Poetry Terms
Poetry- a type of literature that uses very
concise (very brief; using few words), musical, and emotionally charged words.
Poetic
Language:
- Figurative
Language-not the
literal meaning; interpreted imaginatively
- Simile-comparison between two unlike things using like or as
It rained like cats and
dogs.
- Metaphor- comparison between two things
without using like or as; one thing is spoken of as being another
Death is a long sleep
- Personification- giving objects human qualities
or characteristics
The moon sighed; The
trees danced
- Hyperbole- Extreme exaggeration
A nose the size of a
house
- Imagery- use of vivid language to create
word pictures for the reader. Uses sensory language appealing to smell,
taste, feel, sound, sight.
- Symbol- something that has a meaning
and also represents or stands for something else.
- Devices-
- Alliteration- repetition of the first sound
of several words. Example: “start
their silent swinging”
- Onomatopoeia-use of words to imitate actual sounds. Example: “bang, tap, swish”
- Assonance-repetition of similar vowel
sounds. Example: “deep, beneath, dreamless”;
At, Ask
- Consonance- repetition of similar
consonant sounds at end of accented syllables. Example: “spurt of a lighted match”;
Will-Wall
- Repetition
– repeating a
word
- Rhyme
– repetition of
sounds at the end of words
i. End
rhyme- rhyming words
at ends of lines
ii. Internal
rhyme- rhyming words
are within the line
Rhyme:
A.
Rhyme Scheme- A regular rhyming pattern of words
in a poem (Usually found at the end of the lines)
Mary
had a little lamb A
Its
fleece was white as snow B
Everywhere
that Mary went, C
The
lamb was sure to go B
B.
Rhyme Scheme of a Shakespearean Sonnet:
A,B,A,B C,D,C,D= the first 8 lines (an OCTET)
E,F,E,F
= The last 6 lines are a SESTET
G,G=
RHYMING COUPLET
C.
Couplet- A pair of consecutive rhyming lines
Rhythm:
- Rhythm- the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables or beats in the lines
- Meter- the rhythmical pattern of a
poem. This pattern is determined by the number and types of stresses, or beats,
in each line.
- Foot-
each group of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line.
- Lines are described in terms of
the number of feet that occur in them
- Monometer-1 foot
- Dimeter-2 feet
- Trimeter-3 feet
- Pentameter- 5 feet
Poetic Structures:
1. Refrain- phrase or word that his repeated
regularly in a poem
2. Stanza- groups of lines that form units in a poem (like a
paragraph)
- Blank
verse- poetry
written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
When I / see birch/ es
bend/ to left/ and right
Across/ the lines/ of straight/ er dark/ er trees
Iambic pentameter- Lines
of poetry with 5 Iambic feet; each with one unstressed followed by one stressed
syllable (see example above)
- Free
verse-verse not
written in formal rhythmical pattern
Types of Poetry:
- Ballad- a poem intended to be sung;
tells a story
- Haiku-
three line verse
form; (Japanese Poem)
first
line has five syllables,
second
line has seven syllables
Third
line has five syllables.
A
haiku tries to convey a single vivid emotion with images from nature.
- Lyric
poetry- poetry
expressing the observations and feelings of a single speaker. Never tells
full story; zeroes in on an experience or creates and explores a single
effect.
(Lyrics- Also words of a song)
- Narrative- type of poem that tells a story.
- Sonnet-
fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written
in rhymed iambic pentameter.
(Most common:
Shakespearean sonnet; Elizabethan sonnet)
- Concrete
Poetry- A poem with a shape that suggest it’s subject
