enl 003 004 poetic devices/terms

poetry unit

poetry

verse or patterned language expressing feelings and ideas with rhythm, style, and figurative language.

poetic diction

language and word choice that distinguish poetry from everyday writing

stanza

a poetic paragraph

line and lineation

how lines in poetry are divided and how they end; often at phrases or thoughts

sentence

a complete grammatical sentence

inversion

a change in normal word order or syntax

allusion

a reference outside of the poem with historical or strong emotional meaning

anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successful lines, clauses, sentences, or verses for rhetorical or poetic effect

theme

a universal idea or message explored in literary work

speaker

a voice/character that expresses feelings/tells a story in the poem

denotation

the literal meaning/definition of a word or sentence

connotation

suggestions of emotional or cultural associations of a word or phrase beyong its literal meaning

speaker

The voice talking in the poem — like a character created by the poet. The speaker may not be the poet and can have their own thoughts, feelings, and style.

addressee

The person or group to whom the poem is directed, often implied through the speaker's voice.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as," suggesting they are the same in some way.

Simile

a comparision of between two unlike things using “like“ or “as“

Synecdoche

Using a part of something to represent the whole (like “wheels” for a car).

Enjambment

When a sentence in a poem continues past the end of a line without a pause.

Caesura

A pause in the middle of a line of poetry, often shown by punctuation (like a comma or dash).

Ode

A serious, formal poem where the speaker talks about (or to) someone or something they deeply admire. It doesn’t follow a strict structure.

Lyric

A short poem where the speaker shares personal thoughts or feelings, usually in the first person. It doesn’t tell a full story or act out a scene.

Personification

Giving human traits to something nonhuman

Alliteration

Repeating the same starting consonant sound in a series of words

Theme

What the poem says or shows about its topic — the deeper message or main idea.

Tone

The poem’s attitude or feelings about its topic — it shows how the poem expresses its theme.

syllable

a unit of spoken language consisting of a single uninterrupted sound

meter

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem

feet

the number of stresses in a line

sonnet

a type of 14-line poem, using a meter of iambic pentameter and follow a set rhyme scheme