Explore Poetry: Themes, Rhyme, Figures of Speech, and Imagery

Poetry

• It is a type of writing that makes the reader/ listener imagine and feel emotions.
• So, the poem will have some theme/ topic.
• The poem would have different figures of speech.
• This paints a better picture in the minds of the reader.
• The poems may / may not have rhymes.

Rhyme

• Here two words have the same, or similar, sounds at the end.
• He’s got hearing like a bat.
• He can out-smell any bloodhound.
• He’s as stealthy as a cat.

Rhyme Scheme

• It is the format used by a poet to decide which lines will rhyme.
• There are different rhyme schemes.
• We will look at three common rhyme schemes.
• ABAB
• AABB
• ABCB
• How to find a rhyme scheme by looking at the last words of each line.

ABAB Rhyme Scheme

Sometimes I dream that I can fly. I lift and flap my arms just so,
And soon I’m soaring to the sky.
Graceful like a bird I go.

AABB Rhyme Scheme

Christmas time is finally here.
It only comes once a year,
And it’s a time to spread good cheer
To those, we love and hold so dear.

Figures of Speech

• It is a word/phrase that has a separate meaning from its actual definition, I.e., the meaning is not direct/plain.
• They provide a dramatic effect.
• There are many types of figures of speech.
• Let’s explore these so we can use them in poems.

Alliteration

• Here we use two or more words that have the same sound.
• We use them repeatedly in a phrase or a sentence.
• The repeated sound creates an effect.

I bought a black banana,
And a broken baseball bat.
A burst balloon, a busted boat,
A beat-up bowler hat.

I wasn’t being brainy, bright,
or brilliant, but you see,
My brain was boggled after
Being bitten by a bee.

Onomatopoeia

• Here we use words that describe and mimic the sound of the object or action.
• This leads us to imagine the sound and we recreate it inside our heads.
• This brings a story or poem to life in our heads.

Swish, swish, swish,
Went to the little goldfish
As he swam around his bowl.

Splash, splish, splash
Went his fancy little tail
Because he was a happy little soul.

Glub, glub, glub
Went the bubbles he blew
As they floated up to the top.

Smack, smack, smack
Went his tiny fishy lips
As he ate his flakes without a stop.

Imagery Using Visuals:

• The evening sky in its gold and red hues gave company to the lonely boat stranded in the deep blue ocean.

In this example, the experience of the boat in the ocean is described in depth with color (gold and red hues / deep blue ocean.)

Imagery Using Taste

• Tim drank the spicy soup carelessly! Now he is paying for it!

Other examples

• The pudding melted in their mouths.
• Its flavors exploded in my mouth.
• It was so sour in taste!
• This butterscotch cake has a layer of caramel. It’s enough to make your mouth water.

Imagery Using Touch

• Peter’s leg gave away on the slippery floor and he fell.

(In this example, imagery is used to describe the fall, and the causes of the fall.)

Imagery Using Sounds

• And poor Peter fell with a thud!

(Here, sound imagery may not be so pleasing to hear.)

• The clock went tick tick tick……
• The spiciness of the curry tingled the tip of the nose.

Imagery Using Scent

• Jack and his son took in the aroma that was coming from the steaming food. (The aroma of food made them happy.)

Personification 

• Personification means representing a non-human thing as if it were human. 
• Personification gives human traits and qualities, such as emotions, desires, sensations, gestures, and speech, often by way of a metaphor. 

Metaphors and Simile

• Similes – Use the words like or as to compare things.
• He moves like a snail.
• My niece is as cute as a button.
• Metaphors directly state a comparison.
• Love is a battlefield
• Kevin is an annoying monkey.
• My life is an open book. 

Acrostic Poem

• It is a poem where the first letter of each line (or the last letter of each line) spells out a specific word.
• Each sentence in the poem can have one word to a few words.

Ho ho ho, It’s no fun

Often  I’m done!

Mom won’t let me out

Even when it’s done!

Why there is so much?

Oh, why there is more?

Right when I think it’s done, it

Keeps coming back!