POETRY TERMS The basics: Line – A group of words, though sometimes just a single word, that make up the same horizontal line of text. Rhyme – Two words that sound alike. The vowel sound is the same, but the initial consonant sound is different Stanza – Two or more lines grouped together within a poem.

Types of stanzas: Couplet – A stanza consisting of 2 lines. Wave after wave in hills each other crowds, As if the deeps resolved to storm the clouds. Tercet – A stanza consisting of 3 lines. Haikus are tercets. Quatrain – A stanza consisting of 4 lines. I never saw a Moor I never saw the sea Yet know I how the Heather looks And what a Billow be. Sestet – A stanza consisting of 6 lines. Octave – A stanza consisting of 8 lines.

Types of poetry: Narrative poetry – Poems that tell a story. The Odyssey is an epic, narrative poem. Lyric poetry – Poems that express the thoughts and feeling of the author, usually rhymed. Haiku – Japanese, three-line poems that consist of seventeen syllables and usually captures an image from everyday life. Sonnet – A fourteen lined poem that follows a strict rhyme scheme and structure. Free Verse – Poems that are not written within formal constraints of rhyme and meter.

Figurative language: Imagery – Words used to describe things in a way that appeals to the reader’s senses. Metaphor – A comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjects. “All the world’s a stage” (comparing the world to a stage) Simile – A comparison using like or as. “Fast like a cheetah” or “Hungry as a bear” Personification – Assigning human characteristics to non- human things. “The school was impressed by his talents and abilities” Hyperbole – Exaggeration used to express strong emotions or make a point. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse”

Onomatopoeia – the use of sounds that echo their meaning “Snap! Crackle! Pop!” Pun – play on words “have a nice trip, see you next fall” Paradox – seems contradictory or impossible, but contains a degree of truth or validity “that’s so cold it burns”, “I love you so much I hate you” Oxymoron – two words together with opposite meanings “jumbo shrimp” or “honest thief”

Other poetic conventions to know: Speaker – The voice that communicates with the reader. Rhyme scheme – The pattern of rhyming in a particular poem. There once was a big brown cat a That liked to eat a lot of mice. b He got all round and fat a Because they tasted so nice. b There once was a big brown cat a That liked to eat a lot of mice. b He got all round and fat a Because they tasted so nice. b Internal Rhyme – Rhyming that occurs within a line. Example: The cat was fat End Rhyme – More common than internal rhyme, end rhyming occurs at the end of a line. Repetition – Repetition of anything within a poem, examples: sounds, syllables, words, phrases, lines, stanzas, or metrical patterns. Sans eyes, sans teeth, sans taste, sans everything.

Consonance – Repetition of a consonant sound. “blank think tank” or “the ladies lounged lazily” Assonance – Repetition of a vowel sound. “ice might trip me twice” Alliteration – Beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound “try trivial hobbies to entertain trolls” Allusion – A reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, or thing “chocolate is her Achilles’ Heel” (reference to The Iliad)

Rhythm in Poetry  Meter - The rhythm of the poem as determined by the stressed and unstressed syllables.  Scansion - identification of the meter of the poem  Foot - Rhythmic unit within a line Iambic foot: ˘ ¯ unstressed, stressed Iambic foot: ˘ ¯ unstressed, stressedExamples: Fort Bend allureagree

Iambic Pentameter  Iambic: ˘ ¯ unstressed, stressed  Pentameter: each line of iambic pentameter contains 5 metric feet.  Example: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? ALL sonnets are written in iambic pentameter.

Italian/Petrarchan Sonnets Octave Octave Eight linesEight lines Rhyme scheme: abbaabbaRhyme scheme: abbaabba Presents the story, raises a question, states a propositionPresents the story, raises a question, states a proposition Volta (turn) between 8 th and 9 th linesVolta (turn) between 8 th and 9 th lines Sestet Sestet six linessix lines Rhyme scheme: cdecde or cdcdcd or cdedceRhyme scheme: cdecde or cdcdcd or cdedce Abstract comment, applies the proposition, solves the problemAbstract comment, applies the proposition, solves the problem

English/Shakespearean Sonnets Written in iambic pentameter Written in iambic pentameter Three quatrains Three quatrains abab cdcd efefabab cdcd efef Couplet Couplet gggg

Haiku  Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry consisting of a tercet (3 line stanza) that has 17 syllables.  They are simple and elegant, and they usually capture a moment of every day life.

5 syllables -> 7 syllables -> 5 syllables - > Haiku usually have 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the middle, and then 5 in the last. Smell the calm ocean While the fish swim out to sea And the tide comes in --- Regina Hurley Haiku don’t usually have titles. Random fact: the plural of haiku is haiku, NOT haikus.

"Haiku for Tiger" "Haiku for Tiger" Cat sits at window Contemplating autumn sun But where is my fish? --- Lynda Williams