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English X > Poetry Vocab > Flashcards

Poetry Vocab Flashcards

(77 cards)

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1
Q

Accent (Stress)

A

The emphasis to a specific syllable within a word that changes the loudness, duration, or pitch.

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

The repetition of a sound at the beginning of two or more neighboring words.

Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

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3
Q

Allusion

A

An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

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4
Q

Anaphora

A

Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or verses. It’s used to create a rhythmic effect, emphasize a point, or build up to a climax.

Ex: “I Have a Dream” is repeated multiple times for emphasis.

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5
Q

Apostrophe

A

A figure of speech where a speaker directly addresses a person who is not present, dead, or an inanimate object as if they are present and can respond.

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6
Q

Assonance

A

The repetition of vowel sounds with nearby words.

Ex: There was a bear at the fair.

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7
Q

Ballad

A

A poem that tells the story and was meant to be recited or sung. It usually uses the rhyme scheme ‘abcb’ and has a common meter.

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8
Q

Blank Verse

A

An unrhymed lines that still follow a specific meter, most commonly iambic pentameter. It’s essentially poetry that mimics natural speech with a rhythmic flow, lacking the constraints of a rhyme scheme.

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9
Q

Cliché

A

A phrase, expression, or image that has become overused and therefore sounds repetitive or unoriginal.

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10
Q

Closed (Fixed) Form

A

Poems with a predetermined structure, often including a set number of lines, stanzas, and/or a specific rhyme scheme and meter. These forms impose constraints on the poet, but also provide a framework for expression.

Ex: Haikus have a set number of syllables that poets must adhere to.

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11
Q

Compression

A

The process of prioritizing words that carry a significant weight of meaning and impactfulness while avoiding unnecessary or redundant phrasing.

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12
Q

Concrete Language

A

The use of specific, tangible words that appeal to the senses and create vivid imagery in the reader’s mind.

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13
Q

Concrete (shaped) Poem

A

A form of visual poetry where the arrangement of text on the page creates an image.

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14
Q

Connotation

A

The feelings and ideas that people may connect with that word

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15
Q

Consonance

A

A literary device that repeats consonant sounds within nearby words to add rhythm.

Ex: “He struck the clock with a quick flick.”

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16
Q

Couplet

A

A pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same meter. It forms a single idea or statement.

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17
Q

Denotation

A

The literal, dictionary definition of a word, without including any associated emotions or cultural meanings.

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18
Q

Description

A

Using vivid and sensory language to create a mental image in the reader’s mind, often employing imagery, figurative language, and other literary devices

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19
Q

Diction

A

The specific choice of words a poet makes to convey meaning, create tone, and evoke imagery.

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20
Q

Dramatic Monologue

A

A poem where a single character speaks, often to an implied audience, revealing their thoughts, feelings, and motivations.

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21
Q

Ekphrasis

A

A poem that describes a work of visual art, like a painting or sculpture, in detail.

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22
Q

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet

A

A 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter, structured with four-line stanzas and a concluding couplet (two-line stanza). It uses the rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg).

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23
Q

Enjambment

A

The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next to not disrupt the flow.

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24
Q

Erasure

A

A form of poetry created by selectively erasing words from an existing text to reveal a new work from the remaining words.

