ENGL125 Final

Sestina

6 stanzas of 6 lines each followed by an envoi of 3 lines. the 6 lines end in some combination of the same 6 words

Invented by troubadours

troubadour

composer and performer of old occitan lyric poetry

envoi

a short concluding stanza found at the end of many occitan poems as a kind of dedication to someone

abecedarian

a poem in which the first letter of the first word in a line follows the order of the alphabet

acrostic

a poem in which the first letter of each new line spells out a word or message

telestich

when the last letter of each new line forms a word

double acrostic

combining a telostich and an acrostic in the same poem

mesostic

a poem or text arranged so that a vertical phrase intersects lines of horizontal text

N+7

The writer takes a poem that already exists and substitutes every noun with a noun exactly 7 nouns away in the dictionary

snowball

a poem in whcih each line is a single word and each successive word is one letter longer than the previous

lipogram

writing while excluding one or more letters

palindrome

constructing a poem using palindromic techniques. a palindromic poem reads the same forward and backwards

antilipogrammatic

writing only using consonants and a single vowel

oulipo movement

used mathematics to create new writing structures

oulipo means workshop for potential literature

confessional poetry

Primarily focusing on internal thoughts and vulnerabilities of the narrator. Talking about the self, the poetry of the personal or of “I”

deals with private experiences and feelings such as trauma, depression, and death

ekphrasis

a literary device—often poetry or prose—that provides a vivid, dramatic description of a work of visual art, whether real or imagined

pantoum

a series of quatrains where the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next stanza.

the final stanza reuses the first and third lines of the first stanza as the second and fourth lines of the last stanza

ghazal

a poem consisting of 5-15 couplets where the last word of the last line in each couplet is the same and the final couplet often mentions the authors name

history of the ghazal

it has arabic/persian/mele origins

blues poem

african american field song verse

featuring three-line stanzas (often AAB rhyme scheme) that explore themes of struggle, despair, and resilience

a statement is often made in the first line, followed by a variation, and followed by an ironic alternative

duplex poem

a couplet of two lines, the second line is repeated and a new line is added, this is repeated until there are seven couplets of 9-11 syllables each. the first and last lines are the same.

how Jericho Brown created and describes duplexes and the components of it

blends the sonnet, ghazal, and blues poem
The form emphasizes repetition with change, showing how meaning evolves through recurrence, memory, and transformation.

He describes it as something new that carries older traditions within

why is ekphrasis more than just description

it interprets the art and uses its words to create a variety of meanings. it uses personal memories and emotions to connect back to the image, and offers insight into how the author thinks about art

ode

a ceremonious lyric poem addressed to and often celebrating a person, place, thing, or idea

spoken word poetry

any kind of poetry recited outloud

history of spoken word poetry

poetry was always already spoken. it is part of a continuum, from rhapsodes to troubadours to griots, more in between, to rappers.

how does form influence meaning in a sestina

the circular, self-wrapping structure suits poems about conundrum, confusion, and futility. One argument about the form is that it never truly advances, it recirculates through the same words just like the game CLUE

fill in the blanks

Brown - Mood

Black - Speaker

Blue - Syntax

Orange - Diction

White/middle - voice

speaker

narrator, pov, or voice

syntax

how we structure sentences and group words together

diction

word choice

voice

combination of poetic elements that comprise the style of a poem’s speaker

mood

the intersection of speaker, syntax, voice, and diction to set the tone of a poem. it creates the poem’s experience for the reader.

source language

the original language a text is written in

target language

the language that the translator is trying to translate into

literal translation

method of translation that translates each word directly, preserving word order and syntax

comparative translation

analysis or creation of multiple translations of the same text to examine how different choices in language, rhythm, form, and style affects its meaning, tone, and artistic value

anaphora

starting each new line with the same word or phrase

assonance

similar vowel sounds in words near each other

shakespearean sonnet

14 lines. 3 quatrains that set up a problem and a couplet that represents a volta (turn) with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

metapoetical white space

blank spaces can represent the poet’s inability to put things into words, language’s presence is emphasized through blank space

Iconic function of white space

a poem whose typeface and spatial arrangement of the words on a page reflect the poem’s meaning

liminal function of white space

white space acts as a buffer between the poem and the rest of the world

temporal function of white space

using white space to stop time and indicate a pause

consonance

similar consonant sounds in words near each other

metaphor =

vehicle + ground + tenor

vehicle

what the tenor is being compared to/what is being talked about in the metaphor

ground

the shared features between the tenor and vehicle/why the metaphor works and makes sense

tenor

the literal object or thing being talked about in the metaphor

Important things to remember for ode to a maggot

sound, enjambment, personification

the poem is making comments on social stratification and classism