Poets are precise about their word choice and arrangement so their works have maximum impact. The ways that poets arrange words are called poetic devices.

We will go over some poetic devices--some may be new to you and some may be review for you

Parts of a Poem

• Stanza is a series of lines that are grouped together (kind of like a paragraph in a short story)

• There are different kinds of stanzas: 2 lines=couplet, 3 lines=tercet, 4 lines=quatrain, 5 lines=quintet, 6 lines=sestet

Devices for Sound

Alliteration-Repetition of the first letter/sound in nearby words

Assonance- the repetition of the sound of a vowel

Consonance-repetition of consonant sounds

Rhyme

Internal rhyme-Internal rhyme is rhyme that occurs in the middle of lines of poetry, instead of at the ends of lines

Slant rhyme-words that have similar, but not identical sounds

Rhyme Scheme-the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem

Devices for Meaning

• Hyperbole-An outrageous exaggeration used for effect

• Allusion-is a reference to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar

• Irony-the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant

• Repetition-The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for a certain effect

Imagery-Descriptive language which appeals to the five senses

Personification-A form of metaphor in which an inanimate object, animal or idea is given human characteristics

Symbol-A person, place event or object that has meaning in itself, but suggests other meaning as well

Figurative Language-The use of words outside of their literal or usual way.

Theme -the message or moral crafted by the author

Simile-Comparison of unlike things using "like" or "as"

Metaphor-Comparison of different things not using "like" or "as"