LA Notes - Updated November 30

LA Notes

Symbolism - a symbol is a word or image that represents something else. The eagle is a symbol for the United States. The red maple leaf represents Canada. The dove is a symbol for peace. The colour white symbolizes purity.

Poets/songwriters use the symbol frequently because it often has a strong emotional impact as in the song Blackbird by Paul McCartney. The blackbird is not a bird at all, but represents the black race of people.

Simile – compares two or more unlike things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. Examples include: The elephant is like a rope. The ice was as smooth as glass. She is as tall as a giraffe. The teacher is like a drill sergeant.

Metaphor - compares two or more unlike things NOT using the words 'like' or 'as'. Examples include: The giraffe dunked the basketball. The noisy children were a carnival ride out of control. I am a brain in PRA.

Personification - giving human qualities to an idea, animal or object. Examples include: June bug plucking his guitar. The oversized coat swallowed me whole. The hole punch ate the sheet of looseleaf. The alarm clock was yelling at me this morning.

Rhyme Scheme - the pattern of end rhymes in a poem. Mark the lines that end with the same sound with a letter. Begin with the letter 'a', and then mark each new sound at the end of a line with a new letter. Example:

This bridge will only take you halfway there .......... a
To those mysterious lands you long to see: ............ b
Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fairs ........... a
And moonlit woods where unicorns run free ............. b
So come and walk awhile with me and share ............. a
The twisting trails and wondrous worlds I've known. ... c
But this bridge will only take you halfway there- ..... a
The last steps you'll have to take alone. ............. c