Poetic Techniques Flashcards
Define alliteration.
Repetition of closely connected words beginning with the same letter, usually a consonant. It is used to highlight the feeling of sound and movement, to intensify meaning or to bind words together.
Define allusion.
A brief reference to a person, work of art, historical event, Biblical or mythological situation or a character.
Define assonance.
Repetition of identical vowel sounds to achieve a particular effect. Broad vowels such as a, o or u can slow down a line, making it sound sad and weary.
Define ballad.
A simple song which tells a story through dialogue. It is characterised by uncomplicated language and melodic refrain. The literary ballad is a narrative poem written in imitation of the folk ballad. Each verse is made up of four lines, with the second and fourth line endings rhyming.
Define cacophony.
A discordant series of harsh, unpleasant sounds helps to convey disorder.
Define caesura.
A strong pause within a line. Often found alongside enjambment.
Define enjambment.
When a sentence runs from one line of poetry into the next line without any punctuation marks. Enjambment helps to emphasise meaning or excitement.
Define emotive language.
The use of words and phrases that cause an emotional response in the reader.
Define euphony.
A series of musically pleasant sounds, conveying a sense of harmony and beauty to the language.
Define form.
How the poem is structured or organised and the effects of the poem’s shape. For example, in a sonnet the condensed fourteen line form often means the feelings expressed are more intense.
Define hyperbole.
Deliberate exaggeration used to emphasise a point, often for expressive or comic effect.
Define imagery.
The pictures in the poem and how they help the reader understand the meaning.
Define juxtaposition.
A literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.
Define lyric.
Originally, lyric meant poetry intended to be sung with a lyre or lute accompaniment. Now it refers to poems which are short, concentrated in expression, personal in subject matter and songlike in quality.
Define lyric poem.
A poem centering on a significant experience in the poet’s life, usually about the emotions created by an event.
