Page 1 Poetic Elements English 10 Ms. Pierce
Page 2 Allusion A reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or some other branch of culture. Example: Achilles' Heel or Mass Exodus
Page 3 Irony Something that is unexpected or the opposite of what is expected. Example: You arrive at a friend’s surprise party, only to find out that it is your surprise party.
Page 4 Catalog A list of things, people, or events.
Page 5 Paradox A statement that appears self- contradictory but reveals a kind of truth. Allows writers to express the complexity of life by showing how opposing ideas can be both contradictory and true. “I taste a liquor never brewed.”
Page 6 Consonance The repetition of the same or similar final consonant sounds on accented syllables or in important words. Some poets use consonance in place of rhyme. Examples: ticktock and singsong
Page 7 Free Verse Poetry that does not conform to regular meter or rhyme scheme. Reproduces the natural rhythms of spoken language. Uses traditional elements of imagery, figures of speech, repetition, internal rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia.
Page 8 Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds, especially in words close together. Example: The tide rises, the tide falls, The Twilight darkens, the curlew calls
Page 9 Hyperbole A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration, or overstatement, for effect. Example: Whitman – “I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”
Page 10 Metaphor Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of specific words of comparison as like, as, then, or resembles. Example: A rose is a musical instrument, playing nature’s song.
Page 11 Slant Rhyme A rhyming sound that is not exact. Example: The Soul selects her own Society Then – shuts the door- To her divine Majority- Present no more-
Page 12 Alliteration The repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together. Used to create musical effects and to establish mood. Example: Puppies play, pounding and prancing.
Page 13 Onomatopoeia The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning. Examples: Buzz, hiss, squish, tap, pow! bang! weeee!
Page 14 Cadence The natural, rhythmic rise and fall of a language as it is normally spoken. The musical sound of words that rises and falls as the poet sings the song.
Page 15 Personification Giving human qualities to something that is not human. An object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. Example: frost as a heedless killer and a flower as a playful child.
Page 16 Oxymoron A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. Examples: Sweet sorrow, deafening silence, and living death
Page 17 Apostrophe The act of addressing some abstraction or personification that is not physically present. For instance, John Donne commands, “Oh, Death, be not proud.”
Page 18 Simile A figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resemble. Example: O, my luve is like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June: O, my luve is like the melodie That's sweetly played in tune
Page 19 Pun A play on words based on the multiple meanings of a single word or on words that sound alike but mean different things. Example: A singer claiming she was locked out of an audition because she couldn’t find the right key.
Page 20 Antithesis Using opposite phrases in close conjunction. Examples: "I burn and I freeze," or "Her character is white as sunlight, black as midnight.“