Literary Devices Literary Devices    

Lesson 2: Rhyming: All Things Bright and Beautiful

by Cecil Frances Alexander

Performer: Librivox - Craig Campbell

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

'All Things Bright and Beautiful' is a Christian hymn written in 1848 by Cecil Frances Alexander. The poetic text has been set to different melodies over the years. The text praises the Christian God for the brightness and beauty of the world, including flowers, birds, people from all walks of life, mountains, rivers, and trees. The text employs rhyming as a poetic device for effect.

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

Rhyming is defined as 'A word that is pronounced identically with another word from the vowel in its stressed syllable to the end.'

A rhyme scheme is defined as 'The pattern created by the rhymes at the ends of the lines of a stanza of poetry.'

1. Study the poem, 'Little Miss Muffet,' by Mother Goose, below and identify the pairs of rhyming words.
2. Note the rhyme scheme of A-A-B-C-C-B.

Study the common rhyme schemes:

1. Traditional: A-B-A-B...
2. Couplet: A-A-B-B...
3. Enclosed: A-B-B-A...
4. Triplet: A-A-A-B-B-B...

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 an Example Poem

Does Mother Goose's poem, 'Bees,' follow a traditional (ABAB), couplet (AABB), enclosed (ABBA), or triplet (AAABBB) rhyming scheme?

• A swarm of bees in May
• Is worth a load of hay;
• A swarm of bees in June
• Is worth a silver spoon;
• A swarm of bees in July
• Is not worth a fly.

Activity 5: Listen to the 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' Melody

Activity 6: Identify the Rhyme Scheme

Review the poem excerpt. Does it follow a traditional (ABAB), couplet (AABB), enclosed (ABBA), or triplet (AAABBB) rhyming scheme?

• All things bright and beautiful,
• All creatures great and small,
• All things wise and wonderful,
• The Lord God made them all.

Activity 7: Complete Book Activities   

• Click the crayon above, and complete pages 7-9 of 'Elementary Poetry 5: Literary Devices.'

References

'Rhyme scheme.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'All Things Bright and Beautiful.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'All Things Bright and Beautiful Recording by Richard MS Irwin (CC-BY-SA-2.5).' Wikipedia. commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AHWW_All_Things_Bright_And_Beautiful.ogg. n.p.