literary devices Flashcards
(29 cards)
contrast
The placement of opposing ideas, images, or concepts next to each other to highlight their differences.
repetition
The deliberate reuse of words, phrases, or structures to create emphasis or reinforce meaning.
personification
Giving human qualities or emotions to non-human objects, animals, or ideas to enhance imagery and meaning.
allusion
A reference to another literary work, historical event, or cultural concept.
mood
The emotional atmosphere of a poem.
language
Tone, imagery, rhythm, and diction reveal meaning and perspective.
structure
Arrangement of stanzas, lines and punctuation.
context
the poets context and the readers context shape how we interpret poetry.
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate sounds, example - the bees buzzed, and the leaves rustled.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds within words
Alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds with or at the end of words
Sibilance
type of consonance where repeated ‘s’ sounds create a whispering or sooting effect
Plosive sounds
Short, sharp bursts of air create punchy, percussive effects
Fricatives
Can sound aggressive or forceful (depending on context)
End-stop lines
lines that conclude with punctuation, creating a natural pause
Refrain
a repeated line or phrase in a poem, serving to add emphasis to that line or phrase
Monostich
a stanza with one line
couplet
A stanza with two lines
tercet
A stanza with three lines
quatrain
A stanza with four lines
free-verse
A form of poetry that lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, meter (rhythm) or structured stanza pattern, allowing for natural speech and creative expression
imagery
descriptive language that creates a sense of realism in the reader’s mind
metaphor
a figure of speech that compares two different things as one another
