Figurative Language about Poems

TROPES about poems
!) metaphor

• "A poem is a train of words leading right to your hippocampus."
• This metaphor helps express the idea that a poem is indeed a useful device with one destination: your memory. (I hope your brain isn't big enough to fit a real train inside!)

@) paranomasia

• "P'own those pesky exams with a simple p'ome."
• 'P'own' is a newer slang word for 'conquer' or 'kick someone's patooskey,' which sounds very similar to the shortened pronunciation of poem, /pom/ (here transcribed with a similar spelling as p'own to convey that pronunciation).

#) anthimeria

• "To poemize is a simpler and better way to memorize."
• Here, I turned 'poem' into a cool and funny verb which also happens to sound like/be parallel to the verb 'memorize.'

$) hyperbole

• "You would never have learned the order of operations without "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally"!"
• Obviously, there are other ways to remember the order of operations. But this is such a common and basic element of math that some students may readily (if jokingly) agree with my statement.

%) oxymoron

• "The simple complexity of poems can help you remember difficult concepts."
• The juxtaposition of 'simple' and 'complexity' suggests that poems may be short and easy to remember, but they can also pack in loads of important information.

SCHEMES about poems

!) parallelism

• "A poem could be anything from an acronym, to a couplet, to a ballad."
• The parallelism in this sentence is reflected in the 'from a ____, to a ____' pattern.

@) anastrophe

• "A logical order to information a poem gives."
• Kicking the subject to the end of this sentence puts more focus on the beginning, and thus, on a useful characteristic of poems.

#) ellipsis

• "Straight memorization is difficult; remembering a poem, much easier."
• Leaving out the conjugation of 'to be' avoids that kind of explicit statement that makes the reader go, 'Well, thanks, o wise one. I couldn't have figured that one out on my own.'

$) alliteration

• "Rhyme and rhythm might seem ridiculous to you, but in reality, they'll help you remember!"
• These two elements of poetry both start with 'r', so it works to use them in conjunction with remembering to get that repeated rrrrr sound.