Lecture on Basic Poetry
Figurative language -- is a tool that an author employs (or uses) to help the reader visualize (or see) what is happening in a story or poem. Some common types of figurative language are: simile, metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom, puns, and sensory language. Below are some ways to introduce these concepts to your class and some activities. There are also links to other sites for more help.
THE SIMILE
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simile is a comparison using like or as. It usually compares two dissimilar objects.
For example:
His feet were as big as boats. We are comparing the size of feet to boats.
Using the poem below underline all of the similes. Decide which items are being compared.
THE METAPHOR
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metaphorstates that one thing is something else. It is a comparison, but it does NOT use like or as to make the comparison.
For example: Her hair is silk. The sentence is comparing (or stating) that hair is silk.
Take a piece of blank white paper and fold it into fourths. In one block, write a simile and illustrate it. In the block immediately to the right, write the same sentence as a metaphor. Do the same for the other two blocks.
ALLITERATION
Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two repetitions in a row.
For example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. The first letter, p, is a consonant. It is repeated many times. (If you use a syllable rather than a consonant, it is assonance.)
Personification
Personification is giving human qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics to inanimate (non-living) objects.
For example: The window winked at me. The verb, wink, is a human action. A window is an inanimate object. Therefore, we have a good example of personification.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the imitation of natural sounds in word form. These words help us form mental pictures about the things, people, or places that are described. Sometimes the word names a thing or action by copying the sound. For example: Bong! Hiss! Buzz!
Students, work in groups of three to four. Brainstorm for approximately 5 minutes. List all the onomatopoeia words that you can. Swap lists between groups. The other group should write a person''s name, a place or a thing that first comes to their mind when they hear the word.
Hyperbole
Recognize and be able to use hyperboles.
A hyperbole is a type of figurative language. It is often confused with a simile or a metaphor because it often compares two objects. The difference is a hyperbole is an exaggeration. For example: His feet were as big as a barge. It looks like a simile. It is comparing foot size to the size of a barge. Everyone knows that a barge is approximately 700 feet long. Imagine getting a pair of shoes that big!