Poetry Terms and Figurative Language Flashcards
(14 cards)
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at
the beginning of adjacent or closely connected
words.
Ex: Sally sold seashells by the seashore.
Allusion
A reference to a famous person, place, event, or work of literature. It is something that is in most cases widely known by all people.
Ex:
“You’re being such a Scrooge right now! The event isn’t even that expensive.”
“Chocolate cake is my Achille’s heel.”
“We have a new Einstein in school.”
Diction
The author’s specific word choice.
Enjabment
This occurs when one line ends without a pause or any punctuation and continues onto the next line.
Ex:
If this were a poem,
this would be
an example of the technique.
Free Verse
Poetry that does not rhyme or have a measurable meter
Metaphor
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things WITHOUT using connecting words, such as “like” or “as.”
Ex: “Love is a battlefield,” “A blanket of snow,” “Life is a highway.”
Meter
The measured arrangement of sounds/beats in a poem, including the poet’s placement of emphasis and the number of syllables per line.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that mimic sounds.
Examples: Boom, ka-chow, chug, sigh, buzz, zap, gulp, cuckoo, sizzle.
Simile
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things USING “like” or “as.”
Examples:
Ogres are like onions.
Her eyes were as cold as ice.
My love is like a red, red rose
Stanza
A unified group of lines in poetry. This is often marked by spacing between sections of the poem
Ex: “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns has FOUR stanzas in the poem.
Symbol
An object or action that means something more than its literal meaning.
Ex: Heart symbolizes love; a four-leaf clover symbolizes good luck; doves symbolize peace.
Theme
The central meaning or dominant message the poet is trying to deliver to the reader.
Tone
The attitude the poem’s narrator takes towards a subject or character: serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, concerned, tongue-in-cheek, solemn, objective, etc.
Verse
A single line of poetry.
