Poetry Vocab
caesura
a break or punctuation used to emphasize meaning
personification
a figure of speech in which a non-human thing is given human attributes
Overstatement or Hyperbole
a figure of speech in which an exaggerated statement is made
understatement
a figure of speech in which something is deliberately underrated or said to be less than it is.
metaphor
a form of figurative language which makes a comparison by stating that two items are the same - that other is the other
apostrophe
direct address in poetry
cacophony
harsh discordant sounds in a line
enjambment
involves the running of a line or stanza. It enables the poem to move and develop coherence as well as directing the reader with regard to form and meaning.
oxymoron
is a phrase which brings together two contradictory terms or ideas
metonymy
representative term used for the larger idea.
allieration
the repetition of sounds in nearby words, usually involving the first consonant sounds of the words. Often used to reinforce meaning or to imitate a sound relevant to what is being described.
assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds in a line or series of lines of poetry
similie
there is a direct statement of the similarity of two items, through the use of such words as like or as.
onomatopoeia
this means that the sound of the word is like the sound of the thing it's describing
synecdoche
utilizes a part as representative of the whole.