Poetry Terms Mrs. Martin English

Alliteration The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words EX: Polly’s pink pajamas

Allusion Referring to another work of literature or art

Analogy a point-by-point comparison between two things that are alike in some respect.

Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds within nonrhyming words.

Ballad a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited

Blank Verse unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

Character the people who take part in the action

Connotation the attitudes and feelings associated with a word

Consonance a recurrence or repetition of consonants especially at the end of stressed syllables without the similar correspondence of vowels ex. “stroke” and “luck”

Couplet A pair of lines working as a unit in a poem (may or may not rhyme)

Couplet Example: Into my empty head there come a cotton beach, a dock wherefrom

Denotation the dictionary definition of a word

Elegy A lyric poem of mourning—a reflection on the death of someone or on a sorrow.

Epic a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or race

Form the way a poem is laid out on the page – the length and placement of the lines and the grouping of lines into stanzas

Free Verse poetry that does not contain a regular pattern of rhyme and meter

Haiku Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons.

Iambic Pentameter a metrical line of five feet, or units, each of which is made up of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed

Imagery descriptive words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader

Irony special kind of contrast between appearance and reality – usually one in which reality is the opposite from what it seems

Lyric a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings

Metaphor a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically unlike but that have something in common

Octave (OK-TAVE) An eight-line stanza in a poem. Most often associated with the first 8 lines of an Italian sonnet. May also be used for a poem consisting of only 8 lines.

Onomatopoeia the use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning Crunch Bam Pow Buzz Snap

Parallelism the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance

Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.

Poetry a type of literature in which words are chosen and arranged to create a certain effect

Quatrain Four line stanza in a poem working together as a unit (may or may not rhyme)

Repetition a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis

Rhyme the occurrence of a similar or identical sound at the ends of two or more words, such as suite, heat, and complete

Rhyme Scheme the pattern of end rhyme in a poem

rhythm Rhythm is a musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables. Rhythm occurs in all forms of language, both written and spoken, but is particularly important in poetry

Sestet (Ses-Tet) 6 line stanza in a poem Most often used to describe the second division of an Italian Sonnet which usually indicates the personal emotion of the author about the situation presented in the octave Sestet—situation Octave—emotion Sestet—problem Octave--solution

Shakespearean (English) Sonnet a sonnet form used by Shakespeare and having the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg. easily recognized by fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. There are three four line verses with their own rhyme scheme ending with a two line rhyming couplet or conclusion.

simile a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”

sonnet a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes.

Speakers The voice that talks to the reader

Stanza A group of lines in a poem.

Point of view The perspective from which a story is told.

theme Central Ideas explored by a literary work