Poetry defined
A kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to our emotions and imagination
Narrative
a story told in verse form; an epic is a narrative poem
Lyric
A fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter, having one of several rhyme schemes
Sonnet
A fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter, having one of several rhyme schemes
English sonnet or Shakespearean sonnet
(14 lines) Three quatrains followed by a couplet The most common rhyme scheme for this sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg
Italian sonnet or Petrarchan sonnet
(14 lines) An octave, which typically rhymes abbaabba, and a sestet, which may have varying rhyme schemes. Common rhyme patterns in the sestet are cdecde, cdcdcd, and cdccdc.
Ballad
a type of poem that is meant to be sung and is both lyric and narrative in nature
Simile
Two dissimilar things are compared using words such as “like,” “as,” “than,” or “resembles”
Metaphor
Two dissimilar things are compared WITHOUT using words such as “like,” “as,” “than,” or “resembles”
Direct metaphor
Directly compares two things with a verb such as “is”
Implied metaphor
Suggests a comparison WITHOUT using “is”
Extended metaphor
metaphor that is developed over several lines of writing
Synecdoche
A kind of metaphor in which a part of something is used to signify the whole.
Dead metaphor
a metaphor that has become so overused that we no longer realize that is a figure of speech—we simply skip over the metaphorical connection it makes.
Mixed metaphor
The inconsistent mixture of two or more metaphors; a common problem in bad writing, and they can often be unintentionally funny
Personification
Giving human or animate qualities to nonhuman or inanimate things
Apostrophe
Addressing something nonhuman as if it were human
Symbol
Something concrete used to represent something abstract
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for the sake of effect, for emphasis, not to be taken literally; overstatement
Imagery
language that appeals to the five senses. The word image perhaps most often suggests a mental picture and visual imagery is the most frequently occurring kind of imagery in poetry. But an image may also represent a sound, a smell, a taste, a tactile experience, and an internal sensation.
Literary allusion
A reference to a person, place, or thing from previous literature
Irony
Saying the opposite of what is true
Antithesis
Balancing or contrasting one thing against another for effect
Paradox
An apparent contradiction which proves, upon closer examination, to be true
Alliteration
The repetition of the initial consonant sound in two or more words in a line of verse
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds that are NOT at the beginning of words in a line of verse
Assonance
The similarity or repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words with different consonant sounds
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that imitate the sounds they define
Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase within a poem
Reasons to use:
Pleasing to the ear
Emphasizes idea
Gives poem structure
Reasons to use:
Pleasing to the ear
Emphasizes idea
Gives poem structure
Refrain
The repetition of one or more phrases or lines at definite intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza
Stanza
A group of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single unit; a division of a poem that is often referred to as a “paragraph of poetry”
Stanza Forms
Couplet 2 line stanza
Triplet 3 line
Quatrain 4 line
Quintet 5 line
Sestet 6 line
Septet 7 line
Octave 8 line
9 line stanza
10 line stanza
Triplet 3 line
Quatrain 4 line
Quintet 5 line
Sestet 6 line
Septet 7 line
Octave 8 line
9 line stanza
10 line stanza
Rhyme
The similarity or likeness of sound in two or more words
Perfect rhyme
(exact rhyme) involves sounds that are exactly the same
Imperfect rhyme
(approximate or slant rhyme) involves words that sound similar, but are not exactly the same
Eye rhyme
Depends on spelling rather than sound; words that look like they should rhyme, but do not
End rhyme
Occurs between words found at the ends of two or more lines in a poem
Internal rhyme
Between words, occurs within a single one of poetry
Rhyme scheme
The pattern or sequence in which end rhyme occurs throughout a poem. The first end sound is represented with an “a,” the second end sound is represented with a “b,” and so on. When the first sound is repeated at the end of another line within the poem, it is also designated as “a.”
Rhythm
The pattern of stressed ( ) and unstressed ( ) syllables in words in a line of poetry; rhythm may be regular or irregular
Meter
A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Foot
A unit of meter; can consist of two or three syllables; lines of poetry are classified according to the number of feet in a line
Scansion
The process of marking lines of poetry to show the type of feet and the number of feet they contain
Iambic foot
A two syllable foot with the stress on the second syllable; the most common foot of the English language
Trochaic foot
A two syllable foot with the stress on the first syllable
Spondaic foot
Two stressed syllables
Pyrric foot
Two unstressed syllables; this type of foot is rare and is found in between other types of feet
Anapestic foot
Three syllables with the stress on the last syllable
Dactylic foot
Three syllables with the stress on the first syllable
Metrical lines
Monometer: 1 foot per line
Dimeter: 2 feet per line
Trimeter: 3 feet per line
Tetrameter: 4 feet per line
Pentameter: 5 feet per line
Hexameter: 6 feet per line
Heptameter: 7 feet per line
Octameter: 8 feet per line
Dimeter: 2 feet per line
Trimeter: 3 feet per line
Tetrameter: 4 feet per line
Pentameter: 5 feet per line
Hexameter: 6 feet per line
Heptameter: 7 feet per line
Octameter: 8 feet per line
Rhymed verse
Consists of a verse with end rhyme and regular meter
Blank verse
Consists of unrhymed iambic pentameter
Free verse
Consists of lines of poetry that do not have a regular rhythm and do not rhyme
Denotation
The literary, dictionary definition of a word.
Both “slender” and “skinny” have the same literal definition—”thin.”
Both “slender” and “skinny” have the same literal definition—”thin.”
Connotation
All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
