Poetic Devices

rhyme

two or more words which match in the same last sound

alliteration

two or more words near each other (in the same line) with the same starting consonant sound

assonance

two words in the same line having the same stressed vowel sounds

consonance

refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants in the stressed syllables within a sentence or phrase

metaphor

a directly stated comparison

onomatopoeia

the attempt to spell out a sound

speaker

the voice of the poem, usually NOT the poet

imagery

pictures drawn in the reader's mind by the words of the poet (appeals to the senses through strong descriptions)

personification

giving human characteristics to inanimate objects

repetition

using a keyword several times throughout a poem

irony

when the outcome is the opposite of what was expected

allusion

an indirect reference to something outside of the text which the poet assumes everyone already knows

parallelism

the consecutive use of similar phrases or grammatical structures

hyperbole

exaggeration for humorous or thematic effect

symbol

an object which carries more meaning than simply its dictionary definition

theme

the generalization/message about life understood from experiencing any work of art

refrain

a few lines repeated almost exactly at certain intervals

rhyme scheme

the pattern of the rhymes in a poem

internal rhyme

rhyming words in the same line of poetry

end rhyme

the last word of a line rhymes with the last word of a line close by

stanza

a paragraph in poetry, surrounded above and below by skipped lines

lyric poetry

that which reveals an emotional moment in life.

narrative poetry

that which tells a story with characters, a plot, setting, etc.

concrete poem

a poem which looks on the page like the subject it is about. The topic is conveyed visually through the font or organization/shape of words or lines.

free verse

no predictable rhythm or rhyme

blank verse

has no rhyme but has rhythm, usually iambic pentameter

simile

comparing two things using like or as

enjambment

running from one line to the next without end punctuation (without "end stopping")

Caesura

a pause, either in the middle or end of a line in poetry, usually marked by some form of punctuation such as a period, comma, ellipsis, or dash.