Poetic Terms

Alliteration

Repetition of initial sounds in successive/neighboring words

Allusion

Reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

Anaphora

Repetition of words/phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines/sentences

Antithesis

Statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced

Aphorism

Brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying

Apostrophe

Direct address of an absent/imaginary person/abstraction

Ballad

Poetic form that tells a story, usually about love

Chiasmus

Statement of two parallel parts, the latter being structurally reversed

Connotation

Implied/associated meaning of a word

Denotation

Literal meaning of a word

Diction

Word choices made by the writer

Didactic

Having the primary purpose of teaching/instructing

Dissonance

Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds

Elegy

Formal poem presenting a meditation on death or some other solemn theme

Epigram

Concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth/idea, often using rhyme/balance

Hyperbole

Intentional exaggeration

Imagery

Vivid images that appeal to the senses

Verbal Irony

Words that convey the opposite of their literal meaning

Situational Irony

Incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs

Metaphor

Direct comparison between two different things

Meter

Rhythmic structure of lines in poetry

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it

Mood

Emotional atmosphere of a work

Onomatopoeia

Imitation of natural sounds

Oxymoron

Expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined

Paradox

Apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth

Parallelism

Corresponding grammatical/syntactical forms

Pastoral

Writing that portrays an idealized version of country life

Personification

Endowing non-human objects/creatures with human qualities/characteristics

Point of View

Vantage point from which a story is told

Satire

Writing that comments humorously on human flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions

Simile

Comparison of two things using “like”, “as”, or other specifically comparative words

Structure

Arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work

Symbol

Object that is used to represent something else

Synecdoche

Using one part of an object to represent the entire objetct

Syntax

Manner in which words are arranged into sentences

Theme

Central idea of a work

Tone

Attitude of a writer toward the subject or audience

Understatement

Deliberate representation of something as lesser serious than it actually is

Volta

“Turn” of a poem; rhetorical shift or dramatic change in tone

Aside

Brief remark/passage in a play intended to be heard by the audience but not by the characters

Sonnet

Verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme

Euphemism

Indirect/less offensive way of saying something considered unpleasant

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter

Epithet

Descriptive name/phrase used to characterize a person

Caesura

Natural pause/break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line

Couplet

Two consecutive rhyming lines in poetry

Digression

Temporary departure from the main subject

Soliloquy

Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

Enjambment

Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

Archaic

Antiquated, old, out of use

Malapropism

Word humorously misused

Non Sequitur

Something that does not logically follow

Cliche

Worn-out/overused expression

Lyric Poem

Poem that doesn’t tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of a speaker