Renaissance POK: Poetry Terms Part I

Poetry

A literary form that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning.

Theme

The central idea or underlying message in a literary work.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created by a literary work.

Speaker

The voice or persona that narrates the poem.

Diction

The choice of words and style of expression used by the author.

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word.

Connotation

The implied or suggested meanings and associations of a word beyond its literal definition.

Genre

A category of literature characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Poetic Structure/Form

The physical arrangement of lines, stanzas, and overall layout of a poem.

Rhythm

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounds at the end of lines in poetry.

Sound Devices

Literary techniques that utilize the auditory qualities of language (alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia...)

Rhetorical Devices

Techniques used to persuade or convey meaning. (metaphors, similes, hyperbole...)

Imagery

Descriptive language that evokes sensory experiences.

Pastoral

Literary work that idealizes rural life and landscapes. Often shepherds and nature.

Epic

Long narrative poem that recounts the adventures and deeds of heroic figures.

Lyric

A short poem expressing personal emotions or thoughts, typically in a musical style.

Dramatic Monologue

A poem in which a single speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing their thoughts and feelings.

Narrative

A form of poetry that tells a story w/ characters, a plot, and a setting.

Allegory

Narrative that uses symbolic figures and actions to convey deeper moral, spiritual, or political meanings.

Ode

Formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and praises a person, place, thing, or idea.

Elegy

A mournful poem, typically written in remembrance of someone who has died, reflecting on loss and sorrow.

Metaphor

Comparison between two unlike things by stating that one is the other.

Simile

Compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Personification

Human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts.

Metonymy

One word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.

Synecdoche

A part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statement used for emphasis or effect.

Oxymoron

Combines two contradictory terms for effect.

Understatement

Speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

Litotes

Form of understatement that uses double negatives or a positive statement expressed by negating its opposite.

Ambiguity

The quality of being open to more than one interpretation.

Pun

Word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similarity in sound for humorous or rhetorical effect.

Paradox

Statement that appears contradictory or absurd but may reveal a deeper truth.

Ellipsis

Omission of one or more words that are understood in the context, often used to create suspense or brevity.

Apostrophe

The speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing.

Antithesis

Rhetorical device that contrasts opposing ideas in a balanced or parallel construction.

Caesura

Pause in a line of poetry, often occurring in the middle of a line, which creates a rhythm or emphasizes a point.

Inversion

The normal order of words is reversed.

Allusion

Reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Symbol

An object, character, figure, or color used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words or syllables.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, often used to create rhythm or enhance mood. (vowels)

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity, typically at the end or middle of words. (non-vowels)

Onomatopoeia

A word that phonetically imitates or resembles the sound it describes.

Euphony

A harmonious and pleasant combination of sounds in speech or writing.

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, often used to convey chaos or discomfort.