Poetry and Philosophy Terms

A set of vocabulary flashcards for key poetry and philosophy terms.

Heroic Couplet

A rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter.

Lyric Poem

A poem focused on a single thought, image, or emotion.

Masculine Rime

A rhyme of final stressed syllables, usually one syllable words.

Feminine Rime

A rhyme that involves the repetition of similar sounding words, often at the end of lines.

Rhythm

Patterns of beats, or stresses in spoken or written language.

Meter

The structured rhythm in a poem, created by a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Foot

The basic unit of poetic rhythm.

Meiosis

A figure of speech that intentionally understates something, implying it is lesser in significance.

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a story and has a well-developed dramatic situation.

Ode

A formal and serious lyric poem that praises or reflects upon a person, object, or event.

Persona

The voice or character speaking in a poem, distinct from the author.

Dactylic

A poetic foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

Quatrain

A four-line stanza or poem often with a rhyme scheme.

Scansion

The process of finding, marking, and analyzing rhythm.

Sestina

A complex poetic form with six stanzas of six lines each, followed by a three-line stanza.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem typically divided into two parts: an octet and a sestet.

Hamartia

The tragic flaw of a protagonist that leads to their downfall.

Anagnorisis

Recognition or discovery in the narrative.

Hubris

Arrogance, often leading to a protagonist's downfall.

Nihilism

The belief that all values are baseless and that life is meaningless.

Hedonism

The belief that pleasure is the highest good and main goal of life.

Stoicism

A philosophy that teaches self-control and acceptance of fate.

Modernism

A literary movement reflecting fragmentation, disillusionment, and experimentation.

Humanism

A Renaissance philosophy emphasizing human value and potential over divine matters.

Utilitarianism

The ethical theory that the best action is the one that maximizes utility.

Empiricism

The belief that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience.