Poetry Terms
Alliteration: The repetition of sounds in a group of words as in “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.”
Allusion: A reference to a person, place, or thing--often literary, mythological, or historical. The infinitive of allusion is to allude. e.g. Romeo alludes to the mythological figure Diana in the balcony scene.
Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds as in “And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride. --Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee
The repetition of consonant sounds as in Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds as in “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free;” --The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Couplets: A pair of rhyming lines in a poem often set off from the rest of the poem. Shakespeare’s sonnets all end in couplets.
End rhyme: Rhyming words that are at the ends of their respective lines—what we typically think of as normal rhyme.
Figurative Language: Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language. Any language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh insights into an idea or a subject. e.g. Whenever you call something “cool,” you’re not talking about its temperature but referring to some other quality it possesses.
Free Verse: Poetry with no set meter (rhythm) or rhyme scheme.
Iambic pentameter: Ten-syllable lines in which every other syllable is stressed. - ’ e.g. “With eyes like stars upon the brave night air.”
Imagery: The use of description that helps the reader imagine how something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes. Most of the time, it refers to appearance. e.g. “Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were being chopped, they say she would just cry and cry; when she was still in my great-grandmother’s belly her sobs were so loud that even Nacha, the cook, who was half-deaf, could hear them easily.” --Like Water for Chocolate
Internal rhyme: A rhyme that occurs within one line such as “He’s King of the Swing.”
Metaphor: A comparison of two unlike things using any form of the verb “to be”–-i.e. am, are, is, was, were. Ex: “This chair is a rock,” or “I am an island.”
Meter: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the lines of a poem.
Mood: The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage Mood: The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. The mood may be suggested by the writer's choice of words, by events in the work, or by the physical setting.
Onomatopoeia: The use of words that sound like what they mean such as “buzz,” “bang,” or “tic-tock.”
Personification:. Giving inanimate objects human characteristics. e. g Personification: Giving inanimate objects human characteristics. e.g. “The wind howled through the night.”
Prose: Writing organized into sentences and paragraphs that is not poetry. e.g. Novels and short stories are examples of prose.
Quatrain: A four-line stanza.
Simile: Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as. ” e. g Simile: Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as.” e.g. “I’m as hungry as a pig,” or “Your eyes are like stars that brighten my night.”
Stanza: A major subdivision in a poem Stanza: A major subdivision in a poem. A stanza of two lines is called a couplet; a stanza of three lines is called a tercet; a stanza of four lines is called a quatrain.
Symbolism:. The use of one thing to represent another Symbolism: The use of one thing to represent another. Something that stands for something else. e.g. A dove is a symbol of peace.
Theme: The central idea of a work.
Tone: The author’s attitude toward the subject of the work Tone: The author’s attitude toward the subject of the work. Usually positive or negative. e.g. The tone of a piece of literature could be pessimistic, optimistic, angry, or sarcastic.
Voice: The authorial presence in a piece of literature whether in the first, second, or third person.