Literary Terms- Poetry Unit Flashcards
(25 cards)
Metaphor
A comparison not using like or as.
Simile
A comparison using like or as.
Personification
Giving non-human objects human characteristics.
Hyperbole
A big exaggeration.
Alliteration
When two or more words in a line of poetry begin with the same consonant sound.
Internal Rhyme
When two or more rhyming words appear in a line of poetry.
Onomotapoeia
A word that imitates the sound of the object or action it is referring to.
Anaphora
When two or more consecutive lines begin with the same word/words.
Epistrophe
When two or more consecutive lines end with the same word/words.
Rhyming Couplet
A pair of lines that rhyme; they are usually the same length.
Slant Rhyme
A type of rhyme in which vowels are not identical; the two words sound similar, but do not form a true rhyme. (e.g. Gazes and daises; river and ever.)
Repetition
The repeating of a word or phrase for emphasis or rhythmic effect.
Theme
The message that the poet is attempting to get across his or her reader.
Tone
The writer’s and or speaker’s attitude towards his or her readers on his or her subject. A writer can be happy, playful, frustrated, sarcastic, etc.
Mood
The feeling or atmosphere of a poem.
Irony
Situational Irony- An occurrence that is the opposite of what was expected.
Verbal Irony- The author says one thing that means the opposite.
Imagery
Words and phrases that evoke images or sensory experiences in a reader’s mind.
Allusion
A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, etc.
Stanza
A section of a poem; a stanza is named for the number of lines it contains.
Sonnet
A poem consisting of 14 lines of pentameter (usually iambic, meaning that every second syllable is stressed.)
Free Verse
Poetry that does not have a regular rhyme, scheme, or meter.
Rhyme Scheme
Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of rhyme a poem follows. Rhyming words are depicted using letters.
Meter
A line of poetry is named according to the number of feet is contains. (e.g. Monometer- one foot; dimeter- two feet; tetrameter- four feet; pentameter- five feet; hexameter- six feet; heptameter- seven feet; octometer- eighth feet.)
Foot
In poetry, a foot means two syllables. The most common type of foot is an iambic foot, which is composed of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. (e.g. Mi-chelle)
