Making Sense Of Sounds: Onomatopoeia

 

Tweet tweet tweet!!!

Whoosh… Whoosh…

Ka-boom!!!! Ka-boom!!!

There is a whimsicality about certain sounds in the natural world… the songs of birds or even monkeys playing. Some sounds possess a calm feeling, such as the booshy whoosh of a restless sea against the cliffs. Some are not so peaceful… such as a volcano erupting, fireworks, or animals fighting.They all invoke emotions…. playful, serene, fearful…

These sounds may be incorporated into poetry through onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia  is simply an obnoxiously long (and weird to spell term!) referring to using action words in a sentence that sound exactly like what they say… essentially “word sounds”… words like POW, BANG, and CRASH!!!  

Onomatopoeia is a favorite device used in children’s poetry since it engages a child’s imagination. It works for adults as well!! Take this fun poem by Jaymie Gerard called Piddle-Paddle for example… it is most effective in its simplicity… the suggestions of the sounds facilitating particular actions:

“Piddle paddle, piddle paddle,

splash, splash, splash,

into the pool with a great big dash!

“Piddle paddle…” implies friends playing about, “splash splash….” making a commotion in the water… and finally “Into the pool with a great big dash”… suggesting a running cannonball!

Another example could include “The Fourth” by Shel Silverstein. Although Silverstein also wrote children’s poems, his work always had depth and used many poetic tools. Here, explosions of fireworks accentuate the action between the lines of this poem… as if a conversation were being interrupted during each cannonade…

“Oh

CRASH!

my

BASH!

it’s

BANG!

the

ZANG!

Fourth

 WHOOSH!

of 

BAROOM!

July

WHEW!”

Another form of onomatopoeia is known as phanopoeia, which is a sort of blanket perception based on sounds within the words themselves. D.H. Lawrence does this in a poem entitled “Snake”, where he used constant alliterations with the s consonant to simulate a hiss… suggesting a snake.

Onomatopoeia is such an engaging device! It really can incorporate different dimensions within poetry due to its sensory invocations, prompting readers’ imaginations based on sounds rather than imagery or cognitive suggestion alone! 

The very idea of a noise near you should instantly make your mind say, “What was that?!” Poof!!

Matt Elmore

Writing Children’s Poetry

Do you remember those sweet fuzzy days when a parent would read you a bedtime story? Read it again read it again! Or even back to your earliest years of school… choosing a book from the shelf at quiet time, sitting down, and having a read? 

Who don’t remember “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats, or “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendack? Or how about Charlotte the spider’s encouraging words to the farmer to persuade him how wonderful of a pig Wilbur was in “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White? Precious stories!

The engagement of childrens’ minds is not such a hard one. IMAGINATION is at the heart of what kids think about. It’s a shame many lose that in adulthood. As a daycare teacher for 3-5 year olds and substitute for many many primary mornings… I witnessed this up close and personal at story time.

Often times I would read the same book in the early early grades… only I would change the stories just a little… oh the giggles concerning clumsy tigers, turtles in track and field, and ballerina hippopotamuses! I just made those up… but there is that wonderful imagination… we ALL have!!!

Children’s poems have one foot in imagination and the other in reality. Actively taking subjects from children’s imaginations, such as animals or inanimate objects and giving them human characteristics, is one common device. More common themes could involve sibling rivalries, daily activities, favorite things, and responsibilities.

Take this excerpt of a poem by Judith Viorst…”If I Were In Charge Of The World”… notice the chocolate sundaes, brushing teeth, and flushing the toilet…

If I were in charge of the world
A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable
All 007 movies would be G,
And a person who sometimes forgot to brush,
And sometimes forgot to flush,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.

                                       —

Many children’s poets also mix a few adult references in there as well to entertain those tired eyed mommies and daddies that have to read this poem over and over and over! The quick reference to OO7 being G rated I’m sure made many a parent smile. 

Shel Silverstein achieves this so well in many of his works, including this one from “Where The Sidewalk Ends” entitled The Worst Monsters I’ve Ever Met..

                                        —

I met a ghost, but he didn't want my head,

He only wanted to know the way to Denver.

I met a devil, but he didn't want my soul,

He only wanted to borrow my bike awhile.

I met a vampire, but he didn't want my blood,

He only wanted two nickels for a dime.

I keep meeting all the right people—

At all the wrong times.

                                       —

Notice how he takes childrens’ fears and knocks  them down to kiddie comfort levels of reassurance? This is so absolutely clever on Silverstein’s part. This comfort is what could bring a child back to this poem again and again…

Have you ever written a children’s poem? It’s not hard! Just go back to that innocent programming before the adult concerns and weave a fun narrative using that forever perennial blossom of the poet soul… IMAGINATION!!!!!!

Was this article helpful? Inspiring? Troublesome? Please feel free to leave your comments below… and thank you for reading!! 

Matt Elmore