Poetry Lesson 2 Terms

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words next to each other (initial consonant sounds), such as roof/ruthlessness, brain/British

Cliche

An expression or phrase that has lost ingenuity and impact and become commonplace by long overuse.

Dead Metaphor

A metaphor with which we have become so familiar we are no longer aware that it is a metaphor.

Extended Metaphor

A sustained comparison in which the whole poem consists of a series of related metaphors, or a single metaphor stretched throughout the whole poem. It is also called a conceit.

Personification

a metaphor that gives human characteristics to something that is not human

Rhythm

The beat of the words together; the recurrence of movement and sound; the way in which sounds move; the rise and fall of words together.

Smile

A metaphor or comparison that uses like or as

Tone

The attitude of the poem, of the poet toward the subject of the poem; the emotional atmosphere of the poem.