Poetic Techniques Flashcards
Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.
Simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion).
Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Onomatopoeia
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle).
Alliteration
Is the repetition of the beginning sound of 2 or more words placed near one another
Tone
The tone in a story indicates a particular feeling. It can be joyful, serious, humorous, sad, threatening, formal, informal, pessimistic, and optimistic. Your tone in writing will be reflective of your mood as you are writing.
Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing can influence its mood, from the setting and the imagery to the author’s word choice and tone.
Enjambment
enjambment is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation. Lines without enjambment are end-stopped.
Form
the physical structure of the poem: the length of the lines, their rhythms, their system of rhymes and repetition. In this sense, it is normally reserved for the type of poem where these features have been shaped into a pattern, especially a familiar pattern.
Rhyme
Refers to the last sound of a word being repeated in other words
Structure
Poems can be structured, with rhyming lines and meter, the rhythm and emphasis of a line based on syllabic beats. Poems can also be freeform, which follows no formal structure. The basic building block of a poem is a verse known as a stanza. … For example, a couplet is a stanza with two lines.
Assonance
Refers to the repetition of the vowels in words that are in close proximity to each other.
Anaphora
Anaphora is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighbouring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis.
Cacophony
Refers to a combination of harsh, chaotic, and or discordant/unharmonious sounds
Consonance
the recurrence of similar-sounding consonants in close proximity, especially in prosody.
Euphony
Words that work together to create a harmonious and pleasing sound to the ears.
Repetition
In poetry, repetition is repeating words, phrases, lines, or stanzas. Repetition is used to emphasise a feeling or idea, create rhythm, and/or develop a sense of urgency.
Pathetic Fallacy
Pathetic fallacy is giving human feelings to something non-human. “The somber clouds darkened our mood”
Metre
Refers to the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables within a line, creating a rhythm and giving it a melodic element.
Antimetabole
the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order; for example, “I know what I like, and I like what I know”.
Couplet
a pair of successive lines of verse, typically rhyming and of the same length.
Sibilance
Sibilance is a figure of speech in which a hissing sound is created within a group of words through the repetition of “s” sounds. In poetry, it is used as a stylistic device, and sibilants are used more than twice in quick succession.
