AS Poetry Flashcards
imagery
images of any of our senses produced in the mind by descriptive language.
extended metaphor
Where is the identification of similar qualities is elaborated over a number of lines.
simile
figure of speech in which two things are compared using as or like
personification
A form of metaphor in which the qualities of a person are transferred to non-human things or abstract qualities to “humanize” them and make them easier to understand
hyperbole
exaggeration – an over-statement, used for effect
litotes
An understatement used for effect, often using a double negative
antithesis/contrast
Places contrasting ideas next to each other for effect
paradox
Two apparently contradictory ideas placed together which makes sense when examined closely
oxymoron
When the contradiction is expressed in words in close proximity
anaphora
repitition of introductory phrases
irony
A discrepancy between what is said by a writer and what is actually meant, or a contrast between what the reader expects and what is actually written
diction
the writer’s choice of vocabulary
neologism
a newly coined word or expression by a poet or writer
syntax
the arragements of words into sentences
parallelism
A device in which parts of the wording of a sentence are the same, repeating or paralleling each other for emphasis
concrete poem
A poem arranged in a way which the words on the page form a distinct shape which adds to the poem’s meaning
end-stopped line
A line that expresses a complete thought
enjambment
a run-on line where the meaning crosses a line break
caesura
The slight natural pause in a line.
verse
The regular unit of structure within a hymn, song or a rhymed poem. Usually interchanged with stanza
stanza
grouping of lines in a poem
2-line verse
couplet
4-line verse
quatrain
