Poetry Terms AP Lit

Lyric poem

A subjective, reflective form of poetry that does not tell a story but rather expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of a speaker

Ode

a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner. Odes often have “Ode to _____” as their title

Dramatic monologue

A lyric poem in the form of a speech by an imagined person to an audience. The speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of events

Elegy

A lyric poem of lament, meditating on the death of an individual

Pastoral/Idyll

A lyric poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way

Sonnet

A lyric poem that is 14 lines long. Italian/Petrarchan sonnets are divided into an  eight-line octave and a six-line sestet; English/Shakespearean sonnets are composed of three four-line quatrains and a final two-line couplet; English sonnets are generally written in iambic pentameter

Volta

The turn of thought in a poem; Voltas are often indicated by punctuation, such as a dash or colon, or by a transition word or words

Narrative poem

A form of poetry that tells a story, with characters, plot, conflict, and other characteristics of storytelling

Epic

A long, dignified narrative poem that tells the story of a heroic figure

Ballad

A narrative poem which tells a story to be sung or recited, typically in a folksy tone and style

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words within a line of poetry

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry. The placement of the sound in the word can be anywhere but the beginning

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within a line of poetry. The placement of the sound in the word can be anywhere but the beginning

Onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds

Meter

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem

Metrical foot

Two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem

Scansion

The act of analyzing a poem’s metrical pattern. It requires looking for a pattern of metrical foot and identifying how many of that pattern are in a given line

Iambic

A metrical foot of two syllables, one unstressed followed by one stressed

Trochaic

A metrical foot of two syllables, one stressed followed by one unstressed

Iambic pentameter

A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line. there are five rhythmic units that are iambs

Free verse

Poetry with no distinct pattern of rhyme or meter

Blank verse

Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Stanza

Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme. In the same way that prose is divided into paragraphs, poetry is divided into stanzas

Rhyme

The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different letter for each final sound

Internal rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within one line of poetry

Half/Slant rhyme

Approximate rhyme, such as “When have I last looked on / The round green eyes and the long wavering bodies / Of the dark leopards of the moon?”

Enjambement

a line of poetry that rolls into the next line without punctuation that would indicate a pause

Caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line

Euphony

When the sound of words is harmonious to the ear. It often uses words with soft consonants, like L, M, N, and R, instead of harsh consonants like T, P, and K. Vowel sounds are also more euphonious, especially longer vowels

Cacophony

When the sound of words is disharmonious or jarring to the ear. The consonants most commonly used to create cacophony are B, D, K, P, T, and G because they sound more harsh

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected

Simile

A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared using the word “like” or “as”

Conceit

An extended metaphor or simile that typically spans multiple lines or sometimes even an entire stanza or an entire poem

Metonymy

Substituting a word related to an object or person to be named in place of the name itself

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole

Imagery

Language that appeals to one or more of the five senses - visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory

Symbolism

Using an object to suggest an idea

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis

Litotes

Understatement for effect

Personification

A figure of speech in which animals, objects, or abstract ideas are given human attributes

Apostrophe

Addressing a person or thing that is not intended to literally respond

Allusion

A reference to an outside fact, event, or other source

Situational Irony

When something occurs that is the opposite of one's expectations, such as an English teacher making a spelling mestaek

Verbal Irony

Meaning one thing and saying the opposite

Dramatic Irony

When the audience or reader knows what the character does not

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory, but underlines a basic truth

Oxymoron

Contradictory words placed side by side for effect

Tone

Described with an adjective, it is the writer's attitude toward the audience and/or subject

Dramatic situation

The circumstances of a poem's speaker - to whom they are speaking, and the context in which they are speaking