Poetry Vocab #1

 What do the words on the next slide mean?  For each word, see if you can write…  A definition  An example What do we already know?

 Denotation  Connotation  Imagery  Simile  Metaphor  Theme  Motif  Diction  Personification  Symbol What do we already know?

 A word’s literal, dictionary definition  Ex: Odor = a smell Denotation

 The feelings and ideas associated with a word  Ex: Odor = a bad smell  Other examples:  What is the difference between:  Mother  Mom  Mommy Connotation

 Description that uses any of the five senses  Ex: She bit into the strawberry and felt it explode in a sweet, tart gush Imagery

 A comparison between two unlike things that uses “like” or “as” (or a synonym for them)  Ex: “My love is like a red, red rose” (EBB)  Ex: Her lips were as red as rubies Simile

 A comparison between two unlike things that does not use “like” or “as”  Ex: “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” (RJ)  Ex: Her hair cascaded down her back in a golden waterfall Metaphor

 An idea or concept that is central to a work  Generally, something the author wants readers to think about  Ex: Fate, coming of age, betrayal, loyalty Theme

 A repeated image or symbol in a work  The bells in “The Bells”  Examples from The Odyssey? Motif

 The word choice of a work  Example: Compare the following sentences  He walked down the street  He strolled along the boulevard Diction

 To identify diction, remember LEAD  Low/Informal  simple, generally identified with lower classes or less educated people  Elevated/formal  fancy words, associated with upper classes or more educated people  Abstract or concrete?  abstract diction deals more with ideas,  concrete deals more with imagery  Denotation or connotation?  what’s more significant, the literal meaning or the associations? Diction (continued)

 Giving human characteristics to non-human objects  Ex: The pencil danced across the paper Personification

 An object used to represent an idea  Ex: A bird in flight represents freedom  The collected use of symbols in a work is called symbolism  What common symbols can you think of? Symbol (Symbolism)