Poetic Devices

alliteration

the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely words near close to each other

allusion

A brief reference to a real or fictional person, event, place, or work of art.

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in a chunk of text.

ballad

a poem that tells a story

consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels, in a chunk of text.

diction

The writer's specific word choice.

enjambment

A line having no end punctuation but runs over to the next line (kind of feels like a run-on sentence, but in poetry!)

free verse

poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter

metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two things without using connecting words, such as "like" or "as."

meter

The measured arrangement of sounds/beats in a poem, including the poet's placement of emphasis and the number of syllables per line.

onomatopoeia

A word that sounds like what it means.

Ex: buzz, click, bang, sizzle

rhythm

The recurrence of stressed and unstressed sounds in poetry. Depending on how sounds are arranged, this may be fast or slow, choppy or smooth.

simile

A figure of speech that makes an indirect comparison between two things using connecting words, such as "like" or "as."

stanza

A unified group of lines in poetry. This is often marked by spacing between sections of the poem.

symbol

An object or action that means something more than its literal meaning.

theme

a universal message about humanity in a literary work

tone

The attitude the poem's speaker (this may or may not be the actual poet) takes towards a subject or character: serious, humorous, sarcastic, concerned, solemn, etc.

verse

A single line of poetry.

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Repetition

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

Turn / Volta

the shift or point of dramatic change in a poem

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end of 2 lines

Slant Rhyme/Near Rhyme

Rhyme that is similar but not exactly the same. (ex. sun/noon, should/food)

Anaphora

the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of each line

rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhyme in a poem

Paradox

a seemingly contradictory idea or statement that may actually be true (ex. If I know one thing, it's that I know nothing.)

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Imagery

language that appeals to the senses

speaker

the narrator of a poem

line break

Where a line of poetry ends