The four poetic devices I chose to teach were alliteration, allusion, connotation, and synecdoche. Something I should have addressed while teaching this to my partner was the purpose (the usefulness) behind these poetic devices. For example, with alliteration, there’s not much purpose to it other than to create rhyming, and thus achieve aesthetic beauty and make it easier to remember. This idea of “just because it sounds good”, I took as a given and did not explain to my partner. I could have shown how alliteration is used in songs or slogans, for example, in order to make money or effectively communicate a message to the public, respectively.
I also took for granted the difficulty of pronouncing these words, and should have made sure my partner knew what they were supposed to sound like.
Reflecting on this experience, I will pay closer attention to the “why” behind poetic devices. Without knowing why these devices are useful, students will likely not see the point in learning these devices.