Lit Devices Pt 4: Poetic Devices Flashcards
Alliteration
Repetition of the same initial consonant sound of words that are in close proximity (i.e. “Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore” where the s- is repeated multiple times)
Apostrope
Calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea as if he/she/it can hear you or answer you; if the character is asking a dirty or supernatural power for help or inspiration, it is called an invocation
Assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds of words that are in close proximity (i.e. “Dan’s apple has a bad spot” where the short a sound is repeated)
Caesura
A pause for effect in the middle of a line of poetry, usually marked with a period, dash, or semicolon (i.e. “And I—I took the road less travelled by”)
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds of words that are in close proximity, but the sounds are not at the beginning (i.e. “tick, tock goes the clock” where the -ck sound is being repeated)
Enjambment
A line or verse that carries over to the next line without a pause of any kind
Elegy
A poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died; a eulogy is a speech of praise or commendation delivered at a funeral or memorial service when someone has died
Elision
The merging of two syllables using an apostrophe to preserve the meter in a line of poetry (i.e. heaven becomes heav’n, never becomes ne’er). This is the opposite of expansion
Epic
A long, narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society (i.e. The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf)
Expansion
The distinguishing of a syllable typically elided (verb form of elision) in modern American English in order to preserve the meter of a line of poetry (i.e. banished would be pronounced as a ban-ish-ed, profession would be pronounced pro-fess-ee-un). This is the opposite of elision
Feminine Rhyme
A rhyme that matches two or more syllables, most often found in end rhymes. (i.e. “yet in these thoughts myself almost despising/ like to the lark at break of day arising“ where the two syllables of -rise and -ing match)
Figurative Language
Writing or speech not meant to be taken literally in order to create an effect; figurative language devices include simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, oxymorons, etc.
Free Verse
Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme sceme
Masculine Rhyme
A rhyme that matches up single syllables, most often found in end rhymes (i.e. “happily I think on thee, and then my state/ from sullen earth, sings hymns at Heaven’s Gate“ where the single syllable -ate found in state and gate right). This is the opposite of feminine rhyme
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it (i.e. “the pot boiled over“ where “pot” is actually referring to the water)
