Onomatopoeia Poems
Onomatopoeia is difficult to explain and even more difficult to spell. Combine onomatopoeia with poetry and the result is a potent sleeping pill. If I was your teacher, I'd explain what onomatopoeia is and then try and wake the class from its comatose state to analyse an onomatopoeia poem. We're going to do things the other way round. First we'll read a slightly strange looking poem and then we'll try to work out why, or indeed, if it's an onomatopoeia poem:
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest
Thunk!
Buzzz!
Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz!
Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz!
Ow! Yow! Wow!
Owwwww!!!!
When I asked you to read the poem, you probably just read it silently to yourself in your head. But to get the most out of a poem, especially if you're trying to decide if there's any cleverly disguised onomatopoeia lurking inside, you must read it aloud. Find a quiet, private place and give it your best shot.
Now have a good hard think. Did you understand the poem? Is the poem written in real or made up words? Was the meaning of the poem conveyed by the words themselves, or the sounds of the words? Did the girl survive her encounter with the hornets' nest? My answers would be:
Yes
Made up
The sounds
Probably
If I explain in a bit more detail, we'll finally discover what onomatopoeia is and be able to answer the real question, Why are teachers obsessed with onomatopoeia poems?
- It's possible to understand the poem, because each of the 'words' represents an action in the narrative of the poem:
Thunk! for the girl kicking the hornets' nest
Buzzz! Buzzz! for the hornets leaving the nest, getting angry and stinging the girl
Ow! Yow! Wow! Owwwww!!!! for the agonised cries of the girl after she has been stung. - The words aren't proper words that you would find in a dictionary, but have been chosen (or made up) because the sound of the words conveys the meaning, that the poet wants to convey. An onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like or imitates the thing it describes. Onomatopoeic words include animal noises, such as "oink" or "meow" or "roar" and comic strip words, such as "biff", "pow" and "wham".
- Because every 'word' in the poem is an onomatopoeia and the narrative of the poem is conveyed entirely by the sounds, rather than the meaning, of these onomatopoeic 'words', it is probably the most onomatopoeic onomatopoeia poem you'll ever meet.
- Teachers are obsessed with onomatopoeia poems because, once pupils understand onomatopoeia, there are lots of opportunities to get them hunting for examples of onomatopoeia poems, or examples of onomatopoeia within a poem, or even writing their own onomatopoeia poems. If your teacher asks you find either an example of an onomatopoeia poem, or examples of onomatopoeia within a poem, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest would be a good choice. I'm afraid that if you're asked to write an onomatopoeia poem, you're on your own.
More Examples of Onomatopoeia Poems
The next poem was written with school teachers in mind, but as it involves a gory death it is only suitable for older primary school pupils. Every other line of the poem features an example of onomatopoeia, making it an ideal poem to set for novice onomatopoeia spotters.
The Late Commuter
Chuff-chuff went the train
Standing in the station
Puff-puff went the man
Panting up the platform
Whooooosh went the doors
Closing as he climbed aboard
Clickety-clack went the wheels
Racing along the rails
Clickety-clack went Granny's
Knitting needles knocking
Clickety-click went the man
Tapping on his laptop
Screeeeech went the train wheels
Barely able to brake
Scrunch went the engine
Into the crossing gates
Aaaaaah went the man
Crushed in the crashed carriage
Ziiiiip went the zipper
Sealing the body bag
Tap-tap went the nails
Closing the coffin lid
Splish-splash went the tears
Of the mourners, mourning
the
late
commuter.
The final example is really an anti-onomatopoeia poem, which is deliberately silly and subversive. It's not a sensible choice for a school project, unless you like winding your teacher up and enjoy detention.
Of Sound Mind
Plink, plank, plonk
Splish, splash, splosh
Onomatopoeia
Is a load of tosh
It's very tempting, isn't it!
Shape Poems | Onomatopoeia Poems
