Poetry Terms

why.

Speaker

the narrator

Subject

what the poem is about

Theme

the central idea or message of the poem

Imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the reader’s senses

Figurative Language

using words in a non-literal way

Simile

a comparison between objects using “like” or “as”

Personification

to give non-human things human characteristics

Apostrophe

addressing an absent (or dead) person as though they were present

Metaphor

a comparison between objects not using “like” or “as”

Symbol

an object that represents another object

Tone

the emotion of the poem

Meter

pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Metonymy

a word/phrase used to represent something closely related

Synecdoche

a part used to represent the whole (or vice versa)

Paradox

an apparent contradiction with an element of truth

Consonance

the repetition of the same consonant sounds in nearby words

Assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words

Internal Rhyme

a rhyme within a single line/verse

Connotation

implied meaning a word is given beyond its literal definition

Denotation

the literal definition of a word

Rhyme Scheme

deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme

Stanza

a grouping of lines within a poem

Analogy

comparison between unrelated objects to explain a concept/idea

Syntax

sentence structure

Anachronism

the incorrect placement of a person/object/event in a historical time period

Diction

specific word choice used to create meaning/tone

Oxymoron

a contradiction in terms

Onomatopoeia

a word used to imitate the sound it describes

Motif

repetition of a symbol

Irony

the intended meaning is different from the literal meaning of a statement/situation

Hyperbole

an overstatement

Meiosis

an understatement

Alliteration

the repetition of the same sound

Audience

the readers/listeners of the poem

Allusion

an indirect reference to a historical person or event

Enjambment

ongoing poetry without any pauses/punctuation

Juxtaposition

two things being placed together with contrasting effect