GCSE PoetryGCSE PoetryAn Introduction

Key termsO AlliterationO ImageryO MetaphorO SimileO PersonificationO RhymeO Repetition O OnomatopoeiaO Enjambment

O ThemeO ToneO StructureO Personal responseO Language (see

other)

THE MOIST PEARS

T - TONE

H – HYPERBOLE

E – EMOTIVE WORDS

M - METAPHOR

O - ONOMATOPOEIA

I – IMAGERY

S - SIMILE

T - THEME

P - PERSONIFICATION

E - ENJAMBMENT

A - ALLITERATION

R – RHYME / REPETITION

S - STRUCTURE

ToneIt is usually an emotion that the author is feeling as they write. You can hear it in the language used.

For example:bittersadregretful

HyperboleO Pronounced ‘high-per-bowl-ay’

O It is another word for extreme exaggeration and is used to make a strong point.

For example:- I felt a thousand eyes on me as I entered

the room.- I’ve told you a million times.- I am so embarrassed I could die!

Emotive wordsO These are words that create an emotion

or show a strong feeling in the reader.

O ‘Emotive’ comes from the word ‘emotion’.

For example:heroichumiliationbraveheartless

MetaphorO A figure of speech that compares

unlike objects. It says something is something that it is not.

For example:- The exam was a breeze.- She was my rock in this situation.- Your brother is a pig.

OnomatopoeiaO The use of words whose sounds

suggest their meaning.

For example:- Bang- Chuckle- Splash

ImageryO Imagery is visually descriptive language.

O It allows you to create a picture in your mind with the poet’s words.

For example:O He felt like the flowers were waving him a

hello. O A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

SimileO A comparison usually using the

words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

For example:- As busy as a bee- I slept like a log- Her face was as pale as the moon

Theme

The central idea of the poem; what it is about.

For example:- death- love- loneliness

PersonificationO When animals or objects are said to have

human characteristics.

For example:- The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. - The run down house appeared depressed. - When the DVD went on sale, it flew off the

shelves.- The storm attacked the town with great rage.

EnjambmentO When sentences run into the next line

with no punctuation or pause between them.

For example:It is a beauteous evening, calm and free, The holy time is quiet as a Nun Breathless with adoration; the broad

sun Is sinking down in its tranquillity.

AlliterationO The repetition of one or more initial

consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose.

For example:- delicious dinner- miserable merchant- fantastic friend

RhymeO Rhyme is when two or more words

have the same sound at the end of a sentence.

O A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes within a poem.

O They are marked like this ABAB or ABACAB etc.

Repetition

OWhen a sentence or phrase is repeated. A poet does this for effect.

StructureO How is the poem organised?

O How many stanzas does it have? How many lines have they got?

O When discussing structure, you will talk about the effect its structure has on the theme.

O Is it regular or irregular?

Personal response

OHow do you feel about the poem?

OYou can dislike it however you must have a reason – you can’t say ‘it’s boring’ or ‘it doesn’t make sense’ or I don’t understand it’. These are not reasons an examiner will accept!

OYou must use examples from the poem to support your answer, just like we used quotes when writing about ‘Macbeth’.

OYou only need to quote what is relevant, not a whole stanza.

O I like this poem because …

O it is easy to relate to the topicO simple use of languageO the imagery is very powerfulO the repetition and rhyme make it enjoyable to listen toO the poet has used alliteration and

personification to great effectO the poet deals with an important topic

…

Sample responses

What words come to mind when you see these

images?

Clashes and Collisions

What words come to mind?

OThese poems look at conflict.

OThey look at things in opposition.

OThey explore the challenges that people face.

Tackling a poemOFirst, we will read it.

OSecondly, we will highlight the examples of language.

OThirdly, we will write our personal response to the poem.

Let’s look at a poemHighlight the following:O MetaphorO ImageryO RhymeO LanguageO Repetition

‘The Class Game’

By Mary Casey

p28

Fill in the following:

Theme

Structure

Tone

Personal response

Don’t Don’t forget forget

the the pear!pear!