Poetry Terms

Question 1

Anaphora

Answer 1

a rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines

(ie. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…)

Question 2

Apostrophe

Answer 2

a rhetorical figure in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an abstraction or inanimate object

(ie. Oh trees, how majestic you are as you throw down your golden leaves.)

Question 3

Archetype

Answer 3

a symbol, theme, setting or character-type that recurs in different times and places in literature so frequently to suggest that it embodies some essential element of “universal” human experience

(ie. the hero, the villain, the mentor, the journey)

Question 4

Assonance

Answer 4

the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables of neighboring words

(ie. Hear the mellow wedding bells.)

Question 5

Caesura

Answer 5

a pause in a line of verse, often coinciding with a break between clauses or sentences

(ie. Oh, say can you see II by the dawn’s early light.)

Question 6

Catharsis

Answer 6

the effect of purification achieved by tragic drama (according to Aristotle in Poetics)

(ie. A man who killed someone in a drunk driving incident experiences catharsis by volunteering in a children’s hospital.)

Question 7

Consonance

Answer 7

the repetition of identical or similar consonants in neighboring words whose vowel sounds are different

(ie. the ship has sailed, coming home)

Question 8

Couplet

Answer 8

a pair of rhyming verse lines, usually of the same length

Question 9

Enjambment

Answer 9

the running over of the sense and grammatical structure from one verse line or couplet to the next without a punctuated pause

Question 10

Hyperbole

Answer 10

exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, not meant literally

Question 11

Internal Rhyme

Answer 11

rhyme occurring with a line of poetry

Question 12

Irony

Answer 12

a mode of expression in which one conveys a reality opposite to the expectation

Question 13

Masculine Rhyme

Answer 13

one-syllable stressed rhyme at the end of two lines

ie. dog and log

Question 14

Feminine Rhyme

Answer 14

two-syllable rhyme consisting of a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable

(ie. label and table)

Question 15

Meter

Answer 15

the pattern of measured sound-units recurring more or less regularly in lines of verse

(ie. iambic pentameter)

Question 16

Slant Rhyme

Answer 16

sounds are similar but not identical, near or approximate rhyme

(ie. bridge and grudge, orange and door-hinge)

Question 17

Synechdoche

Answer 17

a type of metaphor in which a part of something stands for the whole thing

(ie. Let’s get on some wheels and start driving.)

Question 18

Metonymy

Answer 18

the name of an object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it

(ie. The White House will be announcing the decision around noon today.)

Question 19

Epistrophe (Epiphora)

Answer 19

the repetition of phrases or words at the ends of the clauses or sentences

(ie. Where now? Who now? When now?)

Question 20

Epizeuxis

Answer 20

words or phrases are repeated in quick succession, one after another, for emphasis

(ie. I hate it! Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate it!)

Question 21

Asyndeton

Answer 21

• a writing style where conjunctions are omitted in a series of words, phrases or clauses
• it is used to shorten a sentence and focus on its meaning
• it can be an effective tool when writing to create a more concise, dramatic effect
• it can be used to quicken the pace or emphasize a point

(ie. Fires are burning, horses are snorting, chestnuts are roasting.)

Question 22

Litote

Answer 22

an understatement to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often using double negatives

(ie. not worst)

Question 23

Oxymoron

Answer 23

two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect

ie. awfully pretty

Question 24

Juxtaposition

Answer 24

putting two unlike ideas, objects, or images together and observing the exaggerated difference between the two things

(ie. imagine being at a church and your uncle can’t stop making jokes about satan)

Question 25

Cacophony

Answer 25

a mixture of loud, harsh, unharmonious sounds/words in a passage that don’t typically sound good together,

(ie. Thunder thumps theatrically through the night.)

Question 26

Euphony

Answer 26

the combining of words that sound pleasant together or easy to pronounce, usually because they contain lots of consonants with soft or muffled sounds

(ie. The soothing sound of the whistle flew through the air.)

Question 27

Connotation

Answer 27

an implied meaning that is associated with a word in addition to its literal meaning

Question 28

Denotation

Answer 28

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests