Figurative Language & Poetry Terminology Flashcards
Definitions of figurative language terms, terms used in discussing poetry, and various types of poems
Alliteration
initial sounds of a word repeated in close succession, ex: people who pen poetry
Antithesis
Juxtaposition of conflicting ideas in balanced phrases, ex: speech is silver; silence is gold OR man proposes, God disposes
Aphorism
Similar to a proverb. Short truism about life. Ex: Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame” Ben Franklin
Apostrophe
Addressing an absent or dead person, inanimate object, or abstract idea
Assonance
matching the vowel sounds of nearby words, ex: tune and food
Bathos
a ludicrous attempt to portray pathos (evoke pity or sympathy)
Blank Verse
unrhymed iambic pentamenter
Caesura
A pause in a line of poetry, usually signified by punctuation, ex: “to err is human, to forgive, divine”
Climax
A number of phrases or sentences arranged in ascending order of forcefulness
Conceit
a comparison, usually in poetry, of two very different objects or concepts, ex: John Donne compares making love to getting a flea bite
Connotation
the implications and associations of a given word, distinct from its literal or denotive meaning
Consonance
repeating similar consonant sounds, both at the beginning of words and within words, ex: sally sat sifting sea-shells
Couplet
two rhyming lines of poetry
Denotation
what a word literally means, as opposed to its connotative meaning
Diction
word choice - choosing among synonyms the most effective word for your purpose
Epiphany
the moment when something is realized
Euphemism
using an inoffensive term in place of one that might offend, ex: passed away instead of died
Exposition
The plot element that precedes the buildup of conflict, when the background information of characters is given
Free Verse
Poetry with no set meter
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for specific effect
Iambic Pentameter
a poetic meter consisting of 5 iambs (two syllables, first unaccented, second accented)
Imagery
A word or sequence of words that refers to any sensory experience, with the intent of making the experience available to the reader
Inversion
atypical sentence order
Verbal Irony
when what is written is unexpectedly different from what is actually meant
Dramatic Irony
when an audience perceives something the characters do not
Situational Irony
Discrepancy between the expected results and the actual results, as in many of O Henry’s short stories
Kenning
Another way to describe a noun - whale’s way instead of ocean
- a feature of early Anglo-Saxon literature like Beowulf
Malapropism
a verbal blunder that replaces an intended word with a similar sounding word, ex: pineapple of success instead of pinnacle of success
Metaphor
a comparison between two things, without like or as
Metaphysical Poetry
poetry characterized by wit, imagery, and conceits
- JOhn Donne and other 17th century Brits
Metonymy
representing another object by use of a closely related object, ex: hitting the books to mean study
Motif
a key, oft-repeated phrase or idea in a work
Octava Rima
an eight-line stanza of poetry whose rhyme scheme is abababcc
Onomatopoeia
the meaning and the sound of the word reflect each other, ex: buzz, hiss
Oxymoron
A contradiction in terms, ex: wise folly, jumbo shrimp
Paradox
Seemingly untrue statement that proves to be true when closely examined
Parallelism
a type of close repetition of clauses or phrases that emphasizes key ideas
Personification
giving human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or abstract quality
Quatrain
four line poetic stanza
Shakespearean Sonnet
14 line poem made up of 3 quatrains (abab cdcd efef) and a heroic couplet (gg). the division of the lines often reflects the division of thought. there may be three examples and a conclusion or three statements plus and application
- aka Elizabethan Sonnet
Petrarchan Sonnet
14 line poem made up of an 8 line grouping (octave, abbaabba) and a 6 line grouping (sestet, cdccdc or cdecde). the division of the lines reflects the thought - often the octave presents a question and the sestet the answer
- aka Italian Sonnet
Spenserian Stanza
8 lines of iambic pentameter followed by a ninth line, called an alexandrine (iambic, with an 6th foot)
- invented for The Faerie Queen, epic poem by Edmund Spenser, honoring Elizabeth 1st.
Scansion
analyzing a poetic line for type of meter and number of feet, to “scan” a line of poetry
Slant Rhyme
a “not quite” rhyme, ex: green and gone
Similie
A direct comparison between two things using like and as, ex: my love is like a red-red rose
Soliloquy
a speech in drama expressing a character’s perspective, character is usaully alone on stage, ex: hamlet’s to be or not to be soliloquy
Sprung Rhythm
a variable meter than mimics speech
- invented by Gerard Manley Hopkins, as in “Pied Beauty” - first syllable is stressed followed by a variable number of unstressed syllables.
Stream of Consciousness
a writing technique that reflects the mental processes of the characters, expressing jumbled memories, dreams, feelings, etc.
- william faulkner and james joyce both used
Symbolism
a symbol is an object that stands for something else, ex: lion stands for courage.
