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)?
**TRO LIKE TRIPPIN LOUD - chauic chill after high
**
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).
ana-soft apesticmistic-loud and annoying
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).
