Literary elements part 2

Tone

The writer's or speaker's attitude toward their subject.

Understatement

Presenting something as much less important than it actually is. (Example- Saying "It rained a bit" during a massive flood)

Ballad

A narrative poem originally set to music telling a simple story.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

Cacophony

The intentional use of harsh, discordant sounds. (Example- "Krag, clack, screeching iron against stone")

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words. (Example- "All's well that ends well")

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of verse that rhyme and share the same meter.

Dimeter

A line of verse consisting of two metrical feet.

Dramatic Poem

A poem that uses dialogue or monologue to tell a story through a character.

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet

A 14-line poem in iambic pentameter with an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme.

Euphony

The intentional use of soft, harmonious sounds. (Example- "Mellow, silver bells")

Free Verse

Poetry that does not follow a fixed rhyme scheme or regular meter.

Hexameter

A line of verse consisting of six metrical feet.

Iamb

A metrical foot of one unstressed followed by one stressed syllable. (Example- "a-bove")

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme involving words within the same single line of verse. (Example- "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary")

Lyric Poem

A short poem expressing the personal emotions of a single speaker.

Meter

The patterned, rhythmic structure of syllables in a line of poetry.

Monometer

A line of verse consisting of only one metrical foot.

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a full story with characters and a plot.

Ode

A formal lyric poem written to praise a specific person or object.

Pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet (10 syllables).

Quatrain

A stanza or poem section consisting of four lines.

Rhyme Scheme

The set pattern of rhymes at the end of lines in a poem. (Example- ABAB)

Sestet

A stanza or poem section consisting of six lines.

Soliloquy

A dramatic speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud alone on stage.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem usually written in iambic pentameter with a structured rhyme scheme.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines within a poem separated by a line break (a poetic paragraph).

Tercet

A stanza or section of a poem consisting of three lines.

Terza Rima

An Italian verse form of interlocking three-line stanzas with an ABA BCB rhyme scheme.

Tetrameter

A line of verse consisting of four metrical feet.

Trimeter

A line of verse consisting of three metrical feet.

Trochee

A metrical foot of one stressed followed by one unstressed syllable. (Example- "Double, double, toil and trouble")

Stream-of-consciousness

A literary style capturing a character's continuous, unfiltered flow of thoughts.

Tragedy

A serious drama depicting the downfall of a main character due to a fatal flaw.

Plot

The sequence of interconnected events that make up a story.

Conflict

The central struggle between opposing forces that drives a story.