Poetry+Notes

In literature, authors use different literary device to make their writing more clear and interesting. Below are a few common literary devices that you should know:

 * Simile
 * Metaphor
 * Personification
 * Onomatopoeia
 * Alliteration
 * Imagery
 * Hyperbole
 * Symbolism

If you would like more specific notes on each literary device and examples of poems that contain them, click on the link below to download the station notes.

===Two words //rhyme// if their end sounds sound similar. For example, the words "end" and "bend" rhyme because they both have similar end sounds. In poetry, __//rhyme scheme//__ is the pattern of the poem's rhyming words. It is usually indicated by letters of the alphabet, starting from the letter "a" and continuing from there until necessary. You can see some examples of rhyme scheme in the poems below:===

"Hippo's Hope" by Shel Silverstein

There once was a hippo who wanted to fly -- (a) Fly-hi-dee, try-hi-dee, my-hi-dee-ho. (b) So he sewed him some wings that could flap through the sky -- (a) Sky-hi-dee, fly-hi-dee, why-hi-dee-go. (b)

He climbed to the top of a mountain of snow -- (c) Snow-hi-dee, slow-hi-dee, oh-hi-dee-hoo. (d) With the clouds high above and the sea down below -- (c) Where-hi-dee, there-hi-dee, scare-hi-dee-boo. (d)

And he leaped like a frog and he fell like a stone -- (e) Stone-hi-dee, lone-hi-dee, own-hi-dee-flop. (f) And he crashed and he drowned and broke all his bones -- (e) Bones-hi-dee, moans-hi-dee, groans-hi-dee-glop. (f)


 * "Hippo's Hope" would be said to have a rhyme scheme of //abab.// **

"I Wrote Myself A Letter" by Kenn Nesbitt

I wrote myself a letter. (a) I mailed it right away. (b) And, sure enough, the carrier, (c) delivered it today. (b)

I couldn't wait to get it. (d) I nearly had to shout. (e) I quickly tore the envelope (f) and pulled the letter out. (e)

I anxiously unfolded it (g) but now I must concede, (h) I'm clueless as to what it says. (i) I haven't learned to read. (h)


 * "I Wrote Myself A Letter" would be said to have the rhyme scheme of //abcb.// **