POETRY TERMS
Pentameter
1. a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet.
Trimeter
1. a verse of three measures or feet.
Mood
1. A prevailing emotional tone or general attitude 2. The pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art 1.Laughter and bright colors display a cheerful mood
Rhetorical devices
1. A technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener of reader a meaning with the goal of persuading him or her towards considering a perspective. 2. Use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience. Three main examples: Repetition, figurative language, and rhetorical questions. 3. Uses words to convey meaning or to persuade
Free verse
1. A verse that does not follow a fixed metrical pattern. 2. A poem that doesn't rhyme or follows no meter
Shakespearean
1. Having a rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef, gg. 2. the first twelve lines are divided into three quatrains with four lines each. in the three quatrains the poem establishes a a theme or problem that resolves it in the final two lines (couplet)
Ballad stanza
1. a four line stanza consisting of unrhymed first and third lines in iambic tetrameter and rhymed second and fourth lines in iambic trimeter, often used in a ballad
Limerick
1. a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet 2. a humorous, frequently bawdy, verse of three long and two short lines rhyming aabba
Genre
1.A category of artistic composition 2. A class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique
Allegory
1.A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another 2.a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one 3. A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Poetic structure
1.The structure or organization of a poem 2. A type of form or structure in poetry characterized by regularity and consistency in such elements as rhyme, length and metrical pattern.
Theme
1.The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic. 2.A subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic
Metaphor
1.a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in "A mighty fortress is our God.". Compare mixed metaphor, simile 2. something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol. in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it not applicable in order to suggest a resemblance
Ode
1.a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter. 2. lyrical stanza, 3 major parts- The strophe, the anti strophe, and the epode. 3. A type of lyrical stanza. An elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual
Villanelle
1.a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout, consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with the first and third lines of the opening tercet recurring alternately at the end of the other tercets and with both repeated at the close of the concluding quatrain. 2. a short poem of fixed form, written in tercets, usually five in number, followed by the final quatr
Apostrophe
A digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea. A figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O".
Understatement
A figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. is usually done by way of sarcasm, irony, wryness or any other form of dry humor, akin to exaggerating its obviousness as a means of humor.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjugation. Is two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. Common oxymoron combinations of adjective proceed by a noun with contrasting meanings, and it is not always glued together.
Cacophony
A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds. Words that don't sound well when when put together, rough or unpleasant to the ear. I detest war because cause of war is always trivial Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the furmious Bandersnatch
Monometer
A line or verse of one measure or foot. "Gods chase, round vase, what say, what play, dont know, nice though"
Epic
A long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet. A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic from legendary figures. Long, serious narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero. A serious poem that tells a story
Pun
A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests one or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words that have different meanings. loosely defined as a play on the sound of words to achieve a certain effect A play on words
Dramatic monologue
A poetic form in which a single character,addressing a slient auditor at a critical moment, it reveals himself or herself and the dramatic situation. A type of poetry written in the form of speech of an individual character
End rhyme
A rhyme in which the last syllables in a verse rhymes. "While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping."
Internal rhyme
A rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another at the end of the line or in the middle of the next. "once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary"
Ambiguity
A situation or statement that is unclear because it can be understood in more than one way. Is a word, phrase or statement which contains more than one meaning. It leads to vagueness, confusion and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor.
Euphony
A sound device consisting of several words that are pleasing to the ear. "sweet voiced" words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create.
Quatrain
A stanza with four lines
Paradox
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. contrary to expectations existing belief or perceived opinions.
Dactylic
A stressed syllable followed by two light syllables Is a metrical foot that is followed with two stressed symbols.
Lyric
A type of emotional songlike poetry, distinguished from dramatic and narrative poetry. A form of poetry which expresses personal emotion or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. Expresses personal emotions or thoughts of the speaker
Meter
A unit of rhythm in poetry, or a pattern of beats. this is a pattern that is determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats in each line.
Dimeter
A verse or line of two measure or foot "Some go local, some go express, some cant wait, to answer yes"
Tetrameter
A verse written in four-foot lines "It was many and many a year ago,"
Narrative
An account of sequence of events usually in chronological order any report of connected events
Hyperbole
An obvious and intentional exaggeration a claim not meant to be taken literally.
