Poetry Terms ("Counting Descent")

Question 1

Allusion

Answer 1

An allusion is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar. As a literary device, allusion allows a writer to compress a great deal of meaning and significance into a word or phrase.

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders (allusion to Atlas)
pushing a boulder uphill every day (allusion to Sisyphus)
That guy is young, scrappy, and hungry. (Hamilton)
I wish I could just click my heels. (The Wizard of Oz)
garden (Eden, creation)
Snake (serpent, Satan)

Question 3

Ambiguity

Answer 3

“Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness…” - Ode to a Grecian Urn

The use of the word “still” is ambiguous in nature. Here, it may mean “an unmoving object,” or it may be interpreted as “yet unchanged.”

Question 4

Ambiguity

Answer 4

Ambiguity is when a word, phrase, statement, or idea has more than one meaning or can be understood in more than one way. Ambiguity typically creates a feeling of vagueness, uncertainty, or even confusion. This can make a reader or audience feel doubt, suspense, and an active desire for clarity or resolution.

Question 5

Antithesis

Answer 5

Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
Some people make money, while some waste it.
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. - Lincoln

Question 6

Antithesis

Answer 6

Antithesis is a literary device that refers to the juxtaposition of two opposing elements through a parallel grammatical structure.

Question 7

Enjambment

Answer 7

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold - This is Just to Say

Question 8

Enjambment

Answer 8

Enjambment is a literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause. With enjambment, the end of a poetic phrase extends past the end of the poetic line. This means that the thought or idea “steps over” the end of a line in a poem and into the beginning of the next line. The absence of punctuation allows for enjambment, and requires the reader to read through a poem’s line break without pausing in order to understand the conclusion of the thought or idea.

Question 9

Euphemism

Answer 9

Euphemism is a figure of speech commonly used to replace a word or phrase that is related to a concept that might make others uncomfortable. Euphemism refers to figurative language designed to replace phrasing that would otherwise be considered harsh, impolite, or unpleasant.

Question 10

Euphemism

Answer 10

The pilot has dropped bombs, causing collateral damage.
“Gimme some sugar.”
blowing smoke (lying)
split (divorce)
enhanced interrogation (torture)

Question 11

Hyperbole

Answer 11

He feels buried under a mountain of work.
I’m dying of thirst.
I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight. (The Devil Wears Prada)

Question 12

Hyperbole

Answer 12

Hyperbole is a figure of speech and literary device that creates a heightened effect through deliberate exaggeration. Hyperbole is often a boldly overstated or exaggerated claim or statement that adds emphasis without the intention of being literally true.

Question 13

Imagery

Answer 13

Imagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader. Imagery is not limited to visual representations or mental images, but also includes physical sensations and internal emotions.

Question 14

Imagery

Answer 14

The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.
It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others. No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long. - The Yellow Wallpaper

Question 15

Irony

Answer 15

Irony is a literary device in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality that is different from what appears to be true. The effectiveness of irony as a literary device depends on the reader’s expectations and understanding of the disparity between what “should” happen and what “actually” happens in a literary work

Question 16

Irony

Answer 16

A retired CEO of the Crayola company suffered from colorblindness.
Many people claimed and/or believed that the Titanic was an “unsinkable” ship.
A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter. - A Modest Proposal

Question 17

Juxtaposition

Answer 17

Juxtaposition is a literary device that implies comparison or contrast. Writers create juxtaposition by placing two entities side by side to create dramatic or ironic contrast. Juxtaposition is a form of implied comparison in that there is no overt comparison or inference on the part of the writer.

Question 18

Juxtaposition

Answer 18

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. - Animal Farm

Question 19

Litotes

Answer 19

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead)
A designer knows he or she has achieved perfection, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. (Nolan Haims)

Question 20

Litotes

Answer 20

Litotes is a figure of speech featuring a phrase that utilizes negative wording or terms to express a positive assertion or statement. Litotes is a common literary device, most often used in speech, rhetoric, and nonfiction. As a figure of speech, the meaning of litotes is not literal. Instead, litotes is intended to be a form of understatement by using negation to express the contrary meaning.

Question 21

Metaphor

Answer 21

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow. - Dreams

Question 22

Metaphor

Answer 22

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two non-similar things. As a literary device, metaphor creates implicit comparisons without the express use of “like” or “as.” Metaphor is a means of asserting that two things are identical in comparison rather than just similar. This is useful in literature for using specific images or concepts to state abstract truths.

Question 23

Metonymy

Answer 23

“There is a mountain of work on my desk.” This is an example of metonymy. “Mountain” is used here as a word that would be related to “pile.” Though the word “mountain” is different than “pile,” they are both associated with one another.

Question 24

Metonymy

Answer 24

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association. In fact, metonymy means “change of name.” As a literary device, it is a way of replacing an object or idea with something related to it instead of stating what is actually meant. Metonymy enables writers to express a word or thought in a different way by using a closely related word or thought.

Question 25

Ode

Answer 25

Ode is a literary technique that is lyrical in nature, but not very lengthy. You have often read odes in which poets praise people, natural scenes, and abstract ideas. Ode is derived from the Greek word aeidein, which means to chant or sing. It is highly solemn and serious in its tone and subject matter, and usually is used with elaborate patterns of stanzas. However, the tone is often formal. A salient feature of an ode is its uniform metrical feet, but poets generally do not strictly follow this rule though use highly elevated theme.

Question 26

Overstatement

Answer 26

An overstatement is an act of stating something more profound than it actually is, in order to make the point more serious or important or beautiful.

Question 27

Oxymoron

Answer 27

Oxymoron is a figure of speech pairing two words together that are opposing and/or contradictory. This combination of contrary or antithetical words is also known in conversation as a contradiction in terms.

Question 28

Oxymoron

Answer 28

I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. - The Catcher in the Rye
Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow. - Romeo and Juliet

Question 29

Paradox

Answer 29

“Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it” (Ghandi)
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once” (Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)
“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” (No Country for Old Men)

Question 30

Paradox

Answer 30

A paradox is a statement that appears at first to be contradictory, but upon reflection then makes sense. This literary device is commonly used to engage a reader to discover an underlying logic in a seemingly self-contradictory statement or phrase. As a result, paradox allows readers to understand concepts in a different and even non-traditional way.

Question 31

Simile

Answer 31

A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded. - Horseradish

Question 32

Simile

Answer 32

A simile is a figure of speech in which two essentially dissimilar objects or concepts are expressly compared with one another through the use of “like” or “as.” Simile is used as a literary device to assert similarity with the help of like or as, which are language constructs that establish equivalency. A proper simile creates an explicit comparison between two things that are different enough from each other such that their comparability appears unlikely.

Question 33

Stanza

Answer 33

Stanzas in poetry are similar to paragraphs in prose. Both stanzas and paragraphs include connected thoughts, and are set off by a space. The number of lines varies in different kinds of stanzas.

Question 34

Understatement

Answer 34

They are doing a bit of their construction these days and of course, there’ll be a lot of noise.
“Deserts are sometimes hot, dry, and sandy.”

Question 35

Understatement

Answer 35

An understatement is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. An understatement usually has an ironic effect, as an equally intense response is expected in severe situations, but the statement in response is the opposite of what was expected.

Question 36

Volta (turn)

Answer 36

A turn of thought or argument in poetry is called the volta. It is a rhetorical shift. In some ways, it is a dramatic change in emotions or thoughts that the poet is expressing in the poem. Different poets and critics have named it differently. Some call ‘volta’ as ‘turn’ to maintain simple terminology.