Poetry Terms and Forms

A collection of flashcards defining poetic structure, literary devices, and classical verse forms from the lecture transcript.

Meter

the rhythmic structure of a line, created by a repeating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Metaphor

a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things by stating that one thing is another, rather than just suggesting they are similar

Allusion

a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, event, or another literary work

Simile

a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, event, or another literary work

Symbol

an object, person, color, or action that represents a larger, abstract idea beyond its literal meaning

Euphony

the harmonious, pleasing arrangement of sounds that roll off the tongue

Alliteration

used to create rhythm, establish mood, highlight important ideas, and make lines more memorable

Assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds across a line of text or poetry

Cacophony

the intentional use of harsh, discordant, or unharmonious sounds to achieve a jarring effect

Rhyme

a literary device characterized by repeating identical or similar sounds at the end of words

Scheme

the deliberate, repeating pattern of rhyming words at the end of each line in a poem or song

Sonnet

a 14-line poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter with a strict rhyme scheme and a thematic "turn" (or volta)

Sestina

a complex, 39-line fixed verse form that does not rely on rhyme

free verse

poetry that does not adhere to any strict, predetermined rules of meter, rhyme, or stanza structure

figurative language

the art of using words in non-literal ways to create emotional impact, vivid imagery, and deeper meaning

lyric (as in lyric poem)

a short, emotionally charged poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings rather than telling a story

blank verse

poetry written with a precise, consistent metrical pattern, most commonly iambic pentameter—but without an end-rhyme scheme

limerick

A limerick is a witty, five-line poem defined by a bouncy rhythm and a strict AABBA rhyme scheme. Traditionally comedic, absurd, or bawdy, it features longer first, second, and fifth lines, and shorter third and fourth lines

troche

a two-syllable metrical foot in poetry where a stressed, or long, syllable is followed by an unstressed, or short, syllable

iamb

a two-syllable metrical foot in poetry consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

dactyl

a rhythmic unit (or "foot") in poetry consisting of three syllables: one stressed (long) syllable followed by two unstressed (short) syllables

anapest

a three-syllable metrical foot in poetry consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable

ballad

a plot-driven narrative poem, originally designed to be sung or recited

unmetered rhyme

an open form of poetry which does not use a prescribed or regular meter or rhyme and tends to follow the rhythm of natural or irregular speech.

Scansion

the process of analyzing a poem's rhythm and meter by marking the stressed (strong) and unstressed (weak) syllables in its lines

Onomatopoeia

a literary device in which a word phonetically mimics, resembles, or suggests the natural sound of the object or action it describes

Consonance

when the same consonant sounds, paired with different vowel sounds, are repeated across words

Personification

a figurative device where poets give human traits, emotions, or actions to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas

Shakespearean sonnet

a 14-line poem structured into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a concluding couplet

Petrarchan sonnet

a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter

Villanelle

a highly structured, 19-line poem consisting of five tercets (three-line stanzas) followed by a quatrain (four-line stanza)

Couplet

a unit of two consecutive lines of verse that typically rhyme and share the same meter

Tercet

any poetic unit or stanza of exactly three lines

Quatrain

a poetic stanza or a complete poem consisting of exactly four lines

Cinquain

any unrhymed, five-line poem

Tanka

short song

Haiku

a short, unrhymed poetic form that captures the essence of a specific moment in nature or human experience