When writing slam poetry, using literary and poetic devices tactically and tastefully can be tricky - use too much and you drown your emphasis; too little and your poem has no flair. In many cases, trial and error is the best way to know what helps or hinders your delivery. The best poetic devices are the ones that make your words sound the way you want to make someone feel. Tough concept to grasp, I know - but with some practice you'll nail it!
If you're looking for ways to give your poem a pulse, to really set fire to the stage and put a riveting piece of knowledge out to the audience, then try tinkering with some of these poetic devices.
(13)poetic devices to use in your slam poetry - and how to use them!
1. Repetition
Repetition can be used for full verses, single lines or even just a single word or sound. The ultimate goal is to make something 'stick' better. If there's a main point you're conveying, or a message you want to resonate, try adding some form of repetition to see if you can make it stand out more. Repetition is a good aid to helping others understand the theme of your poem as well - especially in instances where other tools and imagery can actually hide the story behind your words.
Further to the emphasis of a specific sound or point, remember that slam poetry is also known as spoken word. SPOKEN! And when you speak it, you do it on stage. And when you perform on stage, you should have your poem memorized. Sooooo, back to repetition - yes, you got it - it helps you memorize your poem!
2. Rhyme
Theses are lines ending with same sound. Of all the poetic devices, rhyme is far and away my favorite - call it a product of a being a hip hop fan maybe. But I'm going to break this down a little for you. There are numerous types of rhymes that can be used to give your slam poem character - its not just about rhyming the last syllable of two lines. This goes a lot deeper than elementary rhymes - we all know that scheme, dream, team and cream rhyme. It doesn't take a wizard to put those together.
3. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds also is the phonetic alignment and repeated use of a sound or letter in the first syllable of a word. Alliteration can be used for any combination of two words or more. As a poetic tool, alliteration is one of the oldest, most widely used and effective means of enhancing your poetry.
Example::"...To block out the boisterous battles of bellows / from behind barricaded doors / breachless ..."
4. Metaphor
I can probably say that until you truly master the art of metaphors, its difficult to call yourself a poet. Metaphors are a figurative means of comparing something to another unrelated entity in order to contrive the full meaning or impact of that something. A metaphor puts an object or concept in a more clear perspective, provides imagery and creates an analogy to give deeper understanding to a thing, a story, a message or a concept. A really strong metaphor should make your audience think differently about something.
Metaphors can be short and quick, or they can be entire stories in relation to something else. A short metaphor is something like these line from Strength - "suppressed by a substance's song" and "life is a two-way street". Grapefruit is an example of a long metaphor.
Taylor Mali had a great metaphoric poem that aligned love with owning a dog - check it out!
metaphor in slam poetry
Metaphors... think deeply about how often you use them in life. They come up in everyday thought. Take them and give them more vibrancy. In fact, as an exercise, try making up 10 new metaphors. They might even spark a new slam poem!
5. Assonance
Similar to alliteration, assonance uses the repetition of a sound. The difference is that assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound. This can be a really fun alternative to rhyme. An example would be "...frogs ribbit kiss fish in the distance bitch...". In this case the 'i' sound was repeated in several words. Another example of assonance would be "that black flag" - short and sweet, yet super effective!
6. Similes
A simile, much like a metaphor, is used as a comparison or an analogy. The difference is that similes use the word "like" or "as" in their comparison. Often what this does is ensure a listener understands there is a comparison and the meaning is not necessarily literal. An example of a simile would be "her womb was like a black hole." If I wanted to use that as a metaphor, it would read "her womb was a black hole." A metaphor is generally a stronger poetic device, but similes can bail you out of situations where the metaphor can be misconstrued; it keeps you out of trouble, so be sure to take advantage when you need to!
In Love Blossomed I opted for a simile here:
"Everything I thought I knew was interrupted like Trojan air by arrows..."
7. Onomatopoeia
The word onomatopoeia is honestly a pain in the ass to pronounce. It also sounds geeky - it reminds me of something I heard when reading ancient poetry and studying something boring in 7th grade English. However, its the contrary. Onomatopoeia is one of the coolest poetic devices out there; its when the phonetic pronunciation and sound of a word is parallel to the word's actual meaning. Adding these kinds of words to your slam poem really helps it jump from the page to the stage.
"I felt the whiplash crack of death slash by back so deep..."
8. Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the greatest, biggest poetic device ever!
Get it?
Well, you will in a sec! Hyperbole is the rhetoric art of exaggeration. Hyperbole is a poetic tool that allows you to blow something way out of proportion.They create an effect of large emphasis. My recommendation is to only use hyperbole once in a while - over usage will totally diminish your story.
9. Personification
Personification can be defined as attributing a human characteristic to an inanimate object or notion. Here are a few examples of personification:
"the rain danced wildly in the wind"
"thunder rumbled like the grumbling anger of agods" (also a simile)
"her tears sang songs of the dead"
10. Pun (word play)
This simply means the play on words
... It spice up the poetry and make it sound good.
11. Paradox
12. Allusions
13. Attitude
Let's get one thing straight - this is spoken word! We call it slam poetry, so fuckin' slam!
When you get out there, when you have your words and you're armed with your message, you have to take full advantage of the moment. Leave your heart still beating on the stage. Don't let the audience even realize there's another poet coming up to bat behind you - they should be contemplating and mulling over your work for hours, days, weeks - fuck, there's poems I remember well from years ago. They stick because they were delivered with the right attitude. Spoken word is all about delivery - you have to make this experience a powerful one for your audience. Your words should light the night and blaze the stage (pop quiz - what tools did I just use).
A couple tips on how to perform slam poetry with attitude: use strong language (and your poetic devices!). Use the right intonation. Raise and lower your voice. Use the whole stage - own the stage. Use hand gestures. Have poise and use body language. Make eye contact (you should not be reading your poem). Have fun out there. Just go with it! You're an actor;
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