Structure Flashcards
Extended metaphor
An extended metaphor is a version of a metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry.
Extended metaphor - effect
- allow writers to draw a larger comparison between two things or ideas
- allow the audience to visualize a complex idea in a memorable way or tangible
- create connection
- evoke imagery and emotions
Enjambment
Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next.
Enjambment - effect
- to speed up the pace of the poem or to create a sense of urgency, tension, or rising emotion as the reader is pulled from one line to the next. (build momentum, energy and faster flow)
- to introduce ambiguity or contradiction into an otherwise straightforward sentence
- reader must read through the line break quickly to reach the conclusion of the thought
- create tension (cliffhanger)
Semantic Fields
A semantic field is a lexical set of semantically related items, for example, verbs of perception
Semantic fields - effect
- to keep a certain image persistent in their readers’ mind
- to create undertones to pieces of literature
- to create a theme and atmosphere
- build emotion
Symbols
rainbow–symbolizes hope and promise
red rose–symbolizes love and romance
four-leaf clover–symbolizes good luck or fortune
wedding ring–symbolizes commitment and matrimony
red, white, blue–symbolizes American patriotism
green traffic light–symbolizes “go” or proceed
tree blossoms–symbolize spring season
Pilgrim hat–symbolizes Thanksgiving holiday
dollar sign–symbolizes money, earnings, wealth
image of shopping cart–symbolizes online purchases
Symbols - effect
- can create imagery and provide visual elements that allow readers to understand complex literary themes
- evoke emotions
- thematic connection
Extended Allegory
An extended story that carries a deeper meaning below the surface. An analogy uses the same idea to build a type of argument “time is money”, while explaining more in the description.
FOR EXAMPLE, animal farms explore communism
Extended Allegory - effect
- conveys another more important meaning
- give writers the chance to elaborate on a comparison between two objects or ideas
Line break
A line break can also happen at any point the poet sees fit. Depending on the content of the poem, a line break can benefit the tone, mood, and atmosphere of the piece.
Line break - effect
- to speed up, slow down, create drama or tension in a poem
- add dynamism and keep a reader moving through the text at the pace the writer wants them to.
- If a writer uses frequent line breaks, they are able to create short choppy lines. With fewer line breaks, the poem can go slower, appear more fluid, and create more cohesive sentences.
Caesura
A break in the middle of the line using punctuation
Caesura - effect
- Break the rhyme of a line
- Focus on a particular word or phrase
- Create a sense of foreboding at what is to come
- Make a contrast
- Show a depth of emotion
- Create drama and tension
- subtle or dramatic?
Speaker
In poetry, the speaker is the voice behind the poem—the person we imagine to be saying the thing out loud. It’s important to note that the speaker is not the poet.
Narrative style
Epics are written in a grandiose style, and tell stories of historical events or legends of cultural importance.
Ballads derive from the French “chanson ballade,” which were poems set to music and intended for dancing.
Arthurian romances tell stories of romance and adventure within the Arthurian court.
Tone
The poet’s attitude toward the poem’s speaker, reader, and subject matter, as interpreted by the reader.
Examples: scared,anxious,excited,worried,foolish,smart,depressing
Rhyming Scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza
Rhyming Scheme - effect
Rhyme can give impact to the images that the poet is trying to create in the poem and can help create an internal rhythm to depict meaning, emotion, or feeling.
- serves the same purpose as a chord structure in music
- It can give a sense of ending or finality – the rhyming couplet is often used to give a sense of ending as in Shakespeare’s Sonnett XVII
- strong beat / chaotic?
Flashback
- to convey background information that supports the main storyline
- help a reader better understand why and how the protagonist got into the situation that’s driving the plot and the reasons behind the main conflict
Chronological order
A linear or chronological structure is where the story is told in the order it happens. With a chronological or linear structure, the reader finds out what happens in the ‘correct’ order - this can lead the reader through events clearly.
Epigraph
An epigraph is a short standalone quote, line, or paragraph that appears at the beginning of a book. authors use them to set up themes or place the events of their story in context
Mood
The mood refers to the atmosphere that is prevalent in the poem. Different elements of a poem such as its setting, tone, voice and theme help establish this atmosphere. As a result, the mood evokes certain feelings and emotions in the reader.
