Poetry Analysis flashcards

stanza

a group of lines separated by spacing or indentation

couplet

2 lines in a stanza

tercet

3 lines in a stanza

quatrain

4 lines in a stanza

cinquain

5 lines in a stanza

sestet

6 lines in a stanza

septet

7 lines in a stanza

octave

8 lines in a stanza

rhyme

similar ending sounds in two or more words

rhythm

the flow of words

rhyme scheme

the regular pattern created by end rhymes (sounds at the end of a line)

internal rhyme

when two words in the same line rhyme

refrain

a line or lines repeated in poetry

meter

the rhythmic structure of a poem created by the stress and number of syllables

slant rhyme

a type of rhyme when words are similar but not identical

lyric

focuses mostly on the author’s emotions (internal focus)

Narrative

tells a story with the elements of plot

descriptive

describes the world around the author (external focus)

Sonnet

14 lines that usually focus on love

haiku

japanese poetry with three lines of five, seven, and five syllables each

elegy

a poem that expresses sorrow due to a death or the end of something; the author’s internal feelings

limerick

a quick funny poem with five lines (aabba)

ballad

type of narrative poem easily made into a song

ode

a brief poem praising something or someone

epic

a long, narrative, heroic tale

black verse/free verse

written with no rhyme and/or meter

epitaph

an inscription or written remembrance of a person; formal (like on a tombstone)

concrete

the words form a shape that matches the topic of the poem

alliteration

repeated usage of a sound or letter in the first syllable of a word

allusion

a word or phrase reggering indirectly to a commonly known story or event

assonance

two words close to each other repeat the same vowel sound

apostrophe

the speaker addresses an object or person not present

consonance

repetition of the same consonant sound in a phrase or sentence

connotation

a unique or implied meaning of a word

euphemism

replacing an offensive term with something more mild

foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later

inversion

reversing the usual order of words for emphasis or to fit the rhyme scheme

onomatopoeia

a word describing its sound

imagery

the use of vivid, sensory language to describe something

personification

giving human qualities to inanimate objects

hyperbole

an exaggeration for emphasis or heightened effect

irony

the words express something other than what is expected

metaphor

comparing two unrelated things based on a common characteristic

similie

comparing two unrelated things using the word “like” or “as”

repetition

using the same word or phrase

denotation

the objective, dictionary meaning of a word