Unit 9

Simile

A critical figure of speech in an argument when what is unknown is compared to something that is known using the word "like," "as," or "than" in order to better perceive its importance. Remember the ripple effect and look for patterns in similes and metaphors in any piece of nonfiction prose. The troll's fishing technique was like a mercenary throwing bombs in the water to catch trout.

onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. If you note examples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else. A metaphor, like a simile, works by pointing out a similarity between two unlike things. Naomi Long Madgett "Life" describes life compared to a watch, toy and a game

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. The opposite of hyperbole is understatement.

narrative poetry

A narrative poem is a story told in verse often have elements of short stories, including characters, conflict and plot. Ex: "The Highwayman"

form of poetry

A poem that follows a certain pattern - rhyme scheme or meter - or has a certain topic/focus, or all of the above. Haiku, limericks, sonnets, and sestinas are all forms of poetry that use conventional arrangements of meter and rhyme patterns.

concrete poem

A poem with shape that suggests its subject. The poet arranges the letters, punctuation and lines to create an image or picture on the page. Ex "Seal" its swirling shape suggest the form of a deal's body and the way a seal moves

Edgar Allen Poe

Annabel Lee

Mary Oliver

Aunt Leaf

Sara Teasdale

Barter

William Butler Yeats

Down By Salley Gardens

Mary O'Neill

Feelings About Words

Carl Sandburg

Fog

William Shakespeare

Full Fathom Five

Symbol/symbolism

Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete -- such as an object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. However, symbols (1) natural symbols are objects and occurrences from nature to symbolize ideas commonly associated with them (dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning, a rose symbolizing love, a tree symbolizing knowledge). (2) conventional symbols are those that have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols, such as a flag or an eagle; or group symbols, such as a skull and crossbones for pirates or the scale of justice for lawyers). (3) literary symbols are sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are more generally recognized. However, a work's symbols may be more complicated, as is the jungle in Heart of Darkness. On the AP exam, try to determine what abstraction an object is a symbol for and to what extent it is successful in representing that abstraction.

Extended Metaphor

Is a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

Naomi Long Madgett

Life

Sir Walter Scott

Lochinvar

Wendy Rose

Loo Wit

Pat Mora

Maestro

sound devices

Many writers use figurative language to create auditory imagery for their readers including: alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance, and consonance.

Raymond Richard Patterson

Martin Luther King

read poetry according to punctuation

No Punctuation at the ends of line= don't stop After a comma (,)= slight pause After a colon (:), semicolon (;), or dash (-) = longer pause After endmarks- a period (.), question mark (?), or exclamation point (!) = full stop

Eve Merriam

Onomatopoeia

William Jay Sith

Seal

use your senses

Taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing. Your five senses help you take in information from the world around you. These senses are also a powerful tool to use when you're writing. They help convey a message to readers by providing a strong image in their heads.

Robert Service

The Cremation of Sam McGee

Robert Frost

The Pasture

Repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

Rhythm

The ordering of words so that the stressed and unstressed syllables form a regular pattern. Rhythm make the poem more memorable to the reader.

Rhyme

The repetition of identical or similar sounds in two or more different words. Rhyme can occur within a line of poetry or at the end of lines. Makes the poem memorable.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds. Writers use alliteration to draw attention to certain words or ideas. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. Shel Silverstein uses alliteration for humorous effect in the title of his poem "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout"

Imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection. An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. On the AP language exam, pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of this imagery.

extended metaphor

The term extended metaphor refers to a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem. It is often comprised of more than one sentence and sometimes consists of a full paragraph. "Fog" by Carl Sandburg in poem pointing out similarities between fog and a cat

Matsuo Basho

Three Haiku

Nikki Giovanni

WInter

James Stephens

Washed in Silver

respond to poetry

What was your first response to this poem? Circle one: liked it or disliked it What did the poem make you think about? How did the poem make you feel? What personal connection(s) did you make? Who or what does the poem remind you of? What did you like that the poet did in the poem? What techniques did they use that you would like to try out in your own poems? Which line in this poem makes you want to draw a picture? Which words painted a picture in your mind Why do you think this poet wrote this poem? (What do you think the poet was thinking?) What mood did the poem leave you in? Describe how you felt after reading this poem in one or two BIG words.

Onomatopoeia

Words which sound like the noise they describe. Crash, buzz, scratch, hiss, neigh, jingle, and cluck are examples. It creates a better image of the surrounding in the reader's mind by helping the reader to 'hear' sounds that would be present. Eve Merriam uses onomatopoeia in her poem with words like sputters, spatters, spurts, and 'plash

Figurative Language

Writing or speech that is not into meant to be taken literally. the many types of figurative language are known as figures of speech. Common figures of speech include hyperbole, metaphor, personification and simile. Writers us figurative language to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways. Ex. Carl Sandburg uses figurative language to describe fog.

ballad

a ballad is a songlike poem that tells a story often one dealing with adventure and romance. Most ballads are written in four to six line stanzas and have regular rhythms and rhyme schemes. A ballad often features a refrain- a regularly repeated line or group of lines ex: "The Highwayman"

stanza

a formal division of lines in a poem, considered as a unit. Many poems are divided into stanzas that are separated by spaces. Stanzas often function like paragraphs in prose. Each stanza states and develops a single main idea.

lyric poetry

a lyric poem is highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker. Ex "Winter"

definition

a statement of the exact meaning of a word

Personification

a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics in "Feelings About Words", Mary O"Neill personifies words, describing some as "lazy" and some as full of "pride" and "pomp"

consented

agreed

haunches

an animal's legs

example

an illustration of something that's been generally described

unravel

become untangled or separated

cremated

burned to ashes

snare

catch or trap

dialouge

conversation between characters in poems, novels and short stories. Usually set off by quotation marks to indicate a speaker's exact word. In a play, dialogue follows the names of the characters and no quotation marks are used

swerve

curving motion

coveted

desire to have something

preen

dress up show pride in appearance

paraphrase

express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.

dauntless

fearless

knell

funeral bell

ghastly

ghostlike frightful

maestro

great musician

loathed

hated

grisly

horrible

trotters

horse trained for harness racing

pomp

impressive show or display

pasture

land covered with grass for grazing

dislodge

leave a resting place

whimper

make low crying sounds; complain

sputters

makes hissing or spitting sounds

laggard

one who is slow to move

ecstasy

overpowering joy

beset

problem or difficulty to trouble

radiance

quality of shining brightly

squat

short and heavy

buttes

steep hills standing in flat land

crouches

stoop or bend low

stern

strict

saunter

stroll walk at leisure

speaker in poetry

the narrative voice in a poem (such as a sonnet, ode, or lyric) that speaks of his or her. situation or feelings

haiku

three lined Japnese verse form. The first and third lines each have five syllables. The second line has seven syllables. Writer uses images to create a single vivid pictue

burrow

to dig a hole or tunnel

bar

to stop or prevent

strife

trouble, conflict or struggle

profound

very great or intense

tread

walk;dance; step

fret

worry