Poetry Chaps. 1-5 Vocab
Carpe Diem
"seize the day"
Oxymoron
Condensed form of paradox in which two contradictory words are used together
Allusion
a brief cultural reference to a person, place, event, or idea in history or literature
Jargon
a category of language defined by a trade or profession
theme
a central idea or meaning
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which part of something is used to signify the whole
Metonymy
a figure of speech in which something closely associated with a subject is substituted for it
an epic
a long narrative poem on a serious subject chronicling heroic deeds and important events
narrative poem
a poem that tells a story
Diction
a poet's choice of words
Paraphrase
a prose restatement of the central ideas of a poem in your own language
Persona
a speaker created by the poet
Paradox
a statement that initially appears to be self contradictory, but turns out to make sense
verse
a term used for lines composed in a measured rhythmical pattern, which are sometimes rhymed
Dramatic Monologue
a type of poem in which a character-the speaker-addresses a silent audience in such a way as to reveal unintentionally some aspect of his or her temperament or personality
Ambiguity
allows for 2 or more simultaneous interpretations of a word, phrase, action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a word
Movement
an important theme when constructing a poem meant to create and image
Dialect
another form of informal diction. Dialects are spoken by definable groups of people from a particular geographic region, economic group, or social class
Apostrophe
another rhetorical figure of speech which is an address to either someone who is absent and therefore cannot hear the speaker, or to something non-human that cannot comprehend
Connotations
associations and implications that go beyond a word's literal meaning. Connotations derive from how the word has been used and the associations people make with it. They are derived fro their resonance from a person's experiences with a word.
Figures of Speech
broadly define as a way of saying one thing in terms of something else
Figures of Speech
broadly defined as a way of saying one thing in terms of something else
extended metaphor
compares
Formal Diction
consists of a dignified, impersonal, and elevated use of language
implied metaphor
does not explicitly identify something-instead hints at, or alludes to something
overstatement or hyperbole
exaggeration, adds emphasis without intending to be literally true
Sentimentality
exploits the reader by introducing responses that exceed what the situation warrents
cliché
ideas or expressions that have become tired and trite from overuse
Colloquially
language in a conversational manner
Image
language that addresses the senses
Metaphor
makes a comparison between two unlike thing without using like or as
Simile
makes an explicit comparison between 2 things using like, as, than, appears, or seems
Informal Diction
more colloquial/conversational
Adaptation
moves beyond denotative meanings in an attempt to capture the spirit of a work so that its idioms, dialects, slang, and other conventions are recreated in the language of the creation
understatement
opposite figure of speech to exaggeration, says less than intended
Literal Translation
sets out to create a word-for-word equivalent that is absolutely faithful to the original
Middle Diction
spoken by most educated people
Personification
the attribution of human characteristics to a non-human thing
Denotations
the literal, dictionary meanings of a word
Syntax
the ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns
Poetic Diction
the use of elevated language rather than ordinary language
Tone
the writer's attitude toward the subject, the mood created by all the elements in a poem
lyric
usually a brief poem that expresses the personal emotions and thoughts of a single speaker
controlling metaphor
where comparisons are at work throughout an entire poem
anagrams
words made from the letters of other words (ex. read & dare)
