Poetic

Techniques
Grade 9- Honors English
Learning Objective
We will learn about the techniques poets use to
convey mood and communicate meaning so we
can analyse how they are used in a range of
texts.
Contents 1 Introduction

2 Part 1 - The Sounds of Words

3 Part 2 - The Meaning of Words

4 Part 3 - The Arrangement of Words

5 Part 4 - The Imagery of Words

6 Your Turn
 Introduction
Poets are limited in the materials they can use in creating their work – all they have are words
to express ideas and emotions. These words need to be right on several levels at once.

They must be They must

They must They must have arranged in a encourage deep
sound right to a meaning which way that is easy thoughts or
the listener as is clear and to follow but also emotions while
they are read thought- assists the appearing
out aloud. provoking. reader's simple and self-
understanding. contained.
 Part 1

The Sounds of
Words
Certain words can be selected and grouped together to achieve specific effects when we hear
them. The sounds that are created might sound pleasing or soothing, clever or rhythmic, or harsh
and uncomfortable to hear.

The following poetic devices can affect the way a poem sounds when read aloud. It's important
to remember that these deliberate arrangements of words can convey a particular sense of
mood, atmosphere or emotion.
Alliteration
Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning
of words placed near each other or next to
each other.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers.
Slim-pinioned swallows sweep and pass.
The barbarians broke through the
barricade.
Assonance
Repeated vowel sounds in words placed
near each other, usually on the same or
adjacent lines.

I feel stressed and restless.

The dapper lad chatted to the other
happy chap.
Johnny went here and there and
everywhere.
Go slow over the road to nowhere.
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate the natural sound of the
thing they describe.

The clang of the pots and pans and woke

the baby.
The wolves howled at the moon.
Zoom! Went the race car as it sped past
the finish line.
The bacon sizzled in the pan.
Repetition
The purposeful re-use of words and phrases
to create emphasis or convey a particular
effect.

I will not brush my hair, I will not wear a

dress and I will not clean my room
We have so much stuff but still buy more
stuff then need storage units to store all
the stuff.
Rhythm
Rhythm is when words are arranged according to
stressed and unstressed syllables so that they make a
pattern or beat. Verses might contain a certain
cumber of syllables to create this pattern. Rhythm
helps to distinguish poetry from prose.

Some common rhythms include iamb (x /), trochee (/

x) or spondee (/ /).

You can usually hear rhythm if you hum the words

instead of saying them.
Rhyme & Rhyme Scheme
Rhyme refers to words that have different beginning sounds but whose
endings sound alike, including the final vowel sound and everything
following it.

Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern established by the arrangement of

rhymes in a stanza or poem, generally described by using letters of the
alphabet to denote the recurrence of rhyming lines.

Capital letters in the alphabetic rhyme scheme are used for the
repeating rhyming words at the end of each verse. The letters X and Y
indicate unrhymed lines. In quatrains, the popular rhyme scheme of
ABAB is called alternate rhyme or cross rhyme and the ABBA scheme is
called envelope rhyme.
 Part 2

The Meanings of
Words
A word can be carefully selected to convey a precise idea but some words can carry several
layers or depths of meaning at the same time. Poets can use these or combine them with other
words for particular effects.

Some techniques that can enhance the meaning of words are as follows.
Simile
Creates a comparison between two things by
using the words 'like' or 'as'.

The desert was as dry as a bone.

Her tempers were like an uncontrollable
storm.
He's as cool as a cucumber.
Rain plastered the land until it was shining
like hammered lead.
Metaphor
Creates a comparison by stating that one
thing is another or does the actions of
another.

The wind was a torrent of darkness

among the gusty trees.
Her fingers danced across the keyboard.
His stomach was a twisted storm of
butterflies.
Personification
Attributing human characteristics to an
inanimate object, animal, or abstract idea.

As I climbed the stairs, the staircase

groaned as if awoken from a long sleep.
The days crept by slowly, sorrowfully.
Seaweed snatched at his legs as he tried
to swim away.
Symbolism
When a simple or ordinary object, event,
animal, or person represents deeper
meaning or significance.

The dove is a symbol of peace.

A red rose stands for love or romance.
A skull can represent danger or death.
A fork in the road may symbolise a choice
or a decision.
Word Choice & Connotation
Connotations are the ideas or feelings evoked by a word.
These are the implications or associations we might form
which are different to a word's literal meaning.

E.g. The words ‘animal’ and ‘beast’ refer to the same type of
creature but the second term has connotations of wildness
and savagery.

