Poetry Terms

Stanza

 Sections of a poem.

 Not “paragraphs”  When we talk about parts of poems in this unit, we will do so in terms of stanzas and line numbers

Persona

 Speaker in a poem  Not necessarily the author —don’t assume!

Theme

 The message the author presents through the work.   What is the author’s commentary on the issue? Sometimes referred to as the “moral”

Diction

 Refers to two aspects of the writing:  Word choice —Vocabulary   Also, keep in mind connotation and denotation   Denotation= dictionary definition of words Connotation= associations we have with words Word order —Syntax

Imagery

 Language that appeals to the five senses:   Sight Smell    Sound Taste Touch In a Station of the Metro -Ezra Pound The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.

Repetition

 Return to a word, phrase, image, etc. for effect.  What could this effect be? What function does repetition serve in writing?

Alliteration

 Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words  Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.

Onomatopoeia

 When a word’s sound indicates its meaning.

Rhyme

 Repetition of similar sounds in words.  End Rhyme —Repetition of final sounds at the end of lines of poetry.    Little Bo Peep Has lost her sheep Internal Rhyme —Rhyming words within a line of poetry Approximate Rhyme —an imperfect rhyme. Usually occurs in pattern where most rhymes are perfect, exact rhymes.  Ex: When and send; sun and plum

Consonance and Assonance

 Consonance —Repetition of the same consonant sounds two or more times in short succession. This repetition does not have to be at the beginning of a line. (Alliteration is a type of consonance)   Pi

tt

er pa

tt

er of li

tt

le fee

t

. Assonance —Repetition of the same vowel sounds two or more times in short succession.

 D

o

y

ou

like bl

ue

?

Enjambment

 Running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break  In other words, using a line break where you wouldn’t naturally pause From Keats’

Endymion: A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and asleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. (ll .1-5)

Types of Poetry Based on Rhyme

 Free Verse —Poetry that follows no particular rhyme scheme or meter (rhythm determined by stress and syllables)  Blank Verse —Poetry that has a regular rhythm (Iambic Pentameter…Remember?) but no regular rhyme scheme

Figurative Language

 To be

literal

means that you mean exactly what you say/write 

Figurative

means that what is said or written is not exactly what is meant 

You must read between the lines!

Simile

 A comparison between two unlike things using like, as, or another comparison word.   Playing chess with Ashley is like trying to outsmart a computer. “He makes more trips to the mound than a mom on mother’s day” –Mike Shannon

Metaphor

 A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing becomes another.  Brian was a wall, bouncing every ball that came toward him over the net.

Personification

 Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things.  The window winked at me.

Symbolism

 Something that stands for something else. Usually in literature, writers will use a concrete object to represent an abstract idea.

Tone

 The author’s attitude or feelings about the persona, audience, or subject matter.

 Use diction, imagery, persona, etc. to communicate tone.

 More than just

what

the message is  Tone is described in feeling words