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25
Figurative Language
The use of descriptive words and phrases that deviate from their literal meaning to create vivid imagery, evoke emotions, and enhance understanding
25
Exact Rhyme
When the sound on the stressed syllable and the following consonant sounds are repeated in another word
26
Foot
The basic unit of measurement of accentual-syllabic meter Ex: iamb, trochee, dactyl, and anapest
27
Found Poem
A unstructured poem created by taking words, phrases, or passages from an existing text and rearranging them to create a new poetic structure.
27
Form (structure)
The overall structure and organization of a poem, with elements such as line length, stanza structure, meter, and rhyme scheme.
28
iamb
A unit of two syllables, with the first syllable being unstressed and the second syllable being stressed. Ex: da-DUM,
29
Free Verse (open form)
A type of poetry that does not follow a fixed structure, rhyme scheme, or meter. It it breaks free from the traditional rules of poetry.
30
Image
Language that appeals to the 5 senses to create vivid mental pictures for the reader.
31
Internal Rhyme
A rhyme that occurs in the middle of the same lines of poetry, instead of at the ends of lines. Ex: "I attest that the chest is the best in the West."
32
Irony
When the intended meaning or outcome is the opposite of what is expressed or expected in order to be humorous, suspenseful, or thought-provoking.
33
Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet
A 14-line poem with a specific structure and rhyme scheme. It consists of two main parts: an octave (the first eight lines) and a sestet (the last six lines). The octave follows a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The sestet can use various rhyme schemes, such as CDE CDE or CDC CDC.
34
Juxtaposition
A literary technique of placing contrasting or different elements side-by-side to create a specific effect.
35
Line
A horizontal row of words that forms a basic unit of verse.
36
Lineation
The way lines are divided and arranged on the page, including where they end in relation to a clause or thought.
37
Metaphor
A figure of speech that compares two different things by stating that one thing is another, without using "like" or "as".
38
Meter
The rhythmic structure of a line, defined by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
39
Metonymy
A figure of speech where one word or phrase is used to represent something closely associated with it, rather than its literal name Ex: Using 'crown' to refer to a king or queen.; Hollywood to refer to the American Film Industry.
40
Narrative Poem
A poem that tells a fully developed story, similar to a short story or novel.
41
Near (slant) Rhyme
A rhyming scheme in which the words have similar but not identical sounds.
42
Octave
An eight-line stanza or the first eight lines of a Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet.
43
Onomatopoeia
The use of words that imitate or mimic the sounds they describe.
44
Paradox
A literary device that presents a statement or situation which seems contradictory or absurd, but upon closer examination, reveals a deeper truth or insight.
45
Parallelism
A rhetorical device where similar grammatical structures are used to emphasize and connect related ideas. This can involve repeating words, phrases, or entire lines to create a rhythmic effect and highlight the relationship between the ideas.
46
Pentameter
A line of verse containing five metrical feet
47
Persona
The speaker or voice through which the poem is narrated, distinct from the actual poet.
48
Personification
A figure of speech where human qualities, like emotions, actions, or characteristics, are attributed to non-human entities, such as animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas
49
Poetic Diction
The deliberate and strategic choice of words by the poet to convey specific meanings, evoke emotions, and create a particular tone or effect
50
Prose Poem
A form of poetry, while employing poetic elements, is structured in paragraphs rather than traditional lines and stanzas
51
Pun
A play on words using homonyms, words that sound alike but have different meanings, to create a double meaning or a humorous effect.
52
Quatrain
A four-line stanza or poem. It can stand alone as a complete poem or be part of a larger one.
53
Refrain
A line, phrase, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, often at the end of a stanza
54
Rhyme
The repetition of sounds between two words, usually the sounds after the final stressed syllable of each word
55
Rhyme Scheme
a poet's deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme with other lines in a poem or a stanza. The rhyme scheme, or pattern, can be identified by giving end words that rhyme with each other the same letter.
56
Rhythm
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line, creating a beat and flow that is often perceived as a musical sound.
57
Scansion
The breaking up of poem's lines or verses into metrical feet and identifying the stressed and unstressed syllables
58
Sestet
A six-line stanza or the final six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. It can also refer to any six-line poem or section of a poem.
59
Simile
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as" to highlight a similarity
60
Sonnet
A 14-line poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter, with a fixed rhyme scheme and often a specific structure.
61
Speaker
The voice or perspective from which a poem is presented. It isn't always from the poet's perspective.
62
Stanza
A group of lines arranged together in a recurring pattern of metrical lengths and a sequence of rhymes.
63
Subtext
The hidden, less obvious meaning of a text; the underlying message that is not explicitly stated or shown.
64
Syllable
A single unit of speech sound as written or spoken.
65
Symbol
An object, person, place, or idea that represents something else, and carries a deeper, figurative meaning beyond its literal description.
66
Synesthesia
A literary device where it blends different sensory experiences, like connecting colors to sounds or smells to emotions.
67
Tetrameter
Any poem with four metrical feet per line
68
Theme
The central message or underlying idea that the poem explores.
69
Title
The name given to a poem, serving as its identifying label. It's the first thing a reader sees, and it can significantly influence their understanding and interpretation of the poem's subject matter, tone, and meaning.
70
Tone
The author's attitude or perspective toward the subject matter, speaker, or audience, as conveyed through word choice, syntax, and rhythm.
71
Tercet
A stanza or poem consisting of three lines. These lines can be rhymed or unrhymed, and they can be part of a larger poem or a standalone piece.
72
Trochee
A two-syllable metrical pattern in poetry in which a stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed syllable.
73
Villanelle
A 19-line poem composed of five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a final quatrain (four-line stanza). The first and third lines of the first tercet are repeated as the last lines of the following tercets, alternating their positions. It follows a ABA ABAA rhyme scheme.
74
Voice
An expression denoting the comprehensive style of a speaker adopted by the author in a poem.
75
Volta
The turn of thought or argument. Ex: In Petrarchan or Italian sonnets it occurs between the octave and the sestet, and in Shakespearean or English before the final couplet.

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