your teeth are so perfect; no bill.”

Now try it yourself!