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