Poetry test Flashcards
Lyric
Any fairly short poem in which the speaker expresses intense personal emotion or state of mind rather than describing a narrative or dramatic situation
Narrative
Tells a story;a particular event, or happening;often relates to a long story
Metaphor
A direct comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjects “life is like a broken winged bird….”
Simile
A figure of speech involving a direct comparison between two unlike things and using words such as “like” or “as.”
“Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
Extended Metaphor
A metaphor that is developed for several lines and sometimes throughout an entire poem. It contains a main metaphor followed by smaller related metaphors.
“All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their entrances and their exits.”
Synecdoche
A form of metaphor in which mentioning the part signifies the whole
“Friends, Romans, countrymen:lend me your ears” (WS)
Personification
A form of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics
“The waves beside them danced.”
Metonymy
A figure or speech that takes the place of the name of a thing with the name of something else with it is closely associated
“The pen is mightier than theL sword.”
(pen=words;sword=military forces)
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which someone not present, some abstract quality, or non-existent personage is directly addressed as though present
“Death be not proud, though some have called thee…”
Alliteration
When the same consonant sound repeats itself at the beginning of closely related word
“Better butter make a batter better”
Assonance
When a vowel sound repeats itself in closely related words
“Men sell the wedding bells
Consonance
When a consonant sound repeats itself at the end or in the middles of closely related words
Mammals named Sam are clammy
Onomatopoeia
The use of words whose sound suggests their meaning
“Buzz,” hiss,” or “Honk”
Tone
The manner in which the author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning
(Remember that the voice need not be the voice of poet)
Imagery
A literary reference to any or all five senses
