AP LIT: Klenz Poetry Terms Review

What do you know about rhyme?

What do you know about rhyme? Formerly an essential part of poetry Can define shape of poem and hold it together One of most basic sound effects of poetry End rhyme Rhyme scheme Internal rhyme Off rhyme

What do you know about meter?

What do you know about meter? Measure of the rhythmic quality of a poem Scansion is the process of figuring out the meter, which is figuring out the type of foot used and how many feet are used per line. Iambic pentameter most common Other feet – trochee, anapest, dactyl

What do you know about sound devices?

What do you know about sound devices? Sound devices are meant for your ear – poetry is meant to be read aloud. It is difficult to connect sound devices to meaning, but in some cases it is possible alliteration – repetition of consonant sounds @ the beginning of a succession of words assonance – repetition of vowel sounds @ the beginning of a succession of words consonance – repetition of consonant sounds within and ending words in succession onomatopoeia – the use of words that imitate sounds

What is Free Verse Poetry?

What is Free Verse Poetry? Poetry w/o regular patterns of rhyme or meter – often sounds like everyday language when read aloud Favored by modern poets

Poetic Language – how does it differ from other genres?

Poetic Language – how does it differ from other genres? Because of the brevity of the literary form, each word or phrase must be packed with meaning. Following are terms that refer to the choices a poet must make to convey message

Diction – choice of words Denotation – literal dictionary definition of words as distinct from an associated idea Connotation – suggestion of a meaning of a word beyond its definition; positive/negative associations Imagery – words that appeal to one or more of the five senses (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, taste), usually visual – can produce an emotional response

Diction, continued Refrain/repetition – for emphasis or to establish rhythm Allusion – a reference to a person, place, event, or literary work with which the author believes the reader will be familiar. Provides the reader with a deeper understanding and/or connection to main idea or theme (biblical, historical, mythical most common)

What is figurative language and why does it dominate the genre of poetry?

What is figurative language and why does it dominate the genre of poetry? Figurative language (figures of speech) simply means the use of phrases that aren’t literally true Figurative language is a way to say more with fewer words

Metaphor : the grandfather of all figurative language Comparison between two otherwise unlike things w/o the use of connectors (e.g. “like”, “as”) – comparisons make unfamiliar ideas easier to understand Often something intangible is compared to something tangible Direct (“be” verb) v. implied metaphor (indirect comparison) Extended metaphor – continues throughout poem, when especially clever, this is called a conceit

metaphor’s children Simile – same definition, just add a connector (not always like or as) Hyperbole – extreme exaggeration made for emphasis Personification – gives human qualities to nonhuman entity Symbol – something that stands for more than itself (usually an idea)

metaphor’s children, continued Apostrophe – an address is made to an absent person/thing or personified thing rhetorically Pun – wordplay – applies multiple definitions of homophones to same subject (see Shakespeare, knock-knock jokes) Oxymoron – a pair of opposite or contradictory terms are used together for emphasis Paradox – a seemingly illogical statement that upon further analysis makes sense

Other terms important to the explication of poetry

Other terms important to the explication of poetry Explication - the process of unfolding and of making clear the meaning of things, so as to make the implicit explicit. Specific to literary analysis Paraphrase – putting the poem into your own words Both of the above are necessary to grasp the meaning of a poem

Other terms, continued Tone – attitude of the speaker toward the subject of the poem Speaker – who’s doing the talking in the poem we will refer to speaker as “someone who…” Subject – broad thematic subject (e.g. war, love) specific subject (the speaker’s lover)

Other terms, continued Stanza/line = paragraph/sentence in prose Caesura, enjambment, end-stopped lines End-stopped lines end with punctuation Encamped lines carry on to another line Caesura is a pause within a line