Poetry Terms
Front of notecard (blank side) Term Picture
Back of notecard (lined side) Definition Example
Speaker
The voice talking in the poem, not necessarily the author/poet
Simile
Definition: A comparison between two dissimilar things using like, as, or than. Example: He eats like a pig! He is as dirty as a pig.
Metaphor
Definition: A comparison between two dissimilar things WITHOUT using like, as, or than. Example: My sister is an angel.
Imagery
Definition: Language/words that appeal to the senses (see, hear, smell, feel, taste). Example: The Poem “Annabel Lee”
Personification
Definition: Giving human characteristics to non-human things. Example: “The sun smiled down on the emerald-green fields.”
Hyperbole
Definition: An extreme exaggeration. Ex: She is as big as a house.
Allusion
Definition: A reference to a statement, person, place or event (especially from literature, mythology or the Bible) Example: “Before I’d pay I’d go to *Hades And rot away” (*from Greek mythology)
Symbolism
When a person, place, object, or action stands for something beyond itself. Ex: American = freedom A dove = peace A red rose = romantic love
Irony
Definition: The contrast between expectation and reality. Ex. The L.A. teacher’s son fails his writing assignment.
Pun
A play on the multiple meanings of words. Ex A play on the multiple meanings of words. Ex. I've been to the dentist many times, so I know the drill.
connotation
The implied emotional meaning of a word, not just the exact meaning. A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.” Thinleanskinnygaunt
alliteration
Repetition of beginning consonant sounds close together Repetition of beginning consonant sounds close together. Example: She sells seashells on the seashore.
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds throughout a line of poetry. Ex Repetition of vowel sounds throughout a line of poetry. Ex. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
Repetition
Example: Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb … When specific words or phrases are repeated two or more times throughout a poem. Example: Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb … When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child
Onomatopoeia
A sound effect word. Example: Bzzz goes the bee. The bacon sizzled in the pan. He gulped down the soda. The thunder rumbled.
Rhyme
Definition: The repetition of sounds in words close together in a poem Example: Roses are red Violets are blue You are so pretty And I love you
Rhyme Scheme a b
Definition: The pattern of end rhymes Ex. The ugly cat a sat on the mat a eating a mouse b as big as a house b and now he is fat a
Rhythm
Definition: A musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables. Example: TaDA TaDA TaDA
Stanza
In a poem, a group of lines that forms a single unit.
Tone (of voice)
The attitude the poet takes toward the audience, subject or character. Example:Tone can be sarcastic, cheerful, serious, or admiring etc..
Mood
The overall emotion created in the reader; the emotional atmosphere. Example: A scary, mysterious mood.
Free verse
A poem without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm, with sounds of everyday speech. Example: The poem “Father is a Simple Man”
Narrative poem
A poem that tells a story Example: “The Highwayman”.
Sonnet
A poem that has a formal structure of 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme.
Ode
A poem in honor of someone or something Ex. “Ode to Joy”