Poetic Terminology

1. Alliteration- repetition of a particular sound or syllable twain or more times in a sort EX Elderly elephants egress elegantly 2. Allusion- casual reference or implication of something EX Titles of books often allude to what the contents leave hold, subtly or not. A book titled Little Ho theatrical role on the Prairie implies that there go away be a small house on a plain of grass. 3. Analogy-two things that have something in everyday making them comparable EX His resolve was that of a rock. Meaning his determination was hard, in similarity to the hardness of a rock. 4. Anapest- two short syllables, or two unstressed syllables followed by one long, or stressed syllable EX A classic voice is from the poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas Twas the nighttime before Christmas and all through with(predicate) the house (short syllables bold, long syllables underlined) 5. Assonance-repetition of vowel sounds to create a rhythm in a line (sentence or phrase) employ consonance and a lliteration EX Try to light the fire is a good example 6. windad-a call of sorts with two or more stanzas, sung to a melody, generally of romantic pillowcase EX There atomic number 18 a number of examples ranging from rock ballads like Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon-Jovi or November rain down by Guns N Roses to classics like Angel of Music from Phantom of the Opera or the mournful ballad I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables7. Blank verse- unrhyming verse, generally put in iambic pentameter EX The Ball Poem By John Berryman What is the boy now, who has lost his ball/What, what is he to do? I proverb it go/Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then/Merrily over-there it is in the water 8. Concrete poetry- the typographical system of rules of the poem is as important as the content of the poem itself EX The author Ellen Hopkins writes concrete poetry in all 6 of her booksCrank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, and Tricks. 9. Connotation- implied tauting associated with cer tain(a) words EX seedy has a negative connotation, implying that someone is as well tight with money. Economical has a positive connotation, implying that someone spends their money wisely. 10. Denotation- literal definition of words EX Cheap and economical are both defined as spending little money 11. Dactyl- In essence, the opposite of anapaest. unity long or stressed syllable, followed by two short or unstressed syllables. EX Basketball is an example of a dactyl. Ba-sket-ball (short syllables bold, long syllables underlined) 12. Diction-a way of speaking, where the specific choice of words makes one sound better, more intelligent. EX A speaker may sound more distinguished, and his audience may admire his diction more, by certain choice of words. Using a word like morose instead of simply sad, or elated instead of merely happy. 13. Dramatic monologue- One person performs a speech that defines a certain theatrical moment. EX Monologues are common place in plays, musicals, movies TV shows, the whole theatric industry. It is how certain moments are defined. Some very renowned monologues, that many have been modeled after is in Shakespeares Othello when the character Iago frequently talks to seemingly to himself, so as to let the audience in on his dreary plots. 14. English sonnet (Shakespearean sonnet) (what is rhyme proposal and how are the 14 lines split)- An English sonnet is a song following strict guidelines rhyme scheme and only 14 lines.Every line is in iambic pentameter. Shakespeares sonnets generally have a rhyming scheme of a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g. The last two lines are a couplet. EX Shakespeares Sonnet Number 18 Shall I compare thee to a summers sidereal day? and this gives biography to thee. 15. Italian sonnet- (Petrarchan sonnet) (what is rhyme scheme and how are the 14 lines split)- The body structure is based in move of an argument proposition describing the problem then proposes the solution. The ninth line is generally known for being the unloose from problem to resolution.It is also traditionally in iambic pentameter as well as English sonnets. The manikin in Italian sonnets starts with a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a, has two options for the middle c-d-e-c-d-e or c-d-c-c-d-c. EX Francesco Petrarchs Visions is an example of an Italian sonnet beingness one day at my window all aloneoft makes me wayle so hard a desire 16. Elegy-a melancholy, or plaintive poem generally mourning someone who is dead. EX Walt Whitmans O senior pilot My Captain Here Captain Dear father /This arm is beneath your head/It is some imagine that on deck,/Youve fallen cold and dead 17.Metaphor- figure of speech that describes something through comparison to something entirely uncorrelated otherwise. EX feeling blue, broken heart or early bird are all allegorys. You groundworkt feel a color, it just refers to a feeling of sadness. Broken heart doesnt mean that a heart is physically broken, it just refers to a feeling of hurt feelings. Early bird doesnt mean that someone is actually a bird, it just means they are an early riser. 