Literary Devices Literary Devices    

Lesson 10: Simile: A Lady

by Amy Lowell

Performer: Librivox - Shakira Searle

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

• Read or listen to the poem.
• Review the synopsis.
• Read about the poet.
• Complete the enrichment activities.

Synopsis

The young narrator in Amy Lowell's 'A Lady,' employs similes to describe their fascination with the faded beauty of an older woman. The narrator entertains the older woman with their active and youthful behavior.

Concepts

Poets often use literary devices, defined as 'rules of thumb, convention, or structure that are employed in literature and storytelling.'

The nine literary devices we'll study include:

1. Rhyming
2. Alliteration
3. Similes
4. Metaphors
5. Personification
6. Foreshadowing
7. Allusion
8. Hyperbole
9. Onomatopoeia

Similes are figures of speech comparing two things, generally using 'like' or 'as'.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite Poem Information

Recite the title of the poem and the name of the poet.

Activity 2: Study the Poem Picture

Study the poem picture and describe how it relates to the poem.

Activity 3: Recite the Poem

Practice reciting the poem aloud.

Activity 4: Identify 'Like' or 'As'

Read the similes aloud.

Identify the simile clues - 'as' and 'like.'

• Her skin was as rough as sandpaper.
• The fabric was soft like a bunny.
• The stew was as spicy as a jalapeno.
• Her smile was as sweet as a lollipop.
• His words cut like a knife.

Activity 5: Identify Similes

Review the poem excerpt. Identify the two similes.

Name the pairs of elements that the similes compare.

• You are beautiful and faded,
• Like an old opera tune
• Played upon a harpsichord;
• Or like the sun-flooded silks
• Of an eighteenth-century boudoir.

Activity 6: Complete Book Activities   

• Click the crayon above, and complete pages 31-33 of 'Elementary Poetry 5: Literary Devices.'

References

'Similes.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.