Poem Terms Flashcards
Verse
Term used to describe poetic lines composed in measured rhythmical pattern, that are often, but not necessarily, rhymed
Prose
The way we usually write and speak, no rhyme of economy of words
Stanza
Section of a poem/ like a paragraph in prose
Couplet
2 lines
Repetition
Repeating words, lines, or ideas to make a point
Refrain
A line or group of lines repeated regularly or irregularly
Blank verse
Unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter ( 10 syllables, every other syllable is stressed; the way Shakespeare writes his plays)
Rhyme
Repetition of identical or similar concluding syllables in different words, most often at the end of lines
Meter
When a rhythmic pattern of stresses recurs in a poem
Rhythm
Term used to refer to the reoccurrence of stressed and unstressed sounds in poetry
Metaphor
Comparing 2 things not using like or as
Simile
Comparing 2 things using like or as
Personification
Giving non human things human characteristics
Hyperbole
An enormous exaggeration
Symbol
Something small representing something larger
Alliteration
Repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a wit for stressed syllable ( descending dew drops)
Consonance
Common type of near rhyme that consists of identical consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds : home, same ( worth, breath)
Assonance
Repetition of internal vowel sounds in nearby words that don’t end the same ( asleep, tree)
Imagery
Word use that paints pictures in readers minds
Mood
The way the setting affects the readers and characters
Tone
How the author feels about his characters and subject
Allusion
Reference to another literary work, person, place, or time
Onomatopoeia
A word or combination of words that resemble specific sounds ( buzz rattle bang)
Archetype
Term used to describe universal symbols that evoke deep and sometimes unconscious responses in a reader. Common literary archetypes include stories of quests, initiations, descents to the underworld, and scents to heaven
Speaker
The voice used by an author to tell a story or speak a poem. The speaker is often a created identity and should not automatically be equated with the authors self