Literary Devices and Terminology

These flashcards cover key literary terms and devices useful for understanding and analyzing poetry.

Cacophony

Harsh, loud sounds; a chaotic or unpleasant mixture of noise.

Euphony

Pleasing or harmonious sounds that are melodious.

Caesura

A pause in the middle of a line of poetry.

Enjambment

Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line or stanza.

Refrain

A phrase or line repeated at intervals in a poem, usually after a stanza.

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or verses.

Epistrophe

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive lines or verses.

Alliteration

Repetition of the initial consonant sounds in a series of words.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words to create emphasis or musicality.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a phrase.