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which the word for part of something is used to represent the whole, ex: sail for boat
Terza Rima
a series of poetic stanzas that use the recurrent rhyme scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, etc. An italian form used by some of the later Romantic poets
Tone
the discernible attitude in a work, ex: the satirical tone of A Modest Proposal or an admiring tone
Wit
writing of genius, keenness, and wisdom, expressed with clever language
Didactic Poetry
poetry designed to teach a lesson
Rhyme Scheme
the pattern of rhyming sounds in a poem
Carpe Diem
poetry that emphasizes the shortness of life and the need to enjoy the present. the phrase means “seize the day.” often used as a seduction poem
Syntax
the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences
examples of syntax formulas include inversion, series, active or passive voices, etc
Parody
a humorous, mocking imitation of another work
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, often used in parallelism
Protest Poetry
expresses disapproval or dissent, often about a government action or policy that the average person is unable to prevent
Pastoral
poem that romanticizes rural life or appraises the natural world
Ballad
Narrative poem that was originally intended to be sung. Usually consist of four-line stanzas, with the second and fourth line rhyming
Visual poem
poem that draws much of its power from the appearance of the poem as a shape
Epigram
a short, pithy saying, ex: “I am not young enough to know everything.” Oscar Wilde
Clerihew
a whimsical, four line biographical poem. pokes fun at mostly famous people. lines are irregular in length and rhymes aabb.
- invented by Edmund Bentley
Enjambment
the running-over of a sentence of phrase from one poetic line to the next, the opposite of end-stopped
End-Stopped
when a phrase or sentence ends at the end of a line of poetry and is indicated by end punctuation
Explication
close analysis of a poem, clarifying how figurative language and other poetic elements contribute to the meaning and effect of a poem
Villanelle
a fixed form of 19 lines divided into six stanzas - five tercets and a concluding quatrain. The tercets are all rhymed aba, and the quatrain is abaa. The first and third lines are alternately repeated as a refrain, and make up the last two lines of the quatrain.
- originally a dance song with rustic theme and no form
- dylan thomas “do not go gentle into that good night” is one example
Meter
describes and measures the rhythm of a poem
poetic foot
the unit repeated to create a steady rhythm in a poem. usually two or three syllables in length and composed of accented and unaccented syllables
Iambic Foot (iamb)
unstressed syllable, stressed syllable, ex: insist
- most English poetry. All sonnets.
Trochaic Foot (trochee)
the inverse of the iamb. stressed followed by an unstressed syllable. ex: instant
Anapestic Foot (anapest)
two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable, ex: Cameroom
- twas the NIGHT before CHRISTmas and ALL through the HOUSE…
Dactylic Foot (dactyl)
stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables, ex: Washington
- HIG-gle-dee, PIG-le-dee, President Jefferson gave up the ghost on the fourth of july…
Spondaic Foot (spondee)
two successive stressed syllables, ex: football
- usually used occasionally in a poem that otherwise consists of a different foot
Ictus
Designates the accented syllable ( ‘ )
Mora
Designates the unaccented syllable (U)
Monometer
one metrical foot per line (rare)
ex: thus I / pass by / and die …
Dimeter
two metrical feet per line (rare)
Trimeter
three metrical feet per line
Tetrameter
four metrical feet per line
Pentameter
Five metrical feet per line (as in sonnets)
Hexameter
Six metrical feet per line
Heptameter
seven metrical feet per line (rare)
Narrative Poetry
poem that tells a story. has features of poetry like meter and rhyme, but also the features of stories like characters and plot
Lyric Poetry
Poetry that has a musical quality
Spenserian Sonnet
A form of the English sonnet. follows the quatrain couplet form, but the rhyme scheme is different (abab bcbc cdcd ee). Created by Edmund Spenser. Do not confuse with Spenserian stanza, also created by Edmund Spenser.
Limerick
a form of short, humerous verse, often nonsensical or ribald. 5 lines rhyming aabba. Metrical foot is variable anapestic. The first two lines and the last line all have three feet while the third and fourth only have two.
Cinquain
five line poem created by Adelaide Crapsey, syllables 2,4,6,8,2. Mostly iambic.
Haiku
unrhymed Japanese form. three lines, syllables 5,7,5. Originally subject matter dealt with nature.
Ode
A lyrical stanza in praise of, or dedicated to someone or something
Meiosis
Understatement
Diamante
a 7 line poem that takes the form of a diamond and is made up of primarily individual nouns, adjectives, and verbs
Falling Rhythm
Rhythmic pattern in which the stress regularly occurs in the first syllable of each foot, as in “jack and Jill went up the hill…”
Rising Rhythm
Rhythmic pattern in which the stress regularly occurs on the last syllable of each foot, as in “they danced by the light of the moon”
