Poetry Terms Review

Poetry Terms

• Alliteration

  • Definition: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in close words.

  • Example: "Peter Piper picked a peak of pickled peppers."

• Connotation

  • Definition: The emotional associations or implied meanings attached to a word beyond its literal definition.

  • Example: The word "home" connotes warmth, family, and safety.

• Denotation

  • Definition: The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

  • Example: The denotation of "blue" is the color blue.

• Hyperbole

  • Definition: The exaggeration of a phrase.

  • Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

• Metaphor

  • Definition: A comparison without using "like" or "as," using "is."

  • Example: "The classroom was a zoo."

• Extended Metaphor

  • Definition: A metaphor developed over several lines, paragraphs, or an entire poem.

  • Example: "Hope is the thing with feathers."

• Mood

  • Definition: What the reader feels when reading a poem.

  • Example: The poem was joyful.

• Tone

  • Definition: What the poet wants the reader to feel.

  • Example: A sarcastic tone in the narrator's voice.

• Personification

  • Definition: Giving non-human things human traits.

  • Example: "The wind whistled in the storm."

• Imagery

  • Definition: Language that appeals to the senses.

  • Example: "A symphony of chirping crickets" (sound).

Types of Imagery

• Auditory Imagery

  • Definition: Describes sound.

  • Example: "The guzzle of bacon."

• Gustatory Imagery

  • Definition: Describes taste.

  • Example: "A sweet burst of apple juice."

• Olfactory Imagery

  • Definition: Describes smell.

  • Example: "The musty scent of old books."

• Tactile Imagery

  • Definition: Describes touch.

  • Example: "The touch of the play dough."

• Visual Imagery

  • Definition: Describes sight.

  • Example: "The cloudless sky."