Form 2- Cycle 3

Activity (Simile and metaphor revision exercise)

Read each paragraph carefully. Find the simile or metaphor and underline it. Then write an explanation
of what the simile or metaphor means.

Every morning at my house, we eat breakfast at the crack of dawn. My mom likes to cook big breakfasts.
The scrambled eggs are a mountain on the platter. The pancakes are fluffy and sweet. I soak them in
strawberry syrup. With food like this, who wouldnt want to get up early?

1) What does the simile or metaphor mean?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________

Kaylee was happy when her family adopted a kitten. She promised that she would give the kitten food
and water every day. Dad told Kaylee that there was one thing she needed to do before anything else. She
needed to name the kitten! Kaylee petted the kitten. Its fur was soft as cotton. Ill name him Cottonball,
Kaylee said.
2) What does the simile or metaphor mean?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

In art class, Devons teacher said that they would make valentines for their friends. Devon looked at the
paper heart lying on his desk. What could he write on the valentine? Finally, he grabbed a pen and
wrote, : Roses are red. Violets are blue. You are my sunshine, and I like you!
3) What does the simile or metaphor mean?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

The room was dark, and the smell of sugar filled the air. Ten people crouched in the darkness. They were
as quiet as mice. Then they heard the sound of the door creaking open. The overhead light came on.
Everyone jumped up and yelled, Surprise! Happy birthday!
4) What does the simile or metaphor mean?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 Alliteration
Objectives:
Define the literary device Alliteration
Identify examples of alliteration in written text
Explain why writers make use of alliterations in their work
Form sentences with alliterations using own ideas

Content

Alliteration is device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occurs close
together in a sentence.

REMEMBER! Consonants include all letters of the alphabet with the exception of a, e, I, o, u

Consider the following examples:

But a better butter makes a batter better.

A big bully beats a baby boy.

She sells sea shells at the sea shore.

Both sentences are alliterative because the same first letter of words (B) and (S) occurs close together and
produces alliteration in the sentence. An important point to remember here is that alliteration does not
depend on letters but on sounds.

The phrase not knotty is alliterative because both words start with the same n sound.

Cigarette chase is not alliterative because although the words start with the same letter, they do not begin
with the same sound.

We also find alliterations in names of people, making such names prominent and easy to be remembered.
Examples are:

Jesse Jackson, Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, Marilyn Monroe, Fred Flintstone, Donald Duck
,Spongebob Squarepants

Identifying alliterations in literature.

Example #1

From Samuel Taylor Coleridges The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,

The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.

In the above lines we see alliteration (b, f and s) in the phrases breeze blew, foam flew,
furrow followed, and silent sea.

Example #2

From James Joyces The Dead

His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling,
like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.

We notice several instances of alliteration in the above mentioned prose work of James Joyce.
Alliterations are with s and f in the phrases swooned slowly and falling faintly.

Function of Alliteration

Alliteration has a very vital role in poetry and prose. It creates a musical effect in the text that enhances
the pleasure of reading a literary piece. It makes reading and recitation of the poems attractive and
appealing thus, making them easier to learn by heart. It also allows the piece of literature to flow
beautifully.

Assonance

Objectives:
Define the literary device Assonance
Identify example of Assonance in written text
Explain why writers make use of assonance in their work
Form sentences with assonance using own ideas

Assonance Definition

Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but
start with different consonant sounds.

Remember! The vowels of the alphabet are :a, e, I, o, u.

For instance,Men sell the wedding bells.

The same vowel sound of the short vowel -e- repeats itself in almost all the words. The words do share
the same vowel sounds but start with different consonant sounds unlike alliteration that involves
repetition of the same consonant sounds. Below are a few assonance examples that are more common:

Common Assonance Examples

 We light fire on the mountain.
I feel depressed and restless.

Go and mow the lawn.

Johnny went here and there and everywhere.

Examples of Assonance in Literature

Example #1

Try to notice the use of assonance in Robert Frosts poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening:

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dar and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

The underlined bold letters in the above extract are vowels that are repeated to create assonance.

Example #2

Assonance sets the mood of a passage in Carl Sandburgs Early Moon:

Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among the oldest of living things. So old it is that no man
knows how and why the first poems came.

Notice how the long vowel o in the above extract helps emphasize the idea of something being old and
mysterious.

Function of Assonance

Similar to any other literary device, assonance also has a very important role to play in both poetry and
prose. Writers use it as a tool to enhance a musical effect in the text by using it for creating rhyme and
rhythm, which consequently enhances the pleasure of reading a literary piece. In addition, it also helps
writers to develop a particular mood in the text .