Poetry Test Flashcards
the person who narrates or speaks.
Persona
the repetition of identical or related vowel
sounds
Assonance
a comparison of two unlike objects by means of
words (like, as, as if,than)
Simile
the repetition of a pattern of consonants with
changes in the intervening vowels e.g.: hill hall ; live love
Consonance
when an object, animal, ideal or quality is
given the attributes or characteristics of a human being
Personification
one syllable e.g.: tell and bell
Masculine rhyme
the repeated use of the same sounds or
combination of sounds in the beginning of a series of words
Alliteration
the pattern of rhymes found in each stanza
Rhyme Scheme
more than one syllable e.g.: stable and
table
Feminine rhyme
rhyming within the lines
Internal rhyme
In “God’s World” the poet addresses each stanza to a different listener. Identify each listener and explain a reason for the change.
1st stanza:
2nd stanza:
1st stanza: Earth
2nd stanza: God
Explain the poet’s feelings in the last two lines of the poem, “God’s World”.
Her soul is exiting her body to be with nature.
What poetic device (other than rhyme) is most prevalent in “Indian Summer?” 2. Consider the overall effect of the poem when answering this question. Defend your answer.
Personification - (objects, animals, or nature acting as if they were human-like) “river’s mouth”, “sumachs on the hills Have turned their green to red”, “blue jay calls”
Explain the main idea of “Flander’s Fields”.
The remaining soldiers must avenge their fellow comrades by trudging on in the war.
“Out of Pompeii” written by Wilfred Campbell in 1892.
What historic event is described in this poem? When did it occur?
The fire of Pompeii in 79 A.D.
A Kite is a Victim: This poem is free verse. What is the definition of free verse?
Free verse is when none of the lines rhyme.
A Kite is a Victim: Cohen uses four metaphors in his poem. What are they? Label them 1-4.
- A kite is a victim you are sure of.
- A kite is a fish you have already caught
- A kite is the last poem you’ve written
- A kite is a contract of glory
Conscientious Objector: Define “conscientious objector”.
Describe the speaker of this poem and the tone of the poem. Use quotes to support your answers.
conscientious objector: “individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service”
The speaker is Millay, the poet, who doesn’t believe in death. This leads to an informative/declarative tone of the poem, as she is stating her opinion on the subject. “I shall die, but that is all I shall do for Death.” this explains her stance on the matter, saying she will not kill, or support it, but only die a natural death.
Conscientious Objector: Which two images in this poem are the most vivid to you and why? (Include direct quotes!)
I believe two images most prevalent in this poem are death and war. These are shown through quotes such as the frequent word “death” and the mention of World War I and the Spanish American War with “Cuba” and “Balkans.”
Conscientious Objector: What are two other poetic devices (not mentioned in #3) are most prevalent in this poem? (Quote)
Personification with “Death” portrayed as a real person and imagery.
Explain the irony in Ozymandias. Include the type of irony in your explanation.
The irony of Ozymandias was that the king was talking about how no one could take over his reign, but he was already dead! So basically, his statue lived longer than his own self. This is situational irony.
There is a comment after the end of “On a Stupendous Leg…” about the title. Is it a serious comment that should be taken literally or is there some irony in it? Explain what you mean. What is your opinion of the title?
I believe that it could be taken both humorously or literally. His title is funny in a way, but also has an underlying meaning, making it symbolic. The reason I like this poem better than the other is the title.
“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning
Describe the character of the last Duchess. Use examples from the poem to support what you say. (Keep in mind the point of view in the poem.) QUOTE
Going off what the Duke describes as “but who passed without Much the same smile?” we can tell he became annoyed with her flirtatious personality towards other men. Though we cannot completely determine whether this is accurate (he could be exaggerating in his bitterness).
In “My Last Duchess” what gift does the Duke say he gave his Duchess? What does he mean by this?
He gave her his “nine hundred years-old name”, which is believed to be his ancestors and previous kings’ name of honor.
My Last Duchess: The Duke says that he doesn’t have the skill in speech to say exactly what he wants. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Find evidence to support your answer. This also means to quote from the poetry.
I disagree with this statement. The Duke clearly explains all of his actions and experiences. “she liked whate’er She looked on, and she looked everywhere.” and “She thanked men—good! but thanked Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name With anybody’s gift.” explains her favor towards any gift received and her flirtatious personality clearly, and so does the rest of the poem.
My Last Duchess: The interesting part of this poem is what we learn about the Duke by what he says. Describe the character of the Duke. What type of person is he? Quote from the poetry.
The Duke is a murderer, but more than that. He prefers to have a painting of a women rather than a real wife. He believes women should be controlled by men, with his statement “I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.” This suggests both his controlling personality and murder.
Give the definition of an ode. (Be sure that your definition differentiates it from other types of poems.)
Ode – A form of lyric poetry that expresses emotion
What is the rhyming pattern of the following stanza from “Ode on a Grecian Urn”?
O Attica1 shape! Fair attitude! with brede2 ____
Of marble men and maidens overwrought, ____
With forest branches and the trodden weed; ____
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought ____
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral! ____
When old age shall this generation waste, ____
Thou shalt remain, in midst of others woe ____
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, ___
Beauty is truth, truth beauty-that is all ____
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know ____
1 Attica: Attica was a district of ancient Greece surrounding Athens.
2 Brede: woven pattern. “Overwrought”; ornamented all over.
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Why would many consider the poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, to be a non-ballad? Do you think that it can rightly be classified as a ballad? Why or why not? Refer to the definition of a ballad as you make your case. That means include part of the definition of a ballad in your answer and reasoning for its classification.
I consider this poem to be a ballad, which is a poem that progresses like a story. Some people refer to it as a narrative poem, which fits the definition of a traditional ballad. It progresses like a story, so therefore I would consider it a ballad/narrative poem.
Refer to “The Ballad of the Harp-weaver”.
How did the mother show her love for her son?
She stayed up all night in their cold house and made clothes for him.
Why may we rightly classify “The Ballad of the Harp-weaver” as a ballad? Again, include the definition of a ballad in your answer.
Again, it progresses like a story, fitting the definition of a traditional ballad.
Who is the “Portuguese”?
Elizabeth
Which of the following poems are Shakespearean (English)?
Sonnet 116
Which of the following poems are Petrarchan (Italian)?
Sonnets from the Portuguese XLIII, The World is Too Much with Us, On First Looking Into Chapman’s Homer
To whom is Elizabeth Browning speaking in this poem?
Her husband, Robert.
This line is an example of what type of figurative language: “I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;”
simile
How many ways does she say that she loves “thee” (present tense)? Count carefully (there are less than 10).
Seven
extreme exaggeration
hyberbole
allusion
reference to an historical figure or event
seven
perfection
three
Trinity
forty
trial or testing
thirteen
betrayal
eight
resurrection or regeneration
apostrophe
direct address
one
unity
five
sacrifice
