poetry key terms Flashcards
abjection
refers to subjective horror, or someone’s reaction to physically or emotionally disturbing subject matter.
accumulation
Accumulation is a literary device that relates to a list of words or phrases that have similar, if not the same, meanings.
adynation
Adynaton is a literary device similar to hyperbole. It’s an exaggeration that is stretched to the absolute extreme. The proffered scenario is impossible.
ambiguity
Ambiguity is a word or statement that has more than one meaning. If a phrase is ambiguous, it means multiple things.
assonance
repetition of identical vowel sounds in order to achieve a particular effect
ballad
a simple song written as a narrative poem which tells a story through dialogue
blank verse
poetry written in non-rhyming, ten syllable lines
caesura
a stop or a pause in a line of poetry-usually caused by punctuation
enjambment
a running over of the sense and grammatical structure from one line to another, or between stanzas
epigraph
a quotation from another text, included in a poem
free verse
poetry written with lines of irregular verse and often without rhyme
hyperbole
a figure of speech which uses exaggeration to emphasise a point
imagery
language that appeals to the senses. The use of pictures, figures of speech and description to suggest ideas, feelings, objects and actions which create a vivid picture in your mind
metaphor
an image where one thing is said to be something else
ode
a formal poem which is written to celebrate a personal, place, object or idea
parady
a comic imitation of another writer’s work
refrain
a recurring line or phrase, especially at the end of a verse
volta
a turning point in the line of thought or argument in poem
