Poetry Scavenger Hunt Guide - Ms. Gregson

Alliteration

Repeating sounds at the start of a series of words (Ex. Wicked Witch of the West)

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something outside of the poem (Ex. Person, place, historical event, etc.)

Anaphora

When a series of sentences or clauses start with the same phrase (Ex the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness”)

Assonance

repeated vowel sounds in a word to create rhythm (Ex lonely road”)

Chiasmus

The reversal of words or ideas (Ex. “Never let a Fool kiss you, or a Kiss fool you”)

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in a word or phrase- can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of the word. (Ex “Betty bought some butter but she said the butter was bitter”)

Enjambment

When a thought or an idea carries over from one line to another without pause

Epistrophe

Successive sentences or sentence fragments end with the same phrase (Ex government of the people, by the people, for the people”)

Imagery

The use of strong visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile sensations to give the reader a sense of time and place (to paint a picture in the reader’s mind)

Juxtaposition

A contrast between two conflicting concepts to emphasize their differences (Ex “All is fair in love and war”, a friendship between a lion and a mouse)

Metaphor

A non-literal comparison between two unlike things (Ex: Love is a battlefield)

Meter

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

Onomatopeia

Words that, when spoken out loud, imitates natural sounds (Ex: “Boom”)

Personification

When a non-human entity is given human characteristics

Repetition

Using the same words or phrases repeatedly (to either emphasize a point or for rhythm)

Rhyme

The repeated sound at the end of lines

Symbolism

An object that has a literal, surface level meaning, and a deeper, more complex meaning below the surface

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject

Conceit

An extended metaphor- a metaphor that is carried through the entire poem

Apostrophe

When the author speaks directly to a person or object that is absent from the poem (Ex: Speaking to a lost lover or the dead, or an “ode” to someone.)