Poetry terms

VCE Literature

Allegory

a story or narrative that has a deeper meaning below the surface.

Alliteration

repetition of a consonant sound

Allusions

references to other works of literature or art, or to people, places or events; the intention is to imply another layer of meaning.

Assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds.

Anaphora

a fancy word for repetition!

Blank verse

poetry that does not rhyme, but follows the pattern of iambic

pentameter; it sounds like speech.

Caesura

a deliberate break in a line of poetry.

Connotation

an association or implication, suggested rather than explicit.

Diction

the words chosen by the poet.

Enjambment

a line of verse that flows on into the next line without a pause.

End-stopped line

where a line of poetry finishes with a full stop.

Figurative language

metaphorical or symbolic language not meant to be taken literally.

Free verse

verse with no fixed metric or rhyming structure.

Iambic pentameter

a line of 10 syllables; the beat (meter) of the line is regular and follows the unstressed/stressed pattern

Imagery

word pictures constructed to enable the reader to see in their mind what isbeing described.

Irony

occurs when what is said or written has the opposite meaning.

Metaphor

a comparison made by stating that one thing is another, such as ‘a storm brewed’, implying a tempest of emotions building.

Meter

the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. It’s like the ‘beat’.

Mood

atmosphere or feeling created, for example, elation, oppression or despair.

Motif

a dominant theme, idea or image that is repeated throughout a poem.

Narrative

story

Onomatopoeia

use of words where the sound copies the sound of the thing being described. For example

Paradox

a statement that at first appears contradictory, then seems to contain truth.

Personification

giving human characteristics to an inanimate object.

Persona

an identity assumed by the speaker in a poem, constructed by the poet as a vehicle for exploring the subject of the poem.

Point of view

the perspective the reader is invited to share

Rhyme

sounds in words that correspond, like ‘plum’ and ‘glum’.

Rhyming couplet

2 lines which rhyme.

Rhythm

the movement in a poem created by the meter and stresses.

Sarcasm

spoken; harsher than irony, often bitter or contemptuous.

Sibilance

repetition of ‘s’

Simile

a comparison of one thing with another to make description vivid. For example, ‘eyes like stars’.

Stanza

the sets of lines into which the poet divides the poem.

Symbol

a thing used to represent something else. Red roses symbolise love and passion, yellow ones symbolise friendship.

Tone

the attitude of the voice in a poem, created by the choice, placement and sound of the words.

Acts

Groups of scenes that share a physical setting or are close together in their temporal settings (time period).

Asides

In an aside, the character speaks directly to the audience – in a few lines at most without other characters leaving the stage. Other characters do not hear what is said. Indicated in a stage direction.

Climax

the point at which tensions is at its greatest; a point of crisis; usually towards the end of the narrative.

Context

Details about the play’s setting

Dialogue

a stylised written or spoken exchange between two or more people.

Denouement

(unknotting); the events immediately following the climax, untangling narrative threads and allowing conflicts and uncertainties to be resolved.

Dramatic irony

when the audience and perhaps one or more characters possess knowledge that the other characters do not have. This enables the playwright to enhance the dramatic effect of certain key moments and scenes and thus engage the audience more directly in the unfolding action.

Exits/entrances

When the player comes on or off the stage.

Stage directions

conventionally italicised in the print text. Include information on

Soliloquy

a speech in which a character directly informs the audience of their innermost thoughts and feelings. Usually the character is alone on stage, and it is understood that no other character hears what is said.

Resolution

follows the denouement; relaxes tensions; produces a sense of closure and finality.

Visual elements

lighting, sounds, set, makeup, costume