Poetry Terms

allusion

a casual reference to someone or something in history or literature

anachronism

placement of an object, event idea, etc. in a time it does not belong

antithesis

an opposition, or contrast, of ideas

connotations

emotional/cultural associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning

epiphany

moment of sudden realization in a poem (can have shift in understanding, tone, perspective)

exaggeration

use of overstatement for emphasis, humor, or dramatic effect (often found in hyperbole)

figurative language

words/phrases that go beyond their literal meaning

figure of speech

literary device that creates a special effect by using words in a non-literal way

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration for effect

imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the senses

inversion

reversal of normal word order in a line of poetry

metaphor

the "indirect" comparison of two unlike things by saying one is the other

metonymy

the substitution of a word for one with which it is closely associated

mood

emotional atmosphere created by a poem

narration

voice/perspective that tells a story in the poem

oxymoron

the use of contradictory terms (together) for effect

paradox

statement that appears contradictory but reveals a deeper truth

parallelism

repetition of grammatical structures or ideas

personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

simile

the "direct" comparison of two unlike things by saying one is like or as the other

understatement

emphasizing an idea by talking about it in a restrained manner

alliteration

the repetition of a beginning sound

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in the word

pun

a play on words

rhyme (general)

repetition of similar sounds in poetry

end rhyme

rhymes that occur at the end of lines

rhyme scheme

patterns of rhymes in a poem

internal rhyme

words rhyming within a single line of poetry

slant rhyme (aka approximate rhyme)

words that nearly rhyme but not perfectly

onomatopoeia

word whose sound suggests its meaning

rhythm

pattern of stressed & unstressed syllables

caesura

the pausing or stopping within a line of poetry caused by needed punctuation

meter

structured pattern of rhythm in poetry, measured in feet

(metrical) foot

a unit of meter consisting of stressed & unstressed syllables

anapest

unstressed, unstressed, stressed

dactyl

stressed, unstressed, unstressed

iamb

unstressed, stressed

pyrrhic

unstressed, unstressed

spondee

stressed, stressed

trochee

stressed, unstressed

monometer

a line of poetry that has one "foot"

dimeter

a line of poetry that has two "feet"

trimeter

a line of poetry that has three "feet"

tetrameter

a line of poetry that has four "feet"

pentameter

a line of poetry that has five "feet"

hexameter

a line of poetry that has six "feet"

blank verse

poetry without rhyme (often uses iambic pentameter)

free verse

poetry that lacks consistent rhyme and meter

stanza

division of poetry named for the number of lines it contains

couplet

two-line stanza

quatrain

four-line stanza

sestet

six-line stanza

octave

eight-line stanza

ballad

narrative poem with rhythm (often in quatrains)

haiku

Japanese three-line poem (5-7-5 syllables)

sonnet

14-line poem

Petrarchan (Italian)

sonnet divided into an octave & a sestet

Shakespearean (aka English, Elizabethan)

sonnet organized into 3 quatrains & a couplet

enjambment

the continuation of thought from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation needed at the end

poetry

language/literature that uses rhythm & style to convey a message

symbol

something which represents something else besides itself

theme

central message a poem conveys

tone

poet's attitude towards to the subject

total effect

overall impression a poem leaves on a reader

verse

a line of poetry, or poetry itself

triplet

three-line stanza

quintet (aka Cinquain)

five-line stanza

septet

seven-line stanza