E.g. The words ‘house’ and ‘home’ have the same denotation
but the word ‘home’ has connotations of warmth, family,
safety, belonging etc.
 Other Language Features
Paradox A statement which seems You’ve got to be cruel to be kind
contradictory but may reveal an I can resist anything but
unexpected truth. temptation
The only constant is change

Oxymoron A combination of two words that Bittersweet

appear to contradict each other. Clearly confused
Seriously funny
Deafening silence

Euphemism An understatement, used to lessen She is at rest

the effect of a statement that might I need to use the ladies room
sound harsh, offensive or hurtful. I'm currently between jobs
She's a late bloomer
 Other Language Features
Idiom A group of words established by I was over the moon.
usage as having a meaning not Put in some elbow grease.
deducible from those of the She was sitting on the fence.
individual words. I have my finger on the pulse.

Metonym A figure of speech in which a The pen is mightier than the

person, place or thing is referred to sword.
by something closely associated Wall Street braces for further
with it. rate rises.

Allusion A brief reference to a person, I thought the software would be

historical event, biblical or useful, but it was a Trojan Horse.
mythological situation or character. Chocolate cake is my kryptonite.
 Part 3

The Arrangement
of Words
The poet decides on how the words are arranged into a certain order or sequence to achieve a
particular effect. The structure of the poem can also contribute to its overall meaning.

Some words used to identify the structure and arrangement of a poem are as follows.
 Point of View
The vantage point of the speaker. In poetry, this is also
sometimes referred to as the persona.

First person – the speaker is a character in the story or

poem and tells it from his/her perspective (uses “I”).
Second person - an unusual form of storytelling that
addresses the reader directly (uses “you”)
Third person limited – the speaker is not part of the story,
but tells about the other characters through the limited
perceptions of one other person (uses “he”, “she” or “they”)
Third person omniscient – the speaker is not part of the
story, but is able to “know” and describe what all characters
are thinking (uses “he”, “she” or “they”)
Verses & Stanzas
A verse is one single line of a poem arranged in a
metrical pattern.

A stanza is a group of verses where the lines are

arranged into a unit and often repeated in the same
pattern throughout the poem (similar to a paragraph).

Poems are made up of multiple verses and stanzas and

poets can make particular choices in the length and
number of verses and stanzas for various purposes.
Enjambment
When lines or verses have incomplete syntax and the
meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next without
punctuation.

It might be used for the following reasons:

fosters fluidity to allow a more narrative-like style within a
poem as thoughts aren't confined to a single verse
increases the pace or momentum by eliminateing pauses
at each line break so the reader continues onto the next
verse more quickly
moves the reazder forward to reach the resolution of the
poet's thought sooner
 Poetic Forms
Blank Verse - Poetry written with a precise Ballad - A form of narrative verse that can
meter (almost always iambic pentameter) that be either poetic or musical. It typically follows
does not rhyme. a pattern of rhymed quatrains.

Rhymed poetry - In contrast to blank verse, Sonnet - A 14 line poem, typically on the topic
these poems rhyme although their rhyme of love that contains internal rhymes within
scheme can vary. their lines.

Free Verse - Poetry that lacks a consistent Limerick - A 5 line poem that consists of a
rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or musical single stanza, an AABBA rhyme scheme, and
form. focuses on a short tale or description, often
humorous.
 Part 4

The Imagery of
Words
Although poems explore deep human emotions or thoughts, an audience won't generally respond
very strongly unless the poem creates imagery. These are the vivid mental pictures or sensations
created through descriptive words.

The poet must include these details that calls upon the five senses in order to show the reader
rather than to merely tell them about the subject. The six main types of imgagery are as follows.
Visual Imagery

Imagery that calls upon our sense of sight.

E.g. The shimmering sun bounced waves of light off

the surface of the ocean.
Aural Imagery

Imagery that calls upon our sense of sound.

E.g. She could hear the gentle whisper of the

breeze and the chirping of the birds.
Olfactory Imagery

Imagery that calls upon our sense of smell.

E.g. The sticky sweet scent of cinamon donuts

wafted in the air.
Tactile Imagery

Imagery that calls upon our sense of touch.

E.g. She could still taste the salty sea water on her
lips.
Gustatory Imagery

Imagery that calls upon our sense of taste.

E.g. The grass prickled his skin as he lay on the

sports ground.
Kinesthetic Imagery

Imagery that calls upon our sense of movement.

E.g. Tripping and stumbling she lurched towards the

traitor with her arms outstretched.
 Your Turn
Now that we've revised these features, let's
look at a range of poems and consider the
choices the poets have made to communicate
various moods, themes or experiences.

Good luck!
Elements Used: