English 09 Poetry Terms

assonance

assonance

repetition of similar vowel sounds usually found in the middle of a sentence

consonance

repetition of similar consonant sounds usually found at the end of a sentence

archetype

A basic model from which copies or imitations are made; a prototype

ex: byronic hero, hero, matriarch, Romeo

Alliteration

repetition of same/similar sounds at the beginning of words (usually words following each other directly)

Apostrophe

-A figure of speech sometimes represented by and through the exclamation, “O.”

-Writer or speaker using Apostrophe, detaches him or herself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in the narrative.

-A poem directly addressed to a person or a thing, which is usually absent.

Antagonist

The character, force, or drama that causes the conflict that opposes the protagonist

represents the opponent

Antithesis

a literary device that places opposite words, ideas, or qualities parallel to each other.

The contrast between them creates greater emphasis and clarity.

Their parallel structure provides a memorable rhythm

ex: hero and antihero

Anaphora

-Often used in political speeches and occasionally in prose and poetry,

- the repetition of a word(s)at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines to create a sonic effect.

refrain, but throughout, as in this passage when he repeats the phrase “go back to”

ex: I Have A Dream Speech by MLK

Epic

A long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure.

ex: Odyssey and Illiad

Elegy

A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful.

Epithet

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing or denoting a quality or characteristic of the person (or thing) mentioned.

Personification

A figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes

ex: ‘blind justice.’

Simile

A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word “like” or “as.”

Homeric (epic) simile

A detailed/complex comparison in the form of a simile that often describes an event, especially with respect to the setting.

Typically very a few sentences long

Paradox

figure of speech that is self-contradictory to illuminate the truth

Metaphor

A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

two things are compared

stream of consciousness

use of a central consciousness in narration

takes a reader inside a character’s mind to reveal perceptions, thoughts, and feelings on a conscious, subconscious, or unconscious level.

can often be fragmented because its the perspective of the mind

In Medias Res (in the middle thing)

narrative technique where the story begins at the midpoint or conclusion.

establishes conflict, setting, characters, and word building via flashbacks or expository conversations

used to open the story dramatically

ex: Odyssey

Limerick

A light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba

Lyric

A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style

Chronological

follows a linear pattern from start to finish (one event procedes another)

Dramatic poem

a poem written in verse (meaning it possesses a metrical rhythm or rhyme) that is meant to

portray a story or situation.

Oftentimes acted out, either as a play or as a single monologue

Foil

character who’s job is to contrast beliefs and values of another character in order to highlight the feelings of a another character.

ex: Blanch Ingram to Jane Eyre

Protagonist

main character of a story.

makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles

Onomatopoeia

words are used to imitate sounds.

ex: buzz, forlorn, woof, hiss, tick-tock

Gothic literature

A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terror pervades the action. The setting is often a dark, mysterious castle, where ghosts and sinister humans roam menacingly.

typically uses the architecture, weather, mystery, prophecy, omens, scared women, secrete passages, etc.

Bildungsroman

A German word meaning novel of development.

novel of the maturation of a youthful character, typically brought about through conflicts, struggles, and social encounters.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part.

ex: “all hands on deck”

“get your butt over here”

“Boston beat New York”

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis.

ex: waiting for ages

floods of tears

tons of money

Irony

A literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true.

Verbal Irony

figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing but means the opposite.

Sarcasm is a strong form of verbal irony that is calculated to hurt someone through, for example, false praise.

ex: you drop your books and say “great, just what i needed!”

Dramatic Irony

The audience knows something that the character doesn’t.

ex: Odyessey; we know where Odysseus is while Telemachus is trying to find him

Tragic Irony

Situational irony exists when there is not harmony between what is expected to happen and what actually happens due to forces

Cosmic Irony

things happen because of a higher power; God, deities, destiny, fate (most rare irony)

Tone

The author’s implicit attitude toward the reader or the people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the elements of the author’s style. Tone may be characterized as serious or ironic, sad or happy, private or public, angry or affectionate, bitter or nostalgic, or any other attitude, sentiment, and feeling that human beings experience.

Imagery

a word, phrase, or figure of speech (especially a simile or a metaphor) that addresses the senses, suggesting mental imagery of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings, or actions. Images create sensory impressions for the reader and also convey emotions and moods through their authorial intention. Imagery can often underscore, contribute to, or heighten our understanding of symbolism, a theme, or mood.

Iambic pentameter

A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line.

(The prefix penta- means “five,” as in pentagon, a geometrical figure with five sides.

Meter refers to rhythmic units.

In a line of iambic pentameter, there are five rhythmic units that are iambs.)

Sonnet

A lyric poem that is fourteen (14) lines long.

Italian: divided into __two quatrain__s and a six-line “sestet,” with the rhyme scheme abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd).

English (or Shakespearean): three quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. English sonnets are written generally in iambic pentameter

Metonymy

figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.

ex: Hollywood refers to the city but also the movie industry