Figures of Speech and Poetic Forms

A comparison where on thing is said to be another. The student is a brain METAPHOR

A Comparison using like or as She’s like a swallow that flies so high. SIMILE

The attempt to make a written or spoken word sound like the sound it represents. The bee buzzed. ONOMATOPOEIA

The use of harsh sounding words or a discord of sounds. Ex. Salt caked smoke stack CACOPHONY

The use of sweet sounding words to imply gentleness or softness Bound for distant Ophir EUPHONY

The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words. The snake slithered over the sandy sidewalk. ALLITERATION

The repetition of vowels in two or more words. Lifted by the winnowing wind ASSONANCE

The repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at the ends of words. Examples: Litter and batter Spelled and scald Laughed and deft Dress and boss Slither and lather CONSONANCE

An exaggeration or an overstatement for the sake of emphasis. And I will come again, my love, Though it were ten thousand miles HYPERBOLE

The part is used to represent the whole All hands on deck SYNEDOCHE

The substitution of the name of an attribute of a thing for the name of the thing itself. He fought for the crown METONOMY

A play on words Tree jokes are pretty popular PUN

The combination in one expression of two words or phrases of opposite meaning for effect. Falsely true Bitter-sweet OXYMORON

A statement which, though it seems to be self-contradictory contains a basis of truth. My life closed twice before it’s close PARADOX

The poet calls on someone or something which is not present or cannot answer. Milton! Thou should’st be living at this hour. APOSTROPHE

A reference to characters and events of mythology, legends, bible, history other literature. Calling something a “wooden horse” ALLUSION

An image is a mental picture. When words on paper entice the reader in imagining that he hears, sees, feels, tastes or touches something. Images are always connected to the senses. E.g. sound imagery, sight imagery, tactile imagery, smell imagery….. A red wheelbarrow Glazed with rain water IMAGERY

A symbol is the ultimate device for compression. It is a word which has its own denotative meaning within the poem. At the same time however, it implies other feelings and ideas as well. Symbols may be based on religion, the natural world or the mind. Colors can be symbolic SYMBOL

A short poem expressing the internal and emotional thoughts of a single speaker. Lyrics are usually an expression of the poet’s feeling about a person an object an event or an idea. The intent is usually to create a single, unified impression on the reader. Lyrics originated as songs, and they retain their melodic patterns through various forms of rhythm and rhyme. LYRIC POETRY

A lyric poem of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter following one of several possible rhyme schemes. The two main types are Italian (Petruchan) and English (Shakespearean). SONNET

Is divided into two parts: an eight line section (octave) rhymed abba, abba and a six line section (sestet) rhymed cde cde or cdc cdc. Often the octave states a problem or a question and the sestet offers a solution. ITALIAN SONNET

Usually has three four line sections, each with its own rhyme scheme, and ends in a two line rhymed couplet. The rhyme scheme is usually abab dcdc efef gg. The final couplet is usually a concluding statement commenting on the preceding thoughts. The sonnet is an example of closed for poetry. ENGLISH SONNET

A form of poem which has as its primary intention the teaching of some lesson or moral or the making of some critical statement about society. DIDACTIC

A poem written in humorous imitation of another poem. Usually, the parody imitates the tone, form and imagery of the original, but applies them to some ridiculous object. PARODY

A humorous, five-line poem, usually in ananpestic rhythm; the first, second, and fifth lines have three feet and rhythm with each other; the third and fourth lines have two feet and rhyme with each other. Limericks usually tell of the actions of a person. LIMERICK

A narrative poem, usually containing much repetition and often a repeated refrain. Ballads were originally folk songs passed on from age to age. BALLAD

A long narrative poem which tells of the adventures of heroic characters. Covers a long period of time or describes some monumental task. The Odyssey Beowulf EPIC POEM

A poem that tells a story and organizes its action according to a sequence of time. NARRATIVE