Poetic Devices Flashcards
Alliteration
repeated consonant sounds at BEGINNING of words near each other
Consonance
repeated consonant sounds at ENDING of words near each other
Assonance
repeated vowels sounds in words near each other
Cacophony
series of harsh/unpleasant sounds that convey disorder
Euphony
series of musically pleasant sounds, conveys harmony
Onomatopoeia
words that sound like their meanings
Repetition
purposeful reuse of words and phrases for an effect
Allegory
representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning
Apostrophe
speaking directly to a real/imagined person/thing & addressing by name
Euphemism
understatement and/or substituting something innocuous for something hurtful
Hyperbole
huge exaggeration
Irony
contradictory statement/situation to reveal the actual reality
Metaphor
comparison between 2 things that states one IS the other or DOES THE ACTION of the other
Metonymy
a person/place/thing is referred to by something closely associated with it
Metonymy example
The White House stated that
- President = White House
Oxymoron
combo of 2 words that seem to contradict each other
Paradox
seemingly contradictory statement that may reveal an unexpected truth
Personification
giving human characteristics to inanimate object/animal/abstract idea
Pun
word play where words w/ diff meanings have similar/identical sounds
Simile
comparison of 2 unlike things using like or as
Synecdoche
indicating a person/object/etc by letting only a certain part represent the whole
Synecdoche example
All hands on deck
- hands = crew mates
Point of view
author’s POV concentrated on the position of the speaker, or “teller” of poem
- sometimes called persona
Enjambment
continuation of logical sense beyond the end of a line of poetry
