The Poetry Toolkit

Your one stop destination for poetry

 Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something by saying it's something else. It is not
meant to be taken literally.

She has a heart of gold (college of liberal arts)

This metaphor means that the girl is a very kind person

Simile
A simile is a phrase that uses a comparison to describe. You know you’ve spotted one when you
see the words like or as in a comparison. Similes are like metaphors. But metaphors aren’t the
same as similes.

The children fight like cats and dogs.

It means that children fight fiercely and often.

 Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the
representation of an abstract quality in human form.

The sun smiled down on us

This means the sun shined on us.

Imagery
Imagery is a literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that
appeals to a reader's senses to create an image or idea in their head. Through language, imagery
does not only paint a picture, but aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within
text.

It was dark and dim that night. The words

“dark” and “dim” are visual images;
(that appeal to our eyes).
 Alliterations
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected
words.

I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw.

I saw
Onomatopoeia
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. boom,
sizzle).

The cat said “meow”.

Repetition
Repetition is a literary device in which a word or phrase is used multiple times. Repetition can be
found throughout literature. Most commonly, it is found in poetry and speeches to create rhythm or
emphasize a word or phrase.

The old man walked down the street, down the street, down the street
 Rhyme
correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used
at the ends of lines of poetry.

Class – Mass – Gas – Pass – Glass – Grass – Brass – Surpass.

Perspective
A particular attitude towards or way of regarding something
"It can be hard to keep a sense of perspective when dealing with a stressful situation, but try to keep a balanced view of
things”. This is the author's perspective.
POV
The term point of view, or POV for shorthand, refers to who is telling a story, or who is narrating it.
The narration of a story or novel can be told in three main ways: first person, second person, and
third person.

In the first person POV, your narrator might say, 'I've come to this coffee shop so often, the barista
knows me. '

our narrator in the second person POV might say something like this, 'You've come to this coffee
shop so often, the barista knows you. '

The third person POV knows what all the characters are thinking.
Tone
In literature, tone is, simply put, the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes
towards a given subject.
Cheerful: I can't wait to get to the party!

Humorous: It's not a party, it's a poolside bacchanal.

Impersonal: It's just something to do, I guess.
Desperate: I need to make this party count.
Persuasive: Don't worry, a fun night out is exactly what you need.