poetry terms mrs. martin english. alliteration the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning...
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Poetry Terms
Mrs. Martin
English
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
EX: Polly’s pink pajamas
Allusion
Referring to another work of literature or art
Analogy
a point-by-point comparison between two things that are alike in some respect.
Assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds within nonrhyming words.
Ballad
a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or
recited
Blank Verse
unrhymed poetry written in iambic
pentameter
Character
the people who take part in the action
Connotation
the attitudes and feelings
associated with a word
Consonance
a recurrence or repetition of consonants especially at the end of stressed syllables without the similar correspondence of vowels
ex. “stroke” and “luck”
Couplet
A pair of lines working as a unit
in a poem(may or may not rhyme)
Couplet Example:
Into my empty head there comea cotton beach, a dock wherefrom
Denotation
the dictionary definition of a
word
Elegy
A lyric poem of mourning—a
reflection on the death of someone or on a
sorrow.
Epic
a long narrative poem about the adventures of a
hero whose actions reflect the ideals and
values of a nation or race
Form
the way a poem is laid out on the page – the length and placement of the lines and the grouping of lines into
stanzas
Free Verse
poetry that does not contain a regular
pattern of rhyme and meter
Haiku
Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly
evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of
the seasons.
Iambic Pentameter
a metrical line of five feet, or units, each of which is made up of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second
stressed
Imagery
descriptive words and phrases that re-create
sensory experiences for the reader
Irony
special kind of contrast between appearance and
reality – usually one in which reality is the opposite from
what it seems
Lyric
a short poem in which a single speaker
expresses personal thoughts and feelings
Metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison
between two things that are basically unlike but that have something in
common
Octave (OK-TAVE)
An eight-line stanza in a poem. Most often associated with the first 8 lines of an Italian sonnet.
May also be used for a poem consisting of only 8 lines.
Onomatopoeia
the use of words whose
sounds suggest their
meaning
Crunch Bam Pow Buzz Snap
Parallelism
the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are
related or equal in importance
Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet
a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with
one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.
Poetry
a type of literature in which words are
chosen and arranged to create a certain
effect
Quatrain
Four line stanza in a poem working
together as a unit(may or may not rhyme)
Repetition
a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis
Rhyme
the occurrence of a similar or identical sound at the
ends of two or more words, such as suite, heat, and complete
Rhyme Scheme
the pattern of end rhyme in a poem
rhythm
Rhythm is a musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and
unstressed syllables. Rhythm occurs in all forms of language, both written and spoken, but is particularly important in
poetry
Sestet (Ses-Tet)
6 line stanza in a poemMost often used to describe the second
division of an Italian Sonnet which usually indicates the personal emotion of the author about the situation presented in the octaveSestet—situation Octave—emotionSestet—problem Octave--solution
Shakespearean (English) Sonnet
a sonnet form used by Shakespeare and having the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd,
efef, gg.
easily recognized by fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. There are three four line verses with their own rhyme scheme ending with a two line rhyming couplet or
conclusion.
simile
a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she
is like a rose.”
sonnet
a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes.
Speakers
The voice that talks to the reader
Stanza
A group of lines in a poem.
Point of view
The perspective from which a story is told.
theme
Central Ideas explored by a literary work