Poetry Vocabulary #1

Alliteration Definition: repetition of initial consonant sounds that appear in words that are close together Example: The luxury of living and loving them all

Allusion Definition: an implied or indirect reference Example: “She was another Helen,” alludes to the proverbial beauty of Helen of Troy.

Assonance Definition: repetition of vowel sounds that appear in words that are close together Example: Edgar Allan Poe, "The Bells" Hear the mellow wedding bells.

Antithesis a figure of speech in which two contrasting ideas are presented side by side, usually with parallel structure. Example: “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. “hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins”

Consonance characterized by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession, Examples: "all mammals named Sam are clammy

Couplet I think that I shall never see (a) Definition: pair of rhyming lines Example: J. Kilmer – Tree I think that I shall never see (a) A poem lovely as a tree. (a)

Diction Style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer. Sometimes writers repeat their chosen words or phrases to achieve an artistic effect. Read the following example from “ A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Imagery Definition: language that appeals to the five senses; words you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch Example: Bring them flowers inside Hurry now, dry ‘em and die ‘em And hang ‘em on the wall as memories

Ex: Shoeboxes on the top shelf Come on, little girl Bring them flowers inside Hurry now, dry ‘em and die ‘em And hang ‘em on the wall as memories Between them ticket stubs, above them letters Beneath photographs fadin’ with age Amidst all them other flowers; memories on that wall It’s that time again, girl Git yourself another shoebox, Strip that wall bare, cram that shrine inside Too good for garbage cans but nothing jist the same That’s right there, girl File it between James and John Close that closet door and Sit – on the other side – and cry Thinking on how you won’t open it again But to file another lifetime away

Metaphor Definition: comparison between unlike things, one in which some reasonable connection is instantly revealed and is more forceful than a simile because like and as are not used Example: “The road was a ribbon of moonlight.”

Meter Definition: strict rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line Example: (stressed syllables underlines) Roses are red Violets are blue

Mood Definition: the feeling connected to a poem Example: In Ash Inevitable, what mood is the poem in? It’s depressed, so the poem is depressing.

Ex: Ash Inevitable She’s a pile of wood, now Stacked up against the tree That she used to be a part of, Used to be alive in. She hadn’t even died yet When they wrenched her down, Chopped her up, Turned her into something useful – Dead, but useful.

And now she simply sits, Pieces of herself perfectly piled At the base of her birthplace, Her final resting place. She couldn’t sway in the wind even if she wanted to; Xylem and phloem No longer flow through those veins. The cross-sections of her severed limbs show Rings of age – twenty-two years chopped up, Sensibly stacked to maximize Societal contribution. Fire. Brimstone. Ash inevitable.

Tone (number 19 on your sheet) Definition: attitude expressed towards poem’s subject or audience Example: In Ash Inevitable, the author’s attitude towards the death of the tree is angry.

Ex: Ash Inevitable She’s a pile of wood, now Stacked up against the tree That she used to be a part of, Used to be alive in. She hadn’t even died yet When they wrenched her down, Chopped her up, Turned her into something useful – Dead, but useful.

And now she simply sits, Pieces of herself perfectly piled At the base of her birthplace, Her final resting place. She couldn’t sway in the wind even if she wanted to; Xylem and phloem No longer flow through those veins. The cross-sections of her severed limbs show Rings of age – twenty-two years chopped up, Sensibly stacked to maximize Societal contribution. Fire. Brimstone. Ash inevitable.

Onomatopoeia Definition: the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it Example: A crack of thunder

Paradox It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. Death was life, and life was death.

Personification Definition: attributing human qualities to a nonhuman thing or to an abstract idea Example: Hunger sat shivering on the road

Pun A pun is 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. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger, then it hit me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg

Quatrain Definition: rhyming four line stanza Example: Many are the distractions (a) Few are the rewards (b) Used imaginations (a) Hung on metal cords (b)

Rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs. Nursery Rhymes Sight or Eye Rhymes Internal rhymes

Simile Definition: a comparison between two things using a connection like or as Example: Life is like a box of chocolates

Sonnet Definition: a fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of fourteen lines that are typically five-foot iambics rhyming with three quatrains and a concluding couplet Example: Sonnet 141 by William Shakespeare

Ex: Sonnet 141 (Shakespeare) In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, For they in thee a thousand errors note; But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise, Who in despite of view is pleased to dote; Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted, Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone, Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited To any sensual feast with thee alone: But my five wits nor my five senses can Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee, Who leaves unsway'd the likeness of a man, Thy proud heart’s slave and vassal wretch to be: Only my plague thus far I count my gain, That she that makes me sin awards me pain. Quatrain Couplet

Symbolism Definition: using, employing, or exhibiting one symbol to represent something else Example: In Julius Caesar, hawks circling is a foreboding symbol of something bad to come

Verbal Irony words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. Shakespeare employs this verbal irony in “Julius Caesar” Act I, Scene II, CASSIUS: “‘tis true this god did shake” Cassius, despite knowing the mortal flaws of Caesar, calls him “this god”.

Work Cited http://literarydevices.net/irony/