Literary Devices Literary Devices    

Lesson 8: Alliteration: Pied Beauty

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Performer: Librivox - Ian King

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

In Gerard Manley Hopkins' 'Pied Beauty,' he praises the Christian God for multicolored (pied) things, including the sky, cows, chestnuts, trout, finches, and farmland. He also thanks God for freckled things not typically thought of as beautiful - the odd and the strange.

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

Alliteration is defined as the 'repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more words in a row, or at short intervals.'

1. Review the poem, 'Three Gray Geese' and its instances of alliteration.
2. Note the alliteration for the sounds of 'G,' 'R,' and 'GR' together.

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: Study a Tongue Twister

Recite aloud the tongue twister.

Identify instances of first 's' and then 'sh' alliteration.'

• Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
• The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
• Shilly-shallied south.
• These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
• Sheep should sleep in a shed.

Activity 5: Identify the Rhyme Scheme

Review the poem excerpt and identify its rhyming scheme.

• Glory be to God for dappled things –
• For skies of couple-color as a brinded cow;
• For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
• Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
• Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;
• And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

Activity 6: Identify Alliteration

Review the poem excerpt. Point out the instances of alliteration.

• Glory be to God for dappled things –
• Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
• With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

Activity 7: Complete Book Activities   

• Click the crayon above, and complete pages 25-27 of 'Elementary Poetry 5: Literary Devices.'

References

'Alliteration.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.