Allusion
Brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea "Don't act like a romeo in front of her"
Ambic
Consisting of or employing an iamb or iambs Its a line of poetry in five iambic feet, each containing one unstress symbol.
Rhyme
Correspondence of sound between words or the endings of a words, especially when these are used at the ends of poetry A repetition of similar sounds
Trochaic
Is a meter in poetry, it refers to a line of four trochaic feet Dum | da | Dum | de | Dum | da | Dum
Ellipsis
Literary device that is used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out. The omission from a sentence or other construction of one or more words that would complete or clarify construction
Poetry
Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm The art of rhythmical composition; written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts
Spondaic
Metrical foot consisting of two accented syllables Is a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables as determined by syllable weight in classical meters.
Rhythm
Movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat or accent A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
Blank verse
No rhyme but has iambic pentameter
Symbol
Represents something else
Sound devices
Resources used by poets to convey and reinforce the meaning or experience of poetry through the skillful use of sound. 2. Trying to use a concentrated blend of sound and imagery to create emotional response. 3.To use a concentrated blend of sound and imagery to create an emotional response
Identical rhyme
Rhyme created by repetition of a word. "Our world was bound before life, and we are alive to live this life."
Diction
Style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or writer.
Personification
The attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions. 2. which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. the non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.
Octave
The first eight lines of a sonnet, goes with a sestet in a Italian sonnet. usually poses a question, and the sestet answers it "Behind me dip Eternity" (dickinson)
Onomatopoeia
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. cuckoo, sizzle, boom, bloop, splash, etc
Imagery
The formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively. To use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. An authors use of vivid and descriptive language to add depth to his or her work. To use figurative language represent objects
Sestet
The last six lines of a sonnet
Denotation
The literal or dictionary meaning of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meaning 2. the object or concept to which a term refers, or the set of objects of which a predicate is true.
Connotation
The meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly 2. something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described
Scansion
The metrical anaylsis of a verse. is the act of determining and graphically representing the metrical character of a line of a verse.
Pastoral
The pastoral poem elevates the life of the shepherd or shepherdess. Poems set in beautiful rural landscapes, typically relating to shepherds or herders. Poetry that has to do with pastures
Antithesis
The placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else
Tone
The poet's attitude toward the poem's speaker, reader, and subject matter, as interpreted by the reader Any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc.
Speaker
The voice of a poem. The speaker is often the poet, although i can also be a fictional character, or even an inanimate object.
Foot
The weak and strong stress are then divided by vertical lines. "In a flash"
Inversion
This is the use of an alien metric foot in a line of otherwise regular metrical pattern "Grandma, lets eat-Lets eat Grandma"
Couplets
Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit. She was a little tense The notice made no sense
Heptameter
Verse of 7 metrical feet
Assonance
When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds. "Anabel Lee" (Poe)
Metonymy
a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept that of another to which it is related the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant
Continuous form
a form of poetry composed of a set of lines. does not have to rhyme, it is like a train of thoughts, or a freestyle "One Way" (Ghosh)
Anapestic
a metrical foot composed of two unaccented syllables followed by one accented one Is a poetic meter that has four anapestic metrical feet per line.
Caesura
a pause near the middle of a line. When the pie was opened, || the birds began to sing;
Elegy
a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead
Simile
compares and highlights the similarities of one thing with an unrelated thing using "like" or "as" 2.a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared as in.
Petrarch
consisting of an octave rhyming abba abba and a sestet rhyming in any of various patterns as cde cde or cdc dcd
Stanza form
etry composed of a set of connected lines, either by theme or completing a thought
True rhyme
exact rhyme A form of rhyme that contains two word or phrases that has a repetition of the same stressed vowel sound, as well as consonant sounds. "As the days go by, I cannot help but sigh."
Syncedoche
figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa Addition to number 1, the special for the general or vice versa
Hexameter
line of verse consisting of 6 metrical lines
Slant rhyme
rhyme in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllables are identical,
Feminine rhyme
rhyme that involves using two syllables in each rhyming word.
Masculine rhyme
rhyme that matches only one syllable
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Shelly sells seashells by the seashore.
Consonance
the repetition of of the same consonant two or more times in short succession. Pitter patter