18. Epic- Traditionally long, it narrates the adventures or lives of heroes fighting their adversaries. EX The Illiad and the Odyssey by Homer are both examples of epics. 19. Epigram- Satirical and memorable statement, that is brief and interesting. EX Oscar Wilde in one case said I can resist everything but temptation. This is an example of an epigram not found in poetry. Shakespeare wrote So all my best is dressing old words new,/Spending once more what is already spend/For as the sun is daily new and old,/So is my love still telling what is told. 20. Free verse- poem without rhyme or regular meter. EX After the Sea-Shipafter the whistling winds/After the white-gray sails, taut to their spars and ropes,/Below, a myriad, myriad waves, hastening, lifting up their necks,/Tending in ceaseless flow toward the track of the ship. After the Sea-Ship By Walt Whitman 21. Imagery- descriptive langu age, written to paint a picture. EX Imagery and metaphors are very similar, i. e. Her eyes twinkled like starlight is a metaphor and creates imagery at the same time. 22. Iamb-metrical foot in poetry. EX Some words that are an iamb would be behold, amuse, depict, destroy, or insist.The title Of Mice and Men uses iamb. Iambic pentameter is a common form of metrical line using iamb. But, soft What light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east and Juliet is the sun from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is an example of the use of iambic pentameter. 23. Lyric poem-Traditionally has rhyming schemes, expressing emotions. EX The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is a lyrical poem. Once upon a midnight dreary, enchantment I pondered weak and wearyShall be liftednevermore 24. Limerick-Humorous verse with a rhyming scheme of a-a-b-b-a, three long lines then two short lines. EX Hickory Dickory Dock is a famous example of a limerick. Hickory, dickory, dock,/The mouse ran up the clock,/The cloc k struck one,/And down he run,/Hickory, dickory, dock. 25. Meter-basic rhythmic structure of a verse. 26. Myth-story from history, generally explaining some natural phenomenon. In Greek Mythology, Zeus is the explanation for lightning, he throws it from the heavens when he is angry. 27. Personification-adding a homo trait or characteristic to something nonhuman or inanimate, generally in revoke form. EX The Cat and the Fiddle is a classic example of personification.The line the little dog laughed, adds a human quality to a dog. 28. Occasional poem- specific poems composed for an occasion. EX A Visit From St. Nicholas is an example of occasional poetry. It the night before Christmas, and was written specifically for Christmas. 29. Onomatopoeia-a sound made into a word. EX Comics are known for onomatopoeias. Bam, pow, or boom are all onomatopoeias and are used commonly to describe the sounds of a fight or explosion. 30. Protest poem-designed to challenge or undermine common ide als (or uncommon, doesnt matter really), often directed to endorsement figures or establishments.Frequently, a taboo subject is used to create this challenge, using vulgar language, and demeaning popular beliefs. EX Ding Dong The Witch is Dead from the timeless The Wizard of Oz is a clear example of claim issue poetry, as it makes fun of an authority figure post-mortem. 31. Symbolic poem- extended metaphor, essentially. EX The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is an example of symbolic poetry. He talks about two roads and which he should take the well traveled, or the one no one else has taken. The roads symbolize two major life choices, and what the reasons are for taking either one. 32. Syllabic verse- poems that have a constrained number of syllables per line. If anything like anapest or dactyl is included, it is secondary to the syllabic pattern. EX Haikus are an example of syllabic poetry, always in the post of five, seven, five by line. Basho Matsuo wrote An old silent pond/ A frog jumps into the pond,/splash Silence again which follows the pattern of the haiku. 33. Tone- attitude or style created by the poem. EX The tone