Poetry Flashcards
Form
Shape of the poem
Closed Form
Identifiable, consistent patterns
Stanzas—number of lines per
Number of syllables per line (meter)
Rhyme scheme (using the ends of the lines)
Convention?
Sonnet
Villanelle
Haiku, etc.
Open Form
No consistent rhyme scheme, no meter
May have Stanzas (but no pattern to # of lines per)
Occasional Rhyme or none at all
Relies more heavily on the following to create the poem’s shape and direct the flow of reading (the cadence):
Spacing
Punctuation choices
Line lengths and placement of line breaks
Enjambment
Continues over two or more lines
Caesura
End punctuation interrupts somewhere in the line
End-stopped
A single, complete sentence that begins and ends on the same line
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like what they are:
Buzz, splash, sizzle, creak, hiss
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby words (same line)
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words (same line)
Consonance
This is a type of near-rhyme, like the words bleed and bled
Similes
The comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”
Metaphors
is a figure of speech that describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the same as another otherwise unrelated object or idea.
Personification
is a figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to non-human entities, such as animals, objects, or abstract concepts.
Hyperbole
is a figure of speech that involves exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally, often used for emphasis or humorous effect.
Allusions
is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a person, place, event, or literary work outside of the text, often used to enhance meaning or create a connection between the text and its readers.
