Poetry Flashcards - Deck#1: Poetic Devices

Question 1

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Answer 1

Language that cannot be taken literally

Question 2

IMAGERY

Answer 2

The representation through language of sense experience (e.g. My heart is pounding like a drum)

Question 3

FIGURE OF SPEECH

Answer 3

A way of saying something in an ordinary way (It is raining cats and dogs)

Question 4

ONOMATOPOEIA

Answer 4

The use of words whose sound represents their meanings. (e.g. “The bang of a gun”, “The hiss of a snake”, “The buzz of a bee”)

Question 5

REPETITION

Answer 5

The constant use of sounds, words, phrases, or lines in a poem used to emphasize an idea or convey a certain feeling.

Examples of repetition:
- “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…”

• “The isolation during my vacation created a situation of relaxation.”

Question 6

RHYTHM

Answer 6

When words are arranged in a way that they make a pattern or beat.

Example: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How I Wonder What You Are

Hint: Hum the words instead of saying them

Question 7

IDIOM

Answer 7

An expression that doesn’t actually mean what it says

Example: She spilled the beans - She told the secret, I’m feeling under the weather - I’m feeling ill.