ADVANCED POETRY TERMS

syntax The sentence structure (order in which you place words within a sentence) used to make the sentence sound right or to convey a certain meaning. Examples: "To your house we are going" would be an example of awkward syntax. (If you rearrange the syntax of a sentence, you can change the meaning) The young man carries the lady. The lady carries the young man. vs.

iambic pentameter An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable is “iambic”. The da-DUM of a human heartbeat is the most common example of this rhythm. When there are five of these iambic “feet” in a poetic line it is called ___________ ________________ (from the Greek root ‘pent’ meaning five) Each line is made up of five iambic “feet” (10 syllables total) Example: (In the example below, an ictus ( ‘ ) is used to mark a strong stress, and a breve ( ˘ ) is used to mark weaker stress.)

synecdoche A figure of speech in which part of something is used to represent the whole OR the whole thing is used to refer to a part of something. Example of when a part is used for a whole: "Twenty sails came into the harbor." (Meaning twenty ships came into the harbor) Example of when a whole is used as the part: "The world treated him badly." (The whole world did not treat him badly- only a part.)

synecdoche examples In each of these examples, a part represents a whole. I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. From "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot "Friends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your ears From Julius Caesar by Shakespeare “Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them.” From "Ozymandias" by Shelley

scansion A way to mark the metrical patterns of a line of poetry. These are placed over long and short syllables. This helps identify and interpret the rhythm of a poem An ictus ( ‘ ) is used to mark a strong stress, and a breve ( ˘ ) or slash (/) is used to mark weaker stress over syllables. Example:

metonymy A word that is associated with another word. Used to refer to something. Examples: The "crown" as representing the British monarchy because it is "associated" with it The "White House" standing for the executive branch of the American system of government The "Big Apple" for New York, etc. The "oval office" stands for the Presidency. "The pen is mightier than the sword" is said to consist of two because the "pen" really is associated with "print journalism" or "writing" while the "sword" stands for "military might." If we say, “Here come the suits to audit my taxes," the word "suit" is standing for the IRS.

enjambment A free verse poem where the author’s thoughts run from one line or stanza to the next without a break. Also called run-on because the thoughts do not stop at the end of a line or stanza. This type of poem could have 100 stanzas without a single break in thought! Example: “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot (below): April is the cruelest month breeding lilacs out of the dead land mixing memory and desire stirring dull roots with spring rain

end-stop When a line in poetry ends with a punctuation mark- such as a comma dash, colon, a semicolon, or a period. If a line contains a complete phrase without any punctuation marks, it is also considered this. The end of each phrase corresponds with the end of each line. Example: “Spring Wind” By Kevin McKinney In spring, a breeze blows from the west; A breath as gentle as a sigh; And with it, soft tears from the sky Relief at passing winter's test.

sonnet A fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter with a carefully patterned rhyme scheme. A Shakespearean _________ consists of 14 lines, each line containing 10 syllables and written in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean ________ is A-B-A-B, C-D-C-D, E-F-E-F, G-G; the last two lines are a rhyming couplet.

A B A B C C D D E F E F G G Notice: It ends in a COUPLET Notice: It is written in iambic pentameter!

Apostrophe A figure of speech that occurs when the speaker is addressing an inanimate object (usually found in nature) or an individual that is either dead or absent from the scene. Examples: The Sun Rising by John Donne Busy old fool, unruly sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains call on us? Here, the speaker is addressing the sun for waking him up each morning, even though the sun can’t hear his words or message