Poetry Definitions Flashcards
(30 cards)
Concrete poem
A poem written in the shape of the subject of a poem. Ex If a poem was about a star, the words would be arranged in a star.
Free verse
Poem with no regular pattern of rhyme, meter, or line length
Imagery
Words that help the reader picture or sense what is being described
Irony
When the words are distorted to the point where the opposite meaning is conveyed, difference between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen.
Onomatopoeia/ echoic language/ imitative harmony
A sound word. Ex Fizz, crackle
Metaphor
The comparison of two unlike things without like or as. Ex She is a dead duck.
Personification
Giving human characteristics to a nonhuman thing. Ex The wind whispered to the trees.
Rhyme
The placing of words with similar end sounds close together to emphasize the similarity in their sounds. Ex I think I shall see, a poem as lovely as a tree.
Rhyme scheme
The pattern of rhyme within a stanza or poem, usually shown by marking each similar ending with the same letter of an alphabet.
Simile
The comparison of two unlike things using like or as. Ex She has hair like straw.
Stanza
A division of a poem, paragraph in an essay.
Ballad
A song or poem that tells a story in short stanzas and simple words with repetition
Couplet
a stanza of two lines
Tercel
A stanza of three lines
Quatrain
A stanza of four lines
Cinquain
A stanza of five lines
Sestet
A stanza of six lines
Septet
A stanza of seven lines
Octet/octave
A stanza of eight lines
Sonnet
A poem of 14 lines
Canto
Division of a long poem
Didactic
Poetry intended for instruction
Limerick
A humorous poem of 5 lines (AABBA)
Epic
A long narrative poem about the deeds of a hero
