4. Poetry Flashcards
What is a Verse?
A single line of poetry or a group of lines forming a stanza.
Example: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Shakespeare)
Define Meter in poetry.
The rhythmic structure of a poem, determined by the pattern of stressed (/) and unstressed (v) syllables.
Example: Iambic pentameter: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
What is an Iambic (Iamb)?
Pattern: Unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
Example:
“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”
— *William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
How to say it: da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM
• “but SOFT! what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS?”
What is a Trochaic (Trochee)?
Pattern: Stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.
Example:
“By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water…”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha*
How to say it: DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da
• “BY the SHORES of GITche GOOmee”
Define Spondaic (Spondee).
Symbol: / /
Pattern: Two stressed syllables in a row.
Example:
“Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!”
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Break, Break, Break*
How to say it: DUM-DUM DUM-DUM
• “BREAK, BREAK, BREAK, on THY COLD GRAY STONES, O SEA!”
What is a Dactylic (Dactyl)?
AABCCB
Symbol: / ᴗ ᴗ
Pattern: Stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.
Example:
“Eve, with her basket, was
Deep in the bells and grass.”
— Ralph Hodgson, Eve*
How to say it: DUM-da-da DUM-da-da
• “EVE, with her BASket, was DEEP in the BELLS and grass”
Define Anapestic (Anapest).
AABB
Symbol: ᴗ ᴗ /
Pattern: Two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.
Example:
“Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…”
— Clement Clarke Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas*
How to say it: da-da-DUM da-da-DUM da-da-DUM da-da-DUM
• “twas the NIGHT beFORE CHRISTmas and ALL through the HOUSE”
What is Dimeter?
A line of poetry with two metrical feet. Two beats per line
Example: “The robin sings, The bluebird calls.”
What does Trimeter refer to in poetry?
A line of poetry with three metrical feet.
Example: “The only news I know Is bulletins all day From immortality.” (Emily Dickinson)
What is a Tetrameter?
A line of poetry with four metrical feet.
Example: “Whose woods these are I think I know.” (Robert Frost)
Define Pentameter.
A line of poetry with five metrical feet.
Example: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Shakespeare)
What is a Rhyme Scheme?
The pattern of rhyming words at the end of lines in a poem, often marked using letters.
Example (ABAB): “The sun is high (A) The sky is blue (B) The birds will fly (A) Above the dew (B)”
Define Free Verse.
Poetry that does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or meter.
Example: “so much depends upon a red wheel barrow” (William Carlos Williams)
What is Blank Verse?
Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
Example: “Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste” (Milton, Paradise Lost)
What is a Haiku?
A Japanese poetry form with 17 syllables, traditionally divided into three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. The poem often features a pause and focuses on nature, simplicity, and the evocation of a moment in time.
Example: “An old silent pond… A frog jumps into the pond— Splash! Silence again.” — Matsuo Bashō
How many syllables does a traditional Haiku have?
17 syllables
Divided into three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
What themes are commonly found in Haiku poetry?
Nature, simplicity, and the evocation of a moment in time
This reflects the traditional focus of Haiku as a form of poetry.
True or False: A Haiku always follows the 5-7-5 syllable pattern.
False
Modern Haiku may not strictly adhere to the traditional syllable count.
What is a modern interpretation of Haiku in English?
A short poem of 17 syllables, often evoking a brief moment, image, or insight. It may not always follow the traditional 5-7-5 syllable pattern but focuses on capturing a moment or emotion.
Example: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd, Petals on a wet, black bough.” — Ezra Pound
Fill in the blank: A traditional Haiku is divided into three lines with _______ syllables in the first line, _______ in the second, and _______ in the third.
5, 7, 5
This structure is key to the traditional form of Haiku.
What is Epic Poetry?
A long, narrative poem that recounts heroic deeds and adventures, often using elevated language and dramatic conventions.
Example: The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer.
Define Epistolary Poetry.
A poem written in the form of a letter, often addressing a particular person or audience.
Example: Ovid’s Heroides—a collection of poetic letters written by mythical heroines.
What characterizes a Ballad?
A narrative poem, often written in quatrains with a rhyme scheme (ABCB or ABAB), that tells a story about love, death, or historical events.
Example: ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
What is an Elegy?
A mourning poem written in three parts: lament for the deceased, praise of their life, and consolation for the loss.
Example: ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ by Walt Whitman (written for Abraham Lincoln).
Describe an Ode.
A formal, often ceremonious poem that expresses deep emotion or admiration for a subject.
Example: ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ by John Keats.
What is Pastoral Poetry?
A poem that idealizes rural life, nature, and the simplicity of country living.
Example: ‘The Passionate Shepherd to His Love’ by Christopher Marlowe.
Define an Epigram.
A short, witty poem or couplet that makes a pithy or humorous statement.
Example: ‘What is an Epigram? A Dwarfish Whole’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
What is a Limerick?
A humorous five-line poem with a distinct rhythm (AABBA), where the first, second, and fifth lines have three metrical feet (iambic trimeter) and the third and fourth lines have two (iambic dimeter).
Example: ‘There once was a man from Peru Who dreamed he was eating his shoe. He awoke in the night With a terrible fright And found that it had come true!’
What is the origin of Haiku?
Haiku originated in the 13th century as the opening stanza of a longer, collaborative poem called renga.
What was the role of renga in the development of Haiku?
Renga was part of a chain of linked verses exchanged between poets.
When did Haiku emerge as a separate form of poetry?
By the 16th century, haiku emerged as a separate, independent form of poetry.
What is the characteristic structure of Haiku?
Haiku is recognized for its 17-syllable structure.
What themes does Haiku typically focus on?
Haiku typically focuses on nature and moments of insight.
True or False: Haiku was always an independent form of poetry.
False
Fill in the blank: Haiku became recognized for its _______ structure.
17-syllable
What distinguishes Haiku from renga?
Haiku is distinct for being an independent form of poetry, unlike renga.
In what century did Haiku evolve from renga?
16th century
What is the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet?
An eight-line stanza (octave) and a six-line stanza (sestet) with a rhyme scheme of ABBA/ABBA/CDECDE or CDCDCD
The turn, or volta, occurs between the eighth and ninth lines.
Describe the rhyme scheme of an English/Shakespearean sonnet.
ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG
The final couplet often contrasts sharply with the preceding quatrains.
What is a Spenserian sonnet?
A sonnet with a rhyme scheme of ABAB/BCBC/CDCD/EE, created by Edmund Spenser
It features an interlocking rhyme pattern.
What characterizes a Miltonic sonnet?
Follows the traditional 14-line structure but allows for greater flexibility in rhyme and meter, often using blank verse
Popularized by John Milton in the 17th century.
Define a sonnet sequence.
A series of interconnected sonnets that often explore a central theme or narrative
Examples include John Donne’s La Corona and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese.
The Petrarchan sonnet
is named after the Italian poet Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca), who lived in the 14th century. He popularized this sonnet form, which became widely influential in both Italian and English poetry.
