Vaughan Poetic Devices and Terms

oxymoron

two opposite ideas are going to create an effect of irony (cruel kindness)

synecdoche

using a part of the whole to represent the whole thing, or the other way around. EX: Sails to refer to a whole ship, part-to-whole

imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language

paradox

contrary to expectations, existing belief or perceived opinion

antithesis

contrasting or combining two terms, phrases, or clauses with opposite meanings

theme

defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly

didactic poem

directly instructional or informational: it teaches or explains something, such as a truth or moral

hyperbole

exaggerated statement or claims not meant to be taken literally

couplet

having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought

personification

human qualities are given to animals, objects or ideas

free verse

open form of poetry - does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern

sestina

poem of fixed form of six stanzas of six lines each followed by a three line envoi. The words that end each line of the first stanza are used as line endings in each of the following stanzas, rotated in a set pattern

blank verse

poetry without rhyme, especially using iambic pentameter

consonance

refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. Often takes place in a quick succession such as pitter, patter

pastoral poetry

represents an idealistic, almost Utopian, view of rural life, shepherd and shepherdesses are innocent, pure, and free and has a lot to do with love

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse, or between internal phrases across multiple lines

figurative language

simile, metaphor, personification

diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous of emphatic effect

ballad meter

the meter common in english ballads consisting chiefly of iambic lines of 7 accents each arranged in rhymed pairs and usually printed as the 4-line ballad stanza

onomatopoeia

the naming of a thing or action by vocal imitation of the sound associated with it

alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

structure

the physical form of the poem

enjambment

the running over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next

metonymy

the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant. EX: referring to the king as the "crown", whole-to-whole

assonance

the use of words that have the same or very similar vowel sounds near one another

sonnet

three quatrains of alternating rhyme and a couplet at the end, 14 lines long

tone

an attitude of a writer toward a subject or audience

allusion

an expression to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

refrain

a verse, line, set, or group of some lines that appears at the end of a stanza, or spreads where a poem divides into different sections.

apostrophe

an arrangement of words addressing a nonexistent person or an abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and capable of understanding feelings

extended metaphor

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

conceit

a fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor

metaphor

a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics

narrative poem

a form of poetry that tells a story, often making use of the voices of the narrator and characters

stanza

a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem, a verse. Usually a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter, or rhyming scheme.

pentameter

a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet, or of two halves of each of two feet and a long syllable

symbol

a literary device that contains several layers of meaning, often concealed at first sight, and is representative of several other aspects, concepts, or traits than those that are visible in the literal translation alone. Using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning

rhythm

a literary device which demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables particularly in verse form

ode

a lyric poem usually of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion

end-stopped

a meterical line ending at a grammatical boundary or break such as a dash, closed parenthesis, comma, semicolon, colon, or period

poetic foot

a metric unit used in western poetry that is made up of syllables, like a measure in music

pun

a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings

dramatic monologue

a poem in the form of a speech or narrative by an imagined person, in which the speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of events

elegy

a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead

villanelle

a poem that has 19 lines and a fixed form. 5 tercets, 1 quatrain, 1 couplet. No meter, but has a set rhyme scheme.

rhyme

a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words, most often the final syllables of lines in poems and songs

heroic couplet

a rhyming pair of lines in iambic pentameter

terza rima

a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. (ABA, BCB, CDC, DED, EE)

lyric poem

a short poem of songlike quality

understatement

a statement used by a writer to make something seem less important than it actually is

meter

a unit of rhythm in poetry, the pattern of the beats

quatrain

a verse with four lines, or even a full poem containing four lines, having an independent and separate theme