poetic terms Flashcards
The literal or dictionary meaning of a word or phrase
Denotation
Connotation
The feelings and emotions that particular words evoke
Devices that appeal to the senses: visual, tactile, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, kinetic; a group of words that create a mental picture.
Imagery
Simile
A figure of speech wherein a comparison is made between two unlike things using “like”or “as”
Metaphor
a figure of speech wherein a comparison is made between two unlike things without the use of “like” or “as”
a figure of speech in which inanimate objects are given qualities of speech and/or movement
Personification
close examination of a poem including diction, content, poetic devices and imagery
Explication
Any sign that stands for a concept
Symbol
the person or persona responsible for the voice in the poem
Speaker
Archaic language
language that is old fashioned or obsolete, used to suggest something written in the past
Ambivalence
A term used when alternatives exist in the quality of a poet’s experience; when we sense that he/she is responding to the same person, or situation, in several different ways
Ambiguity
Any word usage, however slight, which allows room for alternative reactions
The author’s attitude to his/her characters and situations and/or the reader
Tone
the prevailing mood of a literary work, the feeling it conveys to readers
Atmosphere / mood
A term used when alternatives exist in the quality of a poet’s experience; when we sense that he/she is responding to the same person, or situation, in several different ways
Ambivalence
