western wind terms 4-5

Anti poetry

A movement that advocates breaking the usual conventions of traditional poetry

Paradox

A self contradictory phrase or concept that illuminates a truth

Verbal irony

A contrast between appearance and reality or what is said vs what is intended

Situational irony

happens when there is a discrepancy between expectation and reality (a fire station burning down)

Dramatic irony

The audience or reader is aware of crucial info that the character is not (audience knowing they are walking into a trap)

Withheld image

The poet doesn’t fully describe something right away, instead only giving part of the image

Oxymoron

When you combine two contradictory ideas (jumbo shrimp, bittersweet)

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration (I’ve told you a million times)

Litotes

A figure of speech that uses a negative to express a positive (understatement) (that test was NOT easy)

Archetypal image

An image that stands for a common human idea or feeling (light = hope, darkness = evil)

Sentimentality

When a poem is too emotional or sappy, pushing feeling rather than letting them arise naturally (exaggerated sadness or sweetness)