Onomatopoeia

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Onomatopoeia

• By Eve Merriam
• Presentation by Ally and Stephanie

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The rusty spigotsputters,uttersa
splutter,spatters a smattering of drops,gashes
wider,slash,splatters,scattersspurts,finally
stops sputteringand plash!gushes rushes
splashesclear water dashes.
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• Line Two sputters
• -water is exploding through the faucet
• -the sp imitates the sound something makes when
  it sputters
• -the sounds following sp are in a burst.

• Line One
• -A spigot is a synonym for faucet
• -Merriam is attempting to recreate the sounds an
  old rusty spigot makes when it is turned on.

4

• Line 3 utters
• -rhymes with line before it
• -not an example of onomatopoeia, but a metaphor
  comparing the faucet to human speech
• -lacking the explosive sp sound
• -personifying the faucet

• Line 4 a splutter
• -an example of onomatopoeia
• -symbolizing 2 drops out of the faucet

5

• Line 5 spatters a smattering of drops,
• -spatter is onomatopoeia
• -assonance (similar vowel sounds)
• -changes the sp sound to sm sound

• Lines 6-7 gashes wider slash,
• -gash and slash do not imitate a sound, but are
  still considered onomatopoeia

6

• Lines 8-9 splatters, scatters,
• -assonance
• -the sp sound is back
• -introduces sc sound
• -like a tongue twister (the two sounds are hard
  to say continuously)

• Lines 10-11 spurts, finally stops sputtering
• -alliteration (s sound
• -sp sound
• -introduces st sound

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• Line 12 and plash!
• -hearing the water hit the sink for the first
  time
• -the exclamation emphasizes this
• -the climax of the poem is this line

• Line 13 gushes rushes splashes, clear water
  dashes.
• -last 2 lines are longer, symbolizing the water
  is flowing as a stream
• -external rhyme

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Structure

• Structure of the poem can be shaped into
  individual drops of water or streams of water
  coming out of the faucet
• Lines 2 and 4 are arranged to look like drops of
  water
• Lines 2 and 3 are one word each, but line 4 is
  two words, creating the image of 2 drops coming
  together to form a stream of water

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Style

• Sputters/utters, splash/gash
• Sputter, splutter, splatter, splash, spurt, and
  spigot
• 29 words, no specific rhyme scheme
• Spatter, smatter, scatter splash, plash, dash,
  gash
• gash to gush (vowels)
• rush to rusty (consonants)

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Overall Meaning

• - Onomatopoeia does not contain a very deep
  meaning
• -can primarily be used for kids to read, as a
  tongue twister or a lesson in onomatopoeia
• -represents a faucet struggling to produce clean,
  clear water

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Imagery

• -Onomatopoeia has a lot of imagery
• -The reader can see an old faucet struggling to
  release clear water
• -An old unused sink comes to mind, with a rusty
  faucet head
• -Can see clear water dashing

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About Eve Merriam

• Born July 19, 1916 in
• Philadelphia, Penn.
• Both parents were
• born in Russia
• Wrote biographies, plays,
• and fictions, but is best known
• for poetry
  http//www.randomwalks.com/dayku/iraq-index.htm
•  
• Earned bachelors degree from Univ. of
  Pennsylvania in 1937
• Worked as the fashion copy editor for Glamour
  Magazine
• First collection of poetry is Family Circle
• Died of cancer in April 1992 in Manhattan, NY

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About the Poem

• Onomatopoeia is part of Merriams book of
  poetry titled It Doesnt Always Have to Rhyme
  (1964)
• Deals with words that imitate the sound that they
  define
• Provides a clear intro to the terminology and the
  joy of poetry.

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Personal Response

• We thought the poem was a fun poem to read out
  loud, although it didnt hold any special meaning
  for us. The words are somewhat like a tongue
  twister, making it a poem that kids might enjoy.

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Works Cited

• Onomatopoeia. Poetry For Students. Eds. Mary
  K. Ruby and Lynn Koch. Vol. 6. Farmington
  Hills Gale, 1999. 132-142.