Poetry Terms

English 12

Couplet

• Two lines of poetry which rhymeLittle Bow PeepHas lost her sheep

Alliteration

• The repetition of consonant sounds in a line of poetry

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Assonance

• The repetition of vowel sounds in a line of poetry

• Like a diamond in sky

Oxymoron

• When two words which mean the opposite are put together

• Jumbo shrimp• The sound of silence• Loving hate• Blinding sight

Simile

• A comparison of two things which uses “like”, “as”, or “than”

• She swims like a fish• He’s faster than a speeding bullet• She as sly as a fox

Hyperbole

• A huge exaggeration for effect (not meant to deceive)

• I’m so hungry I could eat a horse• I must have cried a zillion tears• I have a ton of homework

Personification

• When human qualities are given to an inanimate (non-living) object

• The sun smiled down on us• The trees danced in the wind

Metaphor

• A direct comparison between two things (does not use a comparison word)

• Love is a rose.• The garden hose is a snake in the grass.

Onomatopoeia

• Sound words• Ouch• Ah choo• Biff, boom, bam• Baaa, moo, cheep cheep

Meter

• The beat or rhythm of a line of poetry“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”

Imagery

• Using the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) to fully describe something

• The aroma of rotten eggs wafting up from the corner of the room where a pair of damp sweat socks lay forgotten, brought the acrid taste of bile into his mother’s mouth.

Analogy

• Using something simple to explain something complex

• The heart works like a pump

Anachronism

• A person, place or object out of its natural order in time

• An automobile in a story about ancient Rome• Shakespeare’s use of dollars in Macbeth, in a time

where money did not exist

Antithesis

• Sharply opposing ideas place in parallel syntax• More light and light it grows• More dark and dark my woes

Allusion

• Making reference to a famous person, place or thing from mythology, the Bible, history, or Shakespeare

• He strode across the room, a modern Napoleon• He was the Jordan of the basketball court

Consonance

• Differing vowel sounds between repeating consonant sounds

• Short shirt• Leave love

• The repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of words only• East – west• Hid - bed

Connotation

• The associations we make with words (as opposed to their literal meanings)

• A house• An estate• An abode• A mansion• A shack

Denotation

• The dictionary definition of a word• House, mansion, estate, abode, etc: a residence; a

place to live

Cacophony

• Harsh or jarring sounds

Dissonance

Another word for cacophony

Euphony

• Pleasant, or pleasing sounds• Silence• smooth

Stanza

• A group of lines of poetry (like a paragraph)Whose woods these are I think I knowHis house is in the village thoughHe will not see me stopping hereTo watch his wood fill up with snow

Quatrain

• A four line stanza

Archetype

• A commonly used symbol in literature• A dove or an olive branch represent peace

Octave & Sestet

• Octave:• Eight lines of poetry • The first 8 lines of a Petrarchan sonnet

• Sestet:• Six lines of poetry• The last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet

Pathetic Fallacy

• When nature reflects the mood• When there is a storm during a battle scene in Macbeth

Paradox

• A statement which at first appears contradictory, but which is actually true

• Parental punishment is an expression of love

Apostrophe

• A type of personification, where an inanimate object or idea is addressed as though present

• Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, thou art not so.

Conceit

• Also called an extended metaphorThe fog creeps in on little cat feetSits looking over harbour and city

And then moves on

juxtaposition

• Placing words / ideas side by side for effectMy name is Ozymandias, King of kings,Look on my works ye Mighty and despair.”And round the decay of that colossal wreckThe lone and level sands stretch far away.

By placing the bragging words of Ozymandias next to the description of the broken statue in the desert, the poet creates irony

Diction

• The choice of words• Ie. Slang, jargon, legalese

• Ie. Curley: “By Christ, he’s gonna talk when he’s spoke to. What the hell are you getting’ into it for?”

Literal Language

• Language that is straight-forward where meaning is clear.

• The man angrily yelled at his son to close the car door.

Figurative Language

• Fanciful language used to describe where interpretation is necessary

• Analogy, simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, etc. are examples• Ie. The man waspishly asked his son, “Did you grow up

in a barn?” as they exited the car.

Iambic Pentameter

• A line of poetry which contains five iambic (an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable) feet.

• Shall I – compare – thee to – a sum - mer’s day?

Internal rhyme

• When a word in the middle of the line rhymes with a word at the end of the line.

– Once upon a midnight DREARY, while I pondered weak and WEARY"

– "While I nodded, nearly NAPPING, suddenly there came a TAPPING”

Parallelism

• When items are listed in parallel structure• Ie. Peter drives quickly and aggressively.• Ie. I love skiing, hiking, and biking.

Pathos

• When an author purposely arouses feelings of pity in the reader

• Ie. "Hillary Clinton used a moment of brilliantly staged emotion to win the New Hampshire Democratic primary . . .. As she answered questions in a diner on the morning before the election, Mrs. Clinton's voice began to waver and crack when she said: 'It's not easy. . . . This is very personal for me.'

Refrain

• A chorus that is repeated throughout the poem

• Ie. Rage rage against the dying of the light

Rhyme scheme

• A pattern of rhymes with a poem• Ie. A Shakespearean sonnet has an abab cdcd efef gg

rhyme scheme

Stream of consciousness

• When a poem is a series of thoughts and phrases directly out of the author’s head

• Ie. The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock

Tone

• The atmosphere of the poem• Ie. Happy, bittersweet, depressed, pensive, etc.

Voice

• The persona created by the poet• Ie. The passionate shepherd is a lonely shepherd lad

who just wants a girl to love him and come live with him