poetry

simile

compares two different things using "like" or "as"

metaphor

compares two things directly without using "like" or "as".

hyperbole

Overstatement or exaggeration not intended to be taken literally

personificaiton

Type of metaphor in which distinct human characteristics are attributed to inanimate objects or animals

symbolism

An object, person, or place that is used to represent something else (usually an idea)

persona

Speaker or voice in a poem; the person doing the talking

character

Subject presented in a poem; either a person or an animal that is personified. More often than not this is not the same entity as the Persona

tone

The words that demonstrate a poet’s style or attitude toward the subject of the poem

mood

Specific emotions the poet tries to create; how the poem makes you feel or should make you feel

stanza

The way lines in a poem are separated into units; does not necessarily follow the same format

free verse

Poem that doesn’t follow a specific pattern and has no rules, no rhyme scheme

end rhyme

The last word or syllable of a line of poetry rhymes with another last word or syllable in a different line

allusion

A reference to something well-known within a poem (ex: a song, a god or goddess, a battle, a work of art)

heroic couplet

A two-line segment of a poem in which the last words of each line rhyme

enjambment

Continuation of thought from one line of a poem to the next; making it necessary to read the following line in order to understand the first

consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound that is NOT at the start of the word--that’s alliteration

alliteration

Repetition of the initial consonant sound

assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds with different ending consonants