Poetry Terms 2024

Free Verse Poem

non-rhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech. the poet does not follow any rules in their poem.

Fixed Form Poem

poems that follow rules of pattern of lines, rhythm, rhyme, or stanzas.

Speaker

The narrator of the poem. Sometimes the speaker is the poet, but other times it is a fictional character.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem (like paragraphs in regular writing)

Simile

A comparison using the words "like," "as," or "than"

Metaphor

a direct comparison without using "like" or "as"

Symbolism

When an object or a thing stands for or represents an idea. Fire = anger

Personification

giving human characteristics to non-human things

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration. "I was as hungry as a horse."

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

Imagery

language that appeals to the five senses - sight, sound, taste, touch, smell

Tone

The attitude of the poet toward the subject or characters in the poem ex: sad, excited, romantic

Apostrophe

Speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object in a poem.

Rhythm

Pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Rhyme

Words that have different beginning sounds but whose endings sound alike

Slant Rhyme

words that almost rhyme

Rhyme Scheme

the pattern of rhymes in a stanza, with each rhyme encoded by a letter of the alphabet, from "A" onward (ABBA BCCB, for example)

Enjambment

The running-over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next without using any kind of punctuation to indicate a stop to give extra meaning.

Repetition

Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines

Alliteration

The repetition of the first letter sound in a series of words within a phrase or line. Example: "Cats were cuddling in the cardboard boxes.

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Onomatopoeia

A word that sounds like the actual sound it makes. (for example, "choo-choo," "hiss," or "buzz").

Lyric Poem

a poem that focuses on emotions or feelings

Narrative Poem

poetry that has a plot or tells a story

Mood

the feeling created for the audience; the way you feel when you read the poem

Antithesis

A contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other, such as "hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins".

Parallelism

Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other