Poetry Terms and Defnitions

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Allusion

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (stanzas)

Couplet

Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit.

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. 

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Idiom

A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. A saying with an alternate meaning or hidden/figurative meaning

Imagery

Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. (No like/as)

Mood

Describes how word choice, subject matter, and the author's tone convey an overall feeling that characterizes the emotional landscape of a poem for readers.

Onomatopoeia

A literary device where words mimic the actual sounds we hear.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that brings together contradictory words for effect, such as “jumbo shrimp” and “deafening silence.”

Personification

A figure of speech in which the poet describes an abstraction, a thing, or a nonhuman form as if it were a person. 

Simile

 A comparison made with “as,” “like,” or “than.” 

Stanza

A unit of poetry composed of lines that relate to paragraphs and other lines.

Symbol

Something that is generally recognized to represent a certain idea (i.e., a “rose” conventionally symbolizes romance, love, or beauty); 

Theme

The message an author wants to communicate through the piece.

Tone

A literary device that conveys the author's attitude toward the subject, speaker, or audience of a poem.