POETIC TERMS You will have a test on this on Thursday. Take good notes.
A reference to a well- known historical figure, place, literary work, work of art, or event A reference to a well- known historical figure, place, literary work, work of art, or event.
Example: The teams competed in a David and Goliath struggle.
A broad comparison between two basically different things that have some points in common.
Aspirations toward space are not new. Consider the worm that becomes a butterfly.
A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two basically different things. A simile is introduced by the words “like” or “as”.
My love is like a red, red rose.
An implied comparison between two basically different things. Is not introduced with the words “like” or “as”.
His eyes were daggers that cut right through me.
A great exaggeration to emphasize strong feeling.
I will love you until all the seas go dry.
Human characteristics are given to non-human animals, objects, or ideas.
My stereo walked out of my car.
An absent person or inanimate object is directly spoken to as though they were present.
Brutus: “Ceasar, now be still. I killed not thee with half so good a will.”
A formal division of lines in a poem considered as a unit.
Hints given to the reader of what is to come.
“The stalwart hero was doomed to suffer the destined end of his days.”
A word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses.
Cold, wet leaves floating on moss- colored water.
A contrast between what is said and what is meant. Also, when things turn out different than what is expected.
“The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, unbated and envenomed. The foul practice has turned itself on me.” Laertes
The feeling created in the reader by a literary work.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
A story that is told in verse.
A song- like poem that tells a story.
Poetry written in unrhymed, ten-syllable lines.
Highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker.
A poem written with a shape that suggests its subject.
Poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern or meter.
The repetition of identical sounds at the ends of lines of poetry.
“He clasps the crag with crooked hands Close to the sun in lonely lands” from “The Eagle”
The repetition of identical sounds within a line of poetry.
“We three shall flee across the sea to Italy.” Or “Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour.”
A slant rhyme or half rhyme occurs when the vowel sounds are not quite identical.
“And on that cheek and o’er that brow” A mind at peace with all below”
A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem.
Whose woods these are I think I know, His house is in the village though, He will not see me stopping here, To watch his woods fill up with snow.
The repeating of a sound, word, phrase, or more in a given literary work.
“I sprang to the stirrup, and Jarvis, and he; I galloped, Derrick galloped, we galloped all three”
The pattern of beats or stresses in written or spoken language.
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words.
“Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship”
The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant.
“...that hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.”
The repetition of consonant sounds that are preceded by different vowel sounds.
“Wherever we go Silence will fall like dews”
The use of words that imitate sounds.
“Blind eyes could blaze like meteors” Other examples: buzz, hum, kiss Other examples: buzz, hum, kiss
Something concrete, such as an object, action, character, or scene that stands for something abstract such as a concept or an idea.
“Do not go gentle into that good night Rage, Rage against the dying of the light” Both phrases are symbols that stand for death. Both phrases are symbols that stand for death.
The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work.
“Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes”
Comparing two very dissimilar things. Usually involves cleverness and ingenuity.
“Our love is like parallel lines” This is also a simile.
Writing that is not meant to be taken literally.
A three-lined Japanese verse with a syllable count of
A pair of rhymed verse lines that contain a complete thought.
“But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restor’d and sorrows end.”
Cinquain Five line formula poetry with the following pattern: One word Two words describing the first word Three words describing actions of the first word Four words that convey feelings of the first word One word that renames the first word
Cinquain Example: Moon Heaven’s light Gleaming, shining, glowing Object of deep mystery Jewel
Sonnet A fourteen line poem with a definite meter and rhyme. Italian sonnets have eight lines expressing the theme and 6 lines commenting on it. English sonnets have three four-line stanzas and one couplet.