Poetry Terms Flashcards
Tone
The speaker’s attitude toward a particular subject.
Note: to successfully analyze tone, you must first identify the subject the attitude is directed at.
Mood
The intended emotional response a reader gets from the poem.
Theme
THE CENTRAL INSIGHT, OR MESSAGE ABOUT LIFE, THAT THE POEM COMMUNICATES. DO NOT CONFUSE SUBJECT WITH THEME
Speaker
The voice/narrator of the poem; NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH THE AUTHOR and that a poem’s speaker need not be human.
Diction
Word choice
Note the level of diction (formal, informal, poetic, slang, jargon)
Note the sound of the words (harsh, jarring= cacophonous; soft, melodic = euphonious)
Syntax
Sentence structure
Are they long? Short? Does the author rely heavily on a particular type of sentence?
Alliteration
A series of words in a sentence have the same first consonant sound.
Assonance
The repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences
Ex: Slow the low gradual moan…
Consonance
Consonance is a pleasing sounding caused by the repetition of consonant sounds within sentences, phrases, or in poems. Typically this repetition occurs at the end of the words, but may also be found within a word.
End-Stopped Rhyme
a line ending in a full pause, often indicated by appropriate punctuation such as a period or semicolon
Enjambment
the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza
Eye Rhyme
Words that look as though they should rhyme because they are spelled identically, but actually are pronounced differently
Understatement (litotes)
Deliberately underplaying or undervaluing a thing to create emphasis
Symbol
Something that represents both itself, as well as something larger than itself.
Meter
Basic rhythmic structure of a poem
Arrangement of stressed/unstressed syllables
Stanza
Formal division of lines in a poem that is considered as a unit. Separated by spaces. Like prose paragraphs, only for poetry. Conveys a single idea.
Lyric Poem
Short poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker
Generally short
Often expresses deep, personal feelings
May be sung, or not
Often have a REFRAIN or lines that are repeated throughout the poem
Rhyme
repetition of similar sounds in two or more words
the repetition of sounds (especially when it’s consistent) lends a sense of rhythm and order to the language.
Quatrain
A stanza with four lines, often rhyming in an ABAB pattern
Couplet
two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit
Narrative Poem
A form of literature that combines the elements of poetry with the elements of storytelling; a narrative poem TELLS a story
Two of the most common types of narrative poems are ballads and epics.
Ballad
Ballads are narrative poems, often used to spread the news, provide entertainment, or create a “bigger than real life” story
Four lines (Quatrains)
Question and answer format
Dialogue
Repetition
Stanzas like a song’s chorus
Elegy
A poem in memory of one who has died
: often reveals the circumstances of death and contemplates the overall nature of life and death
Sonnet
Fixed form of lyric poetry
14 lines
Two main types: Italian (Petrarchan) and English (Shakespearean)
Emphasis is placed on exactness and perfection of expression
