APULL Poetry Terms

dramatic monologue

a poem or speech in which a fictional character expresses his or her thoughts and feelings within a developing situation

structure

described in terms of stanza, form, and meter

stanza

a group of lines in a poem, considered a unit. often separated by spaces

repetition

the use of sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence more than once

rhythm

the arrangement, or pattern, of accented and unaccented syllables - the "beat"

rhyme scheme

the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem; indicated by using different letters of the alphabet for each new rhyme

rhyme

the repetition of sounds at the end of words

end rhyme

when the rhyming words come at the end of lines

internal rhyme

rhyming words appear in the same line of a poem

meter

the pattern of accented and unaccented syllables that form that basis of the poem's rhythm; \_________ signifies the number of rhythmic beats, or "feet" in a line and the arrangement of accented and unaccented syllables in each foot

eye rhyme

words whose spellings lead you to think that they rhyme (here and where) (move and love)

sonnet

a fourteen-line lyric poem; 3 quatrains and 1 couplet; usually rhyming

Shakespeare sonnet

consists of 3 quatrains and a couplet; a 14-line poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter, abab cdcd efef gg.

quatrain

a stanza or poem made up of four lines with rhythm and rhyme

couplet

a pair of rhyming lines, usually in the same length and meter

iamb

one unstressed and one stressed syllable in a 5-foot line

blank verse

poetry written in unryhmed iambic pentameter

free verse

verse without a regular arrangement of accented and unaccented syllables; it is free of the restrictions of a set rhythmical pattern for each line; movement from line to lines establishes rhythm

figurative languge

writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally; language that uses the three figures of speech metaphor, simile, personification

symbol

something that has its own meaning but that stands for or represents something else

imagery

descriptive language used to create word pictures

apostrophe

the direct address of a person or a personified thing; it often interrupts the discussion

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more words

onomatopeia

the use of words to imitate sounds or suggest a sound; when the pronunciation of a word suggests its meaning

irony

words or events that show reality as different from what people expect

metaphor

a figure of speech comparing one thing to another without using like or as; one thing is said to be another

extended metaphor

as in a regular metaphor, a subject is spoken or written of as though it were something else, though here several comparisons are made

simile

a figure of speech where like or as are used to make a comparison between two unlike ideas

personification

a type of figurative language in which a non-human subject is given human chatacteristics

allusion

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

hyperbole

the use of exaggeration

oxymoron

a paradox reduced to two words usually in an adjective-noun or adverb-adjective relationship (wise fool, act naturally)

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

pun

a play on words based on the similarity of sound between words with different meanings

consonance

the repetition in two or more words of the final consonants in stressed syllables

assonance

the reptition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables

theme

a central message or insight into life

mood

the feeling created in the reader when reading a poem

tone

the writer's attitude toward the audience or subject

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun Ex: "If I could command the wealth of all the world by lifting my finger, I would not pay such a price for it." An AP question might read: "What is the antecedent for "it"?

diction

word choice

Connotation

The associations suggested by a word.

Implied meaning rather than literal meaning. Ex: "policeman," "cop," and "The Man" all denote the same literal meaning of police officer, but each has a different connotation.

Denotation

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. Ex: "Relations between London and Washington have been strained," does not literally mean relations between the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England.

Synecdoche

A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa. Ex: "The cattle rancher owned 500 head." "Check out my new wheels."

Enjambment

the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break. Ex: "I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I / Did, till we loved?"

Caesura

The slight pause or breaks within a line of poetry. Ex: when you say, "Maria has taken a break," you take a breath before further saying, "But Adam did not." Often these are denoted with periods or dashes.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. Ex: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

slant rhyme

When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly, they are merely similar. (worm and swarm)

internal rhyme

When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line. Ex: "To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!"

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. Authors often use juxtaposition of ideas or examples in order to make a point.