POETRY TERMS 1-35 Flashcards
(35 cards)
alliteration
the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, normally at the beginning of words
allusion
a reference in a work of literature to something outside of the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary event, person, or work
antithesis
a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas
ex: “man proposes; God disposes”
apostrophe
a figure of speech in which someone (usually, but not always absent), some abstract quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly addressed as though present
assonance
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
ballad meter
a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
cacophony
a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones
caesura
a pause, usually near the middle of a line or verse, usually indicated by the sense of the line, and often greater than abnormal pause
ex: to err is human, to forgive is divine
conceit
an ingenious and fanciful notion or conception, usually expressed through an elaborate analogy, and pointing to a striking parallel between two dissimilar things
consonance
the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words
ex: born and burn
couplet
a two line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same
devices of sound
the techniques of deploying the sound of words, especially in poetry
(rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia)
diction
the use of words in literary work
didactic poem
a poem intended primarily to teach a lesson
dramatic poem
a poem which employs a dramatic form or some element or elements of dramatic techniques as a means of achieving poetic ends (dramatic monologue)
elegy
a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet’s meditations upon death or another solemn theme
end-stopped
a line with a pause at the end (end with a period, coma, colon, semicolon, exclamation point, or question mark)
enjambment
the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next
extended metaphor
an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem
euphony
a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate
eye rhyme
rhyme that appears correct from spelling, but is half-rhyme or slant rhyme from the pronunciation
ex: watch and match
feminine rhyme
a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, as “waken” and “forsaken”
also called double rhyme
figurative language
writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language or that which is actual or specifically denoted) such as metaphor, irony, and simile
