Poetry Terminology
Terms: \n Allegory – an extended metaphor with a literal meaning as well as an underlying meaning
\n Alliteration – a repetition of that same consonant sound in several words in the same sentence.
\n Allusion – a reference to a familiar place, event or person in history, literature, mythology or the bible. \n \n Apostrophe – a figure of speech in which the author addresses: \n a) an inanimate object as if being alive \n b) a dead person as if being alive \n c) an absent person as if being alive
\n Assonance – the repetition of the same vowel sound in two or more closely related words
Consonance – the repetition of final consonant sounds
\n Cacophony – harsh, unpleasant sounds created by diction \n \n Euphony – an effect created that is pleasing to the ear
\n Connotation – an added meaning that suggests something positive or negative
Denotation – the exact, literal, dictionary definition
\n Cliché – an overused expression that has lost its impact.
\n Dialect – the language used by people who live in a particular place or area. (actual different words or expressions used to refer to the same thing.)
\n Figurative Language – language using figures of speech (all the terms)
\n Figure of Speech – saying one thing and meaning another
\n Hyperbole – a bold overstatement or an extreme exaggeration of fact or possibility. \n \n Idiom – a group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words \n \n Imagery – descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses
\n Irony – literal device based on contrast. When the outcome is different from what was expected
\n Juxtaposition – placing words side by side to create an effect (either contrasting or comparing)
\n Metaphor – an implied comparison between two things. The comparison may say that one thing is another thing. \n \n Metre – the measured arrangement of words in poetry (syllables)
\n Metonymy – one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely related \n \n Mood – the emotional feeling of the reader produced from the atmosphere and tome of the text
Onomatopoeia – words that imitate the sound they represent \n \n Oxymoron – a combination of contradicting words \n \n Paradox – a statement that seems to contradict itself but may be true
\n Personification – when non- human things or inanimate objects act as if it has life or human \n characteristics. \n \n Poetry – anything that is not prose
\n Prose – the ordinary form of spoken and written language
\n Pun –a play on words
\n Rhyme – the repetition of sound in different words
\n Rhyme Scheme – is determined by finding syllable that rhyme at the end of lines of poetry. (Any line that ends with the same rhyme should be labelled with the same letter.)
\n Rhythm – the arrangement of beats in a line of poetry
\n Satire – ridicule with the hope of bringing about change
\n Simile – a comparison between two things using “like” or “as” \n \n Stanza – the groups of lines in poetry (the paragraphs of poetry)
\n Symbolism – something that stands for, or has meaning beyond, its literal meaning \n \n Synecdoche – naming a part of something to mean the whole \n \n Theme – the perception or idea about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader; not the same thing as a one-word topic or cliché. \n \n Tone – the speaker’s attitude towards their subject
\n Verse – the group of ideas in poetry (the sentences of poetry)
\n Types of Poetry:
\n Blank Verse - poems that have no regular rhyme scheme but have a rhythm
\n Didactic Poetry – poetry that offers explicit advice or moral lessons
\n Descriptive Poetry – poetry that offers descriptions that appeal directly to our senses. Paints a mental picture.
\n Free Verse – poems that have neither rhyme nor rhythm
\n Haiku – a Japanese poem of three lines (5 / 7 / 5) celebrating the beauty of nature
\n Lyric Poetry – primary purpose is to express emotion. Most poems are lyric in verse, with deeply \n personal; subjective meanings, sometimes presented with music
\n Light Verse – intention is to be humours, clever, and sometimes rude. Often offers perceptive \n observations about human foibles and follies, but always in a playful tone. Uses a lot of pun.
\n Narrative Poetry– any poem that tells a story concerned with contexts (time, place, and situation), and conflict. Often maintains a tight focus on the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, while only suggesting the details of the story.
\n Reflective Poetry – poems that search for deep truths and pose the essential questions of existence. Poets contemplate life and what it means to be human. Reflect on matters of identity and purpose.
\n Satirical Poetry – humours poetry used for the serious purpose of effecting positive change in people or society. \n
Sonnet – two categories: the Italian (Petrarch) and the English (Shakespearean). A formal type of poetry, strict in metre, structure, and rhyme, often dealing with powerful emotions. 14 lines, 10 \n syllables per line and a formal rhyme scheme. Sometimes ending in a rhyming couplet. \n
Numbered Rhyme Schemes: \n - 2 lines = Couplet \n - 3 lines = Tercet \n - 4 lines = Quatrain \n - 5 lines = Cinquain \n - 6 lines = Sestet \n - 7 lines = Septet \n - 8 lines = Octave