Poetic Devices English 10h

Stanza

a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter, or rhyming scheme 

Symbol

Something that means more than what it actually is, can have a variety of different meanings and functions both literally and figuratively

Syntax

Word order, and the way in which it works with grammatical structures

Tone

attitude of speaker towards subject matter, audience, or self

Pun

a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings

Rhyming couplet 

A rhyming couplet is made up of two lines of verse which rhyme with one another. The two lines of a rhyming couplet usually come together to form one complete thought or idea.

Simile

A comparison that is directly expressed (using like, as, is, seems, resembles)

Speaker

the voice behind the poem-the person we imagine to be saying the thing out loud 

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction 

Paradox

Apparent contradiction that is actually true, draws attention to the truthfulness of a statement

Parallelism

The use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose which correspond in grammatical structures, sound, meter, meaning, etc. 

Personification

Metaphor that gives human attributes to nonhuman subjects, including animals, objects, or concept 

Imagery

Representation of sensory experience with words

Irony

General discrepancy between content and meaning

Metaphor

A comparison that does not express comparison directly (does not use like, as, is, seems, resembles) 

Onomatopoeia

Use of sound words

Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem

Free Verse

Literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm, and does not rhyme with fixed forms 

Hyperbole

Saying more than the truth, overstatement or exaggeration

Iambic Pentameter

A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable

Cadence

The momentary changes in rhythm & pitch

Connotation

Suggested associations with words

Denotation

Dictionary meaning of a word

Euphony

The use of words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create 

Assonance 

Repetition of vowel sounds anywhere in a word 

Blank verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter

Blazon 

poetic device in which the speaker elaborately describes his lover from head to toe

Cacophony 

to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing, and unmelodius sounds - primarily those of consonants - to achieve desired results

Alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds (Streator stopped on the street) 

Allusion

Reference to something in history or previous literature, suggests a larger meaning in a little space. often take from the Bible, Shakespeare, or Classical Mythology 

Apostrophe 

A literary device where a speaker addresses a person who is not present, or a non-human object, idea, or being 

Anaphora 

a literary device that involves repeating words or phrases at the beginning of multiple sentences, phrases, or clauses. It’s often used to create rhythm and structure, and to emphasize the repeated words 

What are three sonnet forms? 

Petrarchan, Shakespearean, and Spenserian sonnet forms

What are themes of the Renaissance sonnet?

1. Love

2. Beauty 

3. Nature

4. Mortality 

Who perfected Renaissance sonnet form?

Shakespeare, Spenser, and Sidney

What artist created Metaphysical poetry?

John Donne

What is Metaphysical poetry?

The speaker’s voice and tone is blunt and angry. Many times, it is as if the speaker is simply thinking out loud 

Who are the two Pastoral poets?

1. Christopher Marlowe

2. Sir Walter Raleigh 

What are the qualities of a Pastoral poem?

Rural setting/ nature

love

sing-song rhythm 

What does the phrase “Carpe Diem'“ mean?

Seize the day

Who are the two poets from Carpe Diem poetry?

1. Robert Herrick 

2. Andrew Marvell 

What are the 7 characteristics of Romantic poetry? 

1. Interest in the common man and childhood

2. strong senses, emotions, and feelings

3. awe of nature

4. celebration of the individual

5. importance of imagination

6. language resembling natural speech 

7. elements of the mysterious, exotic, and supernatural

Who are the 4 poets from Romantic poetry?

1. William Blake

2. William Wordsworth 

3. George Gordon Byron

4. Percy Bysshe Shelley