poetic devices

Question 1

Euphony

Answer 1

A series of musically pleasant sounds, conveying a sense of harmony and beauty to the language

Question 2

Allegory

Answer 2

A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning. Sometimes it can be a single word or phrase,
such as the name of a character or place. Often, it is a symbolic narrative that has not only a literal
meaning, but a larger one understood only after reading the entire story or poem

express large, complex ideas in an approachable manner. Allegory allows writers to create some distance between themselves and the issues they are discussing

Question 3

Ambiguity

Answer 3

A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, even in its context. Poets often search out
such words to add richness to their work. Often, one meaning seems quite readily apparent, but
other, deeper and darker meanings, await those who contemplate the poem.

Question 4

Euphemism

Answer 4

An understatement, used to lessen the effect of a statement; substituting something innocuous
for something that might be offensive or hurtful.

Question 5

Metonymy

Answer 5

A figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely
associated with it.

Question 6

Synecdoche

Answer 6

Indicating a person, object, etc. by letting only a certain part represent the whole.

Question 7

Stanza Forms

Answer 7

couplet (2)
tercet (3), 
quatrain (4),
quintet (5), 
sestet (6), 
septet (7)
octave (8)

Question 8

Synesthesia

Answer 8

An attempt to fuse different senses by describing one kind of sense impression in words
normally used to describe another.

Question 9

tone

Answer 9

tone is the attitude or approach that the author takes toward the work’s central theme or subject.

Question 10

mood

Answer 10

evokes certain feelings for readers through a work’s setting, tone, theme, and diction. It’s also referred to as the “atmosphere” of a piece.

Question 11

Feminine caesura

Answer 11

occurs after a non-stressed and short syllable in a poetic line. This is softer and less abrupt than the masculine version.

Question 12

masculine caesura

Answer 12

occurs after a long or accented syllable in a line. It creates a staccato effect in the poem

Question 13

modality

Answer 13

Modality is a measure of certainty

high modality – YOU MUST DO DIS
low modality – uh you might do this

Question 14

Imperative language

Answer 14

an authoritative command.

Question 15

Anticlimax

Answer 15

functions as an abrupt let-down or tonal shift at the end of a narrative build up.

An event or series of events usually at the end of a narrative that contrast with the tension
building up before.

Question 16

Antihero

Answer 16

A protagonist who is in one way or another the very opposite of a traditional hero.

Question 17

Archetype

Answer 17

A character, ritual, symbol, or plot pattern that recurs in the myth and literature of many
cultures

Question 18

Characterization

Answer 18

The presentation or delineation of a fictional personage.

Direct characterization or direct definition occurs when the narrator explicitly tells what a character is like.

Indirect characterization or indirect presentation occurs when the narrative reveals a character’s trait/s implicitly, through his or her speech, behavior, thoughts, appearance, and so on

Question 19

Discriminated Occasion

Answer 19

A specific, discrete moment portrayed in a fictional work, often signaled by phrases such as
“At 5:05 in the morning . . . ,”

Question 20

Epiphany

Answer 20

A sudden moment of illumination or revelation of truth, often inspired by a seemingly simple
or commonplace event.

Question 21

Focalization

Answer 21

The perspective from which the narrated situations and events are presented.

Internal focalization: perspective locatable in one character because it highlights the feelings
and thoughts of that character.

External focalization: a perspective located outside the characters, merely reporting events
and actions from the outside, that is, without access to feelings and thoughts.

Other equivalent terms are internal narration and external narration.

Question 22

Anthropomorphism

Answer 22

Where animals or inanimate objects are portrayed in a story as people, such as by walking, talking, or being given arms, legs and/or facial features. (This technique is often incorrectly called personification.)

Question 23

Parallelism

Answer 23

Use of similar or identical language, structures, events or ideas in different parts of a text