Minds On
The Discus Diaries
Explore the following poem “The Discus Diaries.” What do you notice? What is the poem about? What do you imagine when you explore the poem?
If possible, practice reading the poem aloud. As you practice, pay close attention to the words that are used and the sound that they make.
Record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.
Action
Alliteration: A literary device
There are many different types of literary devices that you can find in poetry. Poets carefully select words and phrases that are meant to create a specific effect and help readers and listeners alike to understand their message and ideas.
The poem “The Discus Diaries” in the Minds On section uses a literary device called alliteration.
Alliteration is when the first stressed syllable of two words that are close to each other starts with the same consonant sound. Take for example, “busy bees,” or “jungle gym.”
Notice, “jungle gym” is an example of alliteration between two words with different consonants (“j” and “g”) that make the same sound.
Why do we use alliteration?
Poets use alliteration for different reasons. Alliteration can have a humorous effect, create emphasis on a particular theme, help create a mood or mimic a sound, or even create a forward motion or rhythm to a text.
Let’s return to the poem “The Discus Diaries.” How many examples of alliteration can you identify? What effect does alliteration have in this poem? Is it to create humour, or emphasize a theme, mood, or rhythm?
Darla the daring discus,
shimmers and shakes
as she weaves and whirls
through the weeds in her
amazing Amazonian aquarium.
This vibrant voyager
grazes and gallivants
through a wonderfully warm
and homey current
Darla the delightful discus.
The poem “The Discus Diaries” has many examples of alliteration. From “shimmers and shakes” to “wonderfully warm,” the combination of words with the same sound creates interest for readers and listeners alike. If possible, practice finding only the alliterations. What do you notice this time?
It’s your turn
Create a poem with two stanzas that uses alliteration.
Start by selecting a topic for your poem. It can be about an animal (like “The Discus Diaries”), experience, object, or your favourite thing. Then, think about how you’d describe your topic of choice. You can use a dictionary or a thesaurus as a tool to help you come up with different words.
Please note, some poems may have just one alliteration, while others may have many. It’s up to you how many you decide to include. Just consider how it helps to communicate your ideas and/or message to your audience. What is the purpose of alliteration in your poem?
Consolidation
Share and reflect
Student Success
Think-Pair-Share
If possible, share your poem with a partner. You can read it aloud. You can also create an audio or video recording of your performance.
Then use the following questions to reflect on your learning. You can record your responses using a method of your choice.
- Describe how you used alliteration to communicate the meaning of your poem accurately and engage the interest of your audience.
- How does alliteration affect the reader and/or listener?
- What have you learned about alliteration that you can use to make your oral presentations more effective?
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.