Download TERMS FOR 3rd SIX WEEKS

POETRY TERMS FOR 3rd SIX WEEKS
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Ex. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
(Edgar Allen Poe, “The Raven”)
Allusion: An indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work.
Ex. The title of Maya Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an allusion to the
poem, “Sympathy” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words.
Modern Ex. “He's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter”
(Marshall Mathers)
Ballad: a type of narrative poem that tells a story and was originally meant to be sung or recited. It has a
setting, plot and characters. They are about ordinary people and who have unusual adventures or
perform daring deeds.
Three types: traditional, literary, and folk.
Blank Verse: unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter. Shakespearean plays are often written in blank
verse.
Couplet: A rhymed pair of lines.
Ex. From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
(Robert Frost, “Fire and Ice)
Diction: A writer or speaker’s choice of words and way of arranging the words in sentences. Can be
characterized as formal or informal, technical or common, abstract or concrete, and literal or figurative.
Elegy: Extended metatative poem in which the speaker reflects on death.
Figurative Language: Language that communicates meaning beyond the literal meaning of the words. Used to
symbolize ideas and concepts they would not normally be associated with. Used by writers to create
effects, to emphasize ideas, and to evoke emotions.
EX. Simile, metaphor, extended metaphor, hyperbole, and personification.
Form: the principles of arrangement in a poem including:
Length of line
Placement of lines
Grouping of lines
Free Verse: poetry that does not contain regular patterns of rhyme or rhythm.
Ex. Billy Collins’ poem “Today”
Hyperbole: (overstatement) a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous
effect.
Iambic Pentameter: a metrical pattern of five feet made up of 2 syllables, the first is unstressed and the
second is stressed.
Ex. “My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand.” (Shakespeare)
Imagery: Descriptive words and phrases that recreate sensory experiences for the reader.
Irony: a special kind of contrast between appearances and reality. 3 types:
Situational: a contrast between what the reader/character expects and what actually happens.
Dramatic: reader or viewer knows something the character does not know.
Verbal: when someone knowingly exaggerates and says one thing but means another.
Line: core unit of a poem. Essential element of a poem’s meaning and rhythm.
Lyric poetry: A short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings. Characterized
by strong melodic rhythm.
Ex. Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B”
Meter: regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. Emphasizes the musical quality of
language.
Ode: A complex lyric poem that develops a serious and dignified theme. Appeals to imagination and intellect.
Paradox: a seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that may suggest an important truth.
Poetry: a type of literature in which words are carefully chosen and arranged to create certain effects.
Quatrain: a four line stanza or group of lines in poetry.
Rhyme: the occurrence of similar or identical sounds at the end of two or more words.
Rhyme Scheme: a pattern of end rhymes in a poem. Noted by assigning a letter of the alphabet to each line.
Rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Sonnet: a lyric poem of fourteen lines, commonly written in iambic pentameter. 2 types: Shakespearean and
Petrarchan.
Stanza: a group of two or more lines that form a unit in a poem comparable to a paragraph.
Symbol: a person, place, object or activity that stands for something beyond itself.
Ex. White dove represents peace.
Theme: the underlying message about life or human nature that the writer wants the reader to understand.
Understatement: a technique of creating emphasis by saying less than is actually or literally true.