standard forms of poems & figures of speech

lyric poem

a short poem expressing thoughts & feelings of one speaker, often in first person, traditionally songlike

narrative poem

storytelling poem

ballad

storytelling song

folk ballad

anonymous storytelling song, transmitted orally before written down

literary ballad

ballad not meant for singing, written by a sophisticated poet for educated readers, tells of dramatic conflicts or mortals encountering supernatural

epic

long narrative poem, often tracing adventures of a legendary/mythic hero

dramatic monologue

poem written as a speech made by a character to a silent audience/character. given at some decisive moment

tone

mood or manner of expression in literature, what makes the speaker's attitude toward something clear

persona

speaker of poem that isn't the poet, a fictional character

irony

manner of speaking that implies discrepancy

ironic point of view

speaker says one thing, but we suspect the speaker means something else, can be seen as exaggeration/symbolism for deeper meanings

verbal irony

words say one thing but mean something else/the opposite

sarcasm

bitter verbal irony, subtle jabs at something or someone

dramatic irony

a situation in a play where the character has limited knowledge & says/does/encounters something with greater meaning than intended. when the audience is aware of something, but character is not

cosmic irony / "irony of fate"

contrast between character's position/aspiration and treatment received by a hostile fate, fate may be personified

allusions

indirect references to any person, place, or thing - historical, fictitious, or actual

Latinate diction

words coming from Latin instead of Old English, often more precise & nuanced and can sound more proper/posh

Imagery

an image occurring in a single word, phrase, sentence, or entire short poem - often useful to evaluate poem's entire imagery rather than one portion

haiku

3 unrhymed lines (5, 7, 5) depending on imagery for message, usually focusing on nature. looks outwards rather than inwards at emotions and sparked movement towards concise, direct, imagistic poetry

metaphor

statement/comparison that one thing is something else when it is not.

metaphor EXAMPLE

"my love is a red rose"

simile

statement/comparison that one thing is like something else, uses "like, as, than, resembles"

simile EXAMPLE(S)

"my love is like a red rose"
"my love resembles a rose"
"my love is redder than a rose"

implied metaphor

metaphor that doesnt use a connective or "to be" verb, doesn't directly compare but implies it

implied metaphor EXAMPLE

"my love has red petals and sharp thorns"

personification

when a thing, animal, or abstract term (truth, nature, etc.) is made human or referred to as one

apostrophe

a way of addressing someone or something invisible or not ordinarily spoken to (ex: deceased person, an object, etc.), often announces lofty/serious tone.

overstatement/hyperbole

exaggeration of a situation or feelings, used for emphasis and humor

understatement/litotes

form of irony, describes something as way less than it is

euphony

words working together of pleasing sounds

cacophony

words working together for harsh, discordant sounds

onomatopoeia

words mimicking the way something sounds

alliteration

a succession of repeated consonant sounds

initial alliteration

alliteration at the beginning of words

internal alliteration

alliteration within inner syllables, alliteration with same beginning sound but different beginning letter (know, nail)

assonance

a succession of repeated vowel sounds

initial assonance

assonance at the beginning of words

internal assonance

assonance within inner syllables

symbol

concrete object representing an abstract idea

allegory

a system of symbols that can be taken literally and symbolically

myth

system of religious or cultural meaning-making

archetype

basic image/character/situation/symbol that appears so often in literature & legend it creates universal response (ex: cruel stepmother, trickster, Christ-figure)

anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at beginning of successive clauses

envoy

short concluding stanza that summarizes or comments on a poem

volta

turn & vital part of almost all poems