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English 20-1 > Poetry Theory > Flashcards

Poetry Theory Flashcards

1
Q

What is the four main classes of poetry?

A

Narrative, Lyrical, Dramatic, Social commentary

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2
Q

What is the Narrative poetry class?

A

Tells about people involved in a sequence of important events, contains characters, settings, and plots. They are based on a conflict and lead up to a climax

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3
Q

What are Ballads?

A

A form of verse, adapted for singing or recitation which presents a story often about a tragic event, popular legend, courageous act, or great love

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4
Q

What are the two main types of ballads?

A

Traditional/Popular/ Folk and Modern/Literary/Art

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5
Q

What is the Traditional/Popular/ Folk ballad?

A

-Belong to early periods before much was written
-One of the earliest forms of folk literature
-Usually several variations
-Usually anonymous, because it was passed on from generation to generation
-Strong rhythm
-Usually has repetition
-Usually sung
-Simple rhyme scheme
-Often tragic

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6
Q

What is the Modern/Literary/Art ballad?

A

-Name of author is given
-Composed by a person who considers himself/herself to be a poet
-Highly polished, artistic, and detailed
-Literary devices carefully chosen
-Not much repetition
-Not composed to be sung

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7
Q

What is a epic?

A

Long, serious, narrative poem recounting the deeds of heroic figures from legends or history

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8
Q

What is the Lyrical poetry class?

A

-Most popular class
-Poet expresses his desires, feelings, emotions, or ideals
-May be a joyful emotion or a painful emotion

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9
Q

What is short lyrical poetry?

A

-Includes formula poetry
-The Epigram- brief, witty statement expressed in two to four lines
-The Epitaph- a two to four line poetic inscription on a tombstone
-Other nonsensical or humorous poetry

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10
Q

What is longer lyrical poetry?

A

-The Elegy- a dignified poem expressing the poet’s sorrow or praise for the dead
-The Ode- entire poem is often addressed to some person, creature, or object; it has a serious subject and a dignified style

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11
Q

What is the Sonnet?

A

-14 lines
-Written in Iambic pentametre
-Has a complicated rhyme scheme

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12
Q

What is the two types of Sonnets?

A

Shakespeare or English sonnet, Petrarchan or Italian sonnet

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13
Q

What is the Shakespeare or English sonnet?

A

-Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
-Stanza types: three quatrains (ABAB CDCD EFEF) and one rhyming couplet (GG)

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14
Q

What is the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet?

A

Rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA CDECDE
-Stanza types: one octave (ABBA ABBA) and one sestet of (CDECDE)

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15
Q

What is the dramatic poetry class?

A

-intended to be read aloud or performed in front of an audience
-Usually revealed through monologue (one person speaking to the audience) or dialogue (two or more people speaking
-Main types: tragic, comedic, or dramatic monologues

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16
Q

What is the Social Commentary poetry class?

A

-Comments on society’s social habits, customs, attitudes, and problems to promote much needed changes in the individual or in society

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17
Q

What is a prose?

A

-Spoken or written words which do not follow a specific metrical pattern
-Written words appear in sentence or paragraph form

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18
Q

What is a verse?

A

-Poem
-Typically written in metrical pattern

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19
Q

What is a simile?

A

A comparison of two different things using “Like” or “As”

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20
Q

What is a metephor?

A

A comparison of two different things without the use of “Like” or “As”

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21
Q

What is a onomatopoeia?

A

The use of a word whose sound imitates, suggests, and reinforces its meaning

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22
Q

What is a personification?

A

Giving something non-human human characteristics

23
Q

What is a hyperbole?

A

An extreme exaggeration used for effect

24
Q

What is a alliteration?

A

The repetition of the same consonant or vowed sound at the start of words

25
Q

What is assonance?

A

The repetition of similar vowel sounded anywhere within the words in a line ot poetry

26
Q

What is consonance?

A

The repetition of similar consonant sounds anywhere within the words in a line of poetry

27
Q

What is cacophony?

A

The use of harsh, discordant sounds with poetic effect, usually applied to the entire poem or key parts of it

28
Q

What is euphony?

A

The use of soft, pleasant sounds for poetic effect, usually applied to the entire poem or key parts of it

29
Q

What is a oxymoron?

A

Words or a phrase that combines contradicting or opposite ideas

30
Q

What is a paradox?

A

An apparently contradictory statement with an element of truth in it

31
Q

What is symolism?

A

Something representing something else, especially a material object representing an abstract idea

32
Q

What is parallelism?

A

The repetition of key components in a line/sentence that have similar grammatical structure

33
Q

What is allusion?

A

An indirect reference to a well-known person, place, thing, or even from history, literature, mythology or the bible

34
Q

What is a apostrophe?

A

A direct address to a person, place, thing, or idea in a line of poetry

35
Q

What is a pun?

A

A play on words which has three possible forms: A word with two different meanings, similarity of meaning in two words that are homonyms, two words pronounced and spelled similarly but have different meanings

36
Q

What is denotation?

A

The literal of dictionary meaning of a word

37
Q

What is connotation?

A

The implied meaning of a word based on emotional associations with it

38
Q

What is free verse?

A

Poem with no rhyme or rhythmic pattern

39
Q

What is synecdoche?

A

A part represents a whole

40
Q

What is juxtaposition?

A

The placing of two or more words side by side in a line of poetry which are unrelated

41
Q

What is a stanza?

A

A group of lines separated by a line space for:
-Different ideas
-Rhyme
-Rhythm
-Emphasis

42
Q

What are the main types of stanzas?

A

-Rhyming couplet- two successive lines which end rhyme
-Quatrain- four line stanza
-Sestet- six line stanza
-Octave- eight line stanza

43
Q

What is a metre?

A

a system for determining the rhythmic pattern of a poem according to its stressed and unstressed syllables

44
Q

What is a foot?

A

It is a recurrent metric and measured unit of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

45
Q

What is iambic pentametre?

A

Five feet (each iambic foot contains two syllables;10 syllables) of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

46
Q

What is blank verse?

A

Unrhymed iambic pentametre commonly seen in Shakespeare’s plays

47
Q

What is litotes?

A

An understatement in which an affirmative is conveyed by stating a negative

48
Q

What is archaism?

A

The use of words and expressions in literature that have become obsolete in common speech

49
Q

What is metonymy?

A

One term is a direct substitute for another

50
Q

What is satire?

A

Any work which ridicules people, ideas, or institutions to make a point for reform

51
Q

What is parody?

A

Any work which humorously ridicules a particular style or literary composition through imitation purely for entertainment

52
Q

What is dysphemism?

A

The use of a crude or shocking word or expression used in place of socially accepted language

53
Q

What is euphemism?

A

The use of a pleasant sounding word or phrase to avoid talking about the unpleasant reality

English 20-1 (7 decks)

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