Honors Western Literature Terms for Poetry

Dramatic Monologue a poem in the form of a speech or narrative by an imagined person, in which the speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of events.

Dramatic Monologue To be, or not to be--that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep-- No more--and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation

Anaphora (Noun): Definition: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.

Example #1: “Live therefore, and bear about thy doom with thee, in the eyes of men and women, in the eyes of who, didst call thy husband, in the eyes of yonder child.” -Scarlet Letter Example #2: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” A Tale of Two Cities

Epistrophe (noun): Definition: Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of every line or clause.

Example #1: "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Symploce (Noun) Definition: A combination of anaphora and epistrophe, symploce is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a line and the repetition of another phrase at the end of the line.

Symploce Example #1: "The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.”

Antithesis Definition:  the use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures. This combination of a balanced structure with opposite ideas serves to highlight the contrast between them.

Example #1: “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” –John F. Kennedy Jr.

caesura Definition: A break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by punctuation and used to emphasize meaning

Caesura You are abused, and by some putter-on Example: 'It is for you we speak, not for ourselves: You are abused, and by some putter-on That will be damn'd for't; would I knew the villain,

enjambment Definition: A technique in poetry that involves the running on of a line or stanza. It enables the poem to move and to develop coherence as well as directing the reader with regard to the form and meaning.

enjambment The sun hovered above the horizon, suspended between Example #1 The sun hovered above the horizon, suspended between night and day.

enjambment Example #2 Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds Or bends with the remover to remove. Sonnet 116 Enjambment is used to maintain the structure of the sonnet.

cacophony Definition: Harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage of a literary work.

cacophony Example #1: His fingers rapped and pounded the door, and his foot thumped against the yellowing wood Example #2: “Lick, crack, sick, hack. The beggar harried her open back. Crash, bang, clang!! We want no parlay with you and your grisly gang who work your wicked will.” -- Winston Churchill

Euphony Definition: The pleasant, melodious presentation of sounds in a literary work.

Euphony “Stay” ~ Rihanna All along it was a fever A cold sweat, hot headed believer I threw my hands in the air I said show me something He said, if you dare come a little closer Round and around and around and around we go Oh now tell me, now tell me, now tell me now you know

Color Symbolism

Color Symbolism Red: Blood, Evil Yellow: honor, loyalty Gold: has contrasting symbolism can be courage or cowardice; also passion Blue: Heaven, truth, peace Black: power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery

Chiasmus

Litotes

Meiosis

Meiosis Example #1:I’ve got a nice place here,” he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly. Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motor- boat …

Example #1: “The pen is mightier than the sword Example #1: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Example #2: It was the mechanic not the lawyer who had the nicest ride.

synecdoche