POETRY TERMS

Figure of speech compares one thing to something entirely different-It’s never literally true! Ex: It’s raining cats and dogs.

Simile figure of speech which compares two unlike things using like or as Example:The horse ran as fast as the wind.

Metaphor comparing two unlike things without using like or as Example: He is a beast on the football field.

Extended Metaphor A metaphor that extends over several lines or the whole poem “But if you was LeBron James then I’d be Dwayne Wade We both graduated at the same time from the same grade He was at the head of the class, on TV with celebrity acts, But that champion ring was one thing you never could grasp, I was slightly rated lower had to fight to gain exposure and that might’ve made me slower but now I have taken over And I’m down in Miami’s Heat, living my boyhood dreams And for you to do what I’ve done, you’d have to join MY team!” (By Iron Solomon)

Personification giving human qualities to a non-human thing Example: The Lion King or The wind whispered.

Alliteration repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words Ex:Sally sells seashells at the seashore!

Onomatopoeia When a word sounds like what it represents Example:The bee buzzed.

Tone the attitude of the writer or the speaker towards the subject of the poem or toward the audience.

Free form poetry or Free Verse Where a poem does not have a required form [This shrubby bush preparing itself to blossom re- sem- bles you]

Imagery using the five senses to evoke a strong picture Example: His eyes were gray, like the ocean after a storm.

Lyric poem A poem that expresses an emotion or tells how the author feels about life. Neyo’s “Beautiful Monster” is a lyric poem because it tells how he feels about his girl.

Ay, Pil grim Lips that they must use in prayer Iambic Pentameter This is a particular meter in poetry. (10 syllables) Ay, Pil grim Lips that they must use in prayer

Fixed form poetry -a type of poem or poetry that has a required form (For example:it has a required amount of lines or syllables or rhyme scheme or all of the above) Example: A haiku poem 5 syllables in the first line, 7syllables in the 2nd line, 5 syllables in the last line

Speaker the voice that talks directly to us in a poem. The speaker is not always the author.

Symbol something that stands for or represents something else. Example: A heart is a symbol for love.

Hyperbole An overstatement or exaggeration Example:Her heart was as big as a house! (p.s. also a simile)

Rhyme Scheme the pattern of rhyme used in a poem Example:(Shakespearean sonnets have an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme) The last word of lines 1 and 3 will rhyme. The last word of lines 2 and 4 will rhyme.

Slant Rhyme rhyme in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllables are identical EXAMPLE: I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –/  The Stillness in the Room/ Was like the Stillness in the Air –/  Between the Heaves of Storm – Room and Storm are slant rhymes.

Narrative poem A poem that tells a story Eminem’s song “Stan” is a narrative poem because it tells a story.

Internal Rhyme Example: I love the doves that float from above rhyme that occurs within the lines or repetition of an end rhyme within a line Example: I love the doves that float from above

Assonance I feel less depressed and restless. Go and mow the lawn. when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.

Consonance I went blank and began to sink, but I couldn’t think. Mike likes the joke. refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. 

Stanza Group of lines, usually similar in length and pattern that form a unit in a poem

Quatrain A four line stanza in a poem

Shift A change in time, tone, or speaker