English Lesson 8 - Review of Poetic Devices  

Activity 1

Review the following words:

fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, fairy tales, folktales, fables, myths,  rhyme, alliteration, repetition, simile, and metaphor

Activity 2

Look for poetic devices in the following poems.

Repetition
Similes
 Metaphors
 Alliteration

 

THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON

By Ogden Nash

Copyright Linell Nash Smith and Isabel Nash Eberstadt

Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
 

Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
 

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.
 

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
 

Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
 

Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
 

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
 

Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
 

Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
 

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
 

The pirate gaped at Belinda's dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets but they didn't hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
 

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pyrate.
 

Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
 

Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

Dragon Smoke

By Lillian Moore

Breathe and blow
white clouds
    with every puff.
It's cold today,
    cold enough
to see your breath.
Huff!
    Breathe dragon smoke
        today!

#13 (Chapter 16)

Fight with a Dragon

Fool look at me and know fear.
The fear that freezes bones.
Look into these hate-filled eyes
And know you stand alone.
Feel your blood run cold with fear.

Fear is his weapon.
Fear is his power.
A heart steeled against fear
Will win in this hour.
The dragon is fearsome.
But the forest is stronger.
Drawl on its blessings
And you will last longer.

Think my friend
Think of the magic of the wildwood
Think of blood dripping down
Think of the moon that lit your childhood
Think of death's thorny crown
Think of laughter, Think of spring
But no one can flame can bring
Think of green things Think of life
Feel my claw It's like a knife

There's magic in the forest
Let it work for you
Hush you foolish youngster or you'll be dragon food
There's no stopping this song I'll sing it till I die
Let me be quite soon then. You're walking into that time.

I feel the forest power coursing through my veins.
Now have that big dragon. We'll see who then remains.
 

Dragon, Brian, and Willie

Answer Key

 

THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON

By Ogden Nash

Copyright Linell Nash Smith and Isabel Nash Eberstadt

Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
 

Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
 

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.
 

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
 

Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
 

Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
 

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
 

Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
 

Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
 

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
 

The pirate gaped at Belinda's dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets but they didn't hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
 

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pyrate.
 

Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
 

Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

Dragon Smoke

By Lillian Moore

Breathe and blow
white clouds
    with every puff.
It's cold today,
    cold enough
to see your breath.
Huff!
    Breathe dragon smoke
        today!

#13 (Chapter 16)

Fight with a Dragon

Fool look at me and know fear.
The fear that freezes bones.
Look into these hate-filled eyes
And know you stand alone.
Feel your blood run cold with fear.

Fear is his weapon.
Fear is his power.
A heart steeled against fear
Will win in this hour.
The dragon is fearsome.
But the forest is stronger.
Drawl on its blessings
And you will last longer.

Think my friend
Think of the magic of the wildwood
Think of blood dripping down
Think of the moon that lit your childhood
Think of death's thorny crown
Think of laughter, Think of spring
But no one can flame can bring
Think of green things Think of life
Feel my claw It's like a knife

There's magic in the forest
Let it work for you
Hush you foolish youngster or you'll be dragon food
There's no stopping this song I'll sing it till I die
Let me be quite soon then. You're walking into that time.

I feel the forest power coursing through my veins.
Now have that big dragon. We'll see who then remains.
 

Dragon, Brian, and Willie