Other Terms Associated with the Analysis of Poetry

Question 1

allusion

Answer 1

an indirect reference to a well-known work of art, literary work, person, place, event, song, etc

Question 2

analogy

Answer 2

another word for “comparison,” saying something is analogous to something means that it is similar to, or easily compared with, that thing

Question 3

cliché

Answer 3

a word, phrase, or idea that has been used so much over time that it has lost any impact it may have originally carried; can be used as a noun or as an adjective; as an adjective it is synonymous with hackneyed or trite

Question 4

colloquial

Answer 4

informal speech or writing, not generally accepted in formal or academic speech or writing; similar to vernacular

Question 5

denotation

Answer 5

the actual definition of a word or phrase

Question 6

connotations

Answer 6

implied additional meanings of a word or phrase, beyond the actual definition; includes all of the associations carried by the word

Question 7

diction

Answer 7

word choice; phrasing

Question 8

dissonace

Answer 8

harsh or disagreeable combination of sounds; sometimes figuratively used to refer to a harsh combination of ideas, as well

Question 9

doggerel

Answer 9

derogatory term for “bad” poetry; short pieces of verse without obvious style and little artistic merit; clumsy verse

Question 10

epiphany

Answer 10

a sudden moment of understanding or enlightenment

Question 11

irony

Answer 11

general term for literary techniques that involve differences between appearance and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention

Question 12

verbal irony

Answer 12

what is said (or written) is more-or-less the opposite of what is actually meant

Question 13

situational irony

Answer 13

what occurs defies the expectations of the reader, or a character

Question 14

dramatic irony

Answer 14

occurs when the reader knows something that one or more of the characters does not know

Question 15

juxtaposition

Answer 15

normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed near one another for a purposeful effect

Question 16

mock

Answer 16

“making fun of”
ex. a mock epic is an epic poem written as a spoof on actual epic poems–it uses all of the conventions of the epic but does so in a sarcastic or ironic way

Question 17

paradox

Answer 17

occurs when an apparent contradiction contains truth
ex. “Youth is wasted on the young.”

Question 18

parody

Answer 18

a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it

Question 19

pathos

Answer 19

a writer or speaker’s attempt to inspire an emotional reaction in an audience–usually a deep feeling of suffering or sorrow

Question 20

point-of-view

Answer 20

the vantage from which a poem is narrated

Question 21

rhetorical shift

Answer 21

a shift in a poem’s tone or style

Question 22

sarcasm

Answer 22

verbal irony used to show disapproval, to mock or scorn something

Question 23

satire

Answer 23

a literary tone or work used to make fun of human vice or weakness often with the hope or intent of changing or correcting the behavior

Question 24

sensory language

Answer 24

AKA imagery

Question 25

speaker

Answer 25

the voice “telling” the poem

Question 26

syntax

Answer 26

the order/arrangement of words in a line of poetry (or in a sentence)

Question 27

theme

Answer 27

the main idea(s) expressed in a work of poetry

Question 28

tone

Answer 28

the poet’s attitude as conveyed through the poem

Question 29

vernacular

Answer 29

everyday spoken language; similar to colloquial