English Flashcards
(48 cards)
Form struture
Sonnet
- Deep emotions like love, conflict, or longing, often in a controlled or reflective way (because of the strict structure).
Free verse
- Freedom of thought/ideas
- personal feelings, personal voice
- Free flowing thoughts
- honest to the reader
- ## connected/flowing together
Ballad
Storytelling, often with emotion or drama. It pulls the reader into a narrative, often about love, tragedy.
Structural devices
Juxtaposition
What it is: Placing two contrasting ideas or images side by side.
Impact on meaning: Juxtaposition highlights differences, contradictions, or tensions within the poem. It can create conflict or emphasize a theme, such as the contrast between life and death, love and hate, or happiness and sorrow.
Example: In a poem about war, the juxtaposition of “peace” and “destruction” might emphasize the horror of conflict.
Enjambment
What it is: The continuation of a sentence or phrase beyond the line break, without a pause.
Impact on meaning: Enjambment can create a sense of urgency or flow, making the poem feel more natural or conversational. It also forces the reader to continue to the next line, creating tension or suspense.
Example: In a poem where emotions are building up, enjambment can mirror the flow of thoughts or feelings, making the reader feel the growing intensity.
Caesura
What it is: A pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.
Impact on meaning: Caesura can slow the pace of the poem, creating emphasis on the words around the pause. It can reflect a moment of contemplation, doubt, or separation between ideas or emotions.
Example: In a poem about a broken relationship, a caesura could reflect the emotional pause or gap between the lovers.
Stanza Length
What it is: The number of lines in a stanza and how the stanzas are arranged.
Impact on meaning: The length of stanzas can create a sense of structure or chaos. Short stanzas can make the poem feel quick or fragmented, while longer stanzas can create a more flowing or controlled feeling.
Example: A poem about confinement might use short, abrupt stanzas to reflect the feeling of being trapped, while a poem about freedom might use long, flowing stanzas to represent openness.
Rhyme Scheme
What it is: The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line.
Impact on meaning: Rhyme can create a sense of harmony or rhythm that reinforces the mood of the poem. A regular rhyme scheme can make a poem feel structured or predictable, while irregular rhyme schemes can create a sense of chaos or unpredictability.
Example: A nursery rhyme with a regular, comforting rhyme scheme contrasts with a more unpredictable rhyme scheme in a poem about uncertainty or confusion.
How These Devices Work Together:
These structural devices often work together to build meaning. For instance, enjambment combined with irregular rhyme scheme might create a sense of unpredictability,
while juxtaposition within short stanzas could enhance the feeling of conflict or tension.
Chioce of language
Imagery
What it is: Language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste).
Effect: Helps the reader picture the scene vividly
Shows: Mood, tone, setting, or emotions
Example: “A song as pure as the rain-washed air” – creates a peaceful, fresh image.
Simile
What it is: A comparison using like or as
Effect: Makes descriptions more vivid or relatable.
Shows: How something feels or looks.
Example: “Like an old man” – may suggest tiredness, struggle, or fragility.
Metaphor
What it is: Saying something is something else (not literally).
Effect: Adds deeper meaning and creates strong images.
Shows: Inner feelings, identity, or powerful emotions.
Example: “A flag of surrender” – suggests the woman gave up or accepted her fate.
Personification
What it is: Giving human qualities to objects or animals.
Effect: Makes the scene feel more alive or emotional.
Shows: Connection between humans and nature, or creates sympathy.
Example: The cottage might seem to “belong” to the animals – giving them power.
Alliteration
Alliteration: Repeating consonant sounds (e.g., “soft and silent”).
Effect/shows: adds rhythm, draws attention to specific phrases, and can help set the mood or tone of a poem. The sound of the repeated letter can either soften or intensify a feeling.
example: The silent stream slid slowly through the stones. Here, the repetition of the soft “s” sound creates a quiet, peaceful mood.
Tone
What it is: The poet’s attitude or emotion (e.g., sad, angry.)
Effect: Helps readers understand how the speaker feels.
Shows: Mood of the poem or how the poet wants us to react.
Symbolism
What it is: Using something (like an object or
action) to represent an idea.
Effect: Adds deeper meaning to the poem.
Shows: Themes (like freedom, death, loneliness).
Example: “Ghost-in-waiting” – symbolises the woman slowly fading from life.
‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling
Summery: The poem is like a guide or set of instructions for how to be a strong, good person. The speaker is telling the reader (or might be their son) how to act in different situations to be a better person. They say that when life gets hard, you should stay calm and not let things stress you out. They also say that you should be patient, meaning you shouldn’t rush things or get upset when things take longer than expected. The speaker advises taking responsibility for your actions, meaning you shouldn’t blame others or make excuses. Lastly, they encourage using your time wisely, not wasting it, and making sure you focus on what’s important. Overall, the poem is about how to become a great person by having strong character and making the right choices in tough situations.
Prayer Before Birth’ by Louis MacNeice
Summery: The poem is written as if an unborn baby is speaking from inside the womb. The baby is begging for protection before it is even born. It knows that the world can be a very cruel and dangerous place, so it is asking for help to stay safe and good. The baby wants to be protected from things like hate, violence, and people who might try to control or hurt it. The poem shows how scary the world can be, even for someone who hasn’t been born yet, and it also shows the baby’s wish to grow up kind and stay innocent, even in a world full of bad things.
Blessing’ by Imtiaz Dharker
Summery: The poem is about a poor community where water is a very precious and rare thing. When water finally arrives, it’s seen as a huge gift or “blessing.” The people in this community are going through difficult times, but when they get the water, they celebrate because it means they can survive. Water is not just for drinking — it represents hope and the possibility of a better life. The poem shows how something as simple as water, which many take for granted, can mean so much to those who don’t have easy access to it.
‘Search For My Tongue’ by Sujata Bhatt
Summery: talks about the feeling of losing your native language when you move to a new place or culture. The speaker describes how it feels confusing and uncomfortable to be between two languages — one that feels like home and the other that is needed in the new place. This creates an internal struggle because the speaker feels torn between two parts of their identity. The poem explores how language is connected to who we are, and when we lose touch with it, it can feel like losing a part of ourselves.
‘Half-Past-Two’ by U.A. Fanthorpe
Summery: The poem is about a child who doesn’t understand time very well, especially the idea of “half-past two.” The child tries to make sense of it in a very simple, literal way, but the concept of time is more complicated than they realize. The poem shows how children think about the world in a very straightforward way, without all the adult knowledge and abstract ideas. It highlights how a child sees time differently compared to adults, who understand it in a more complex and abstract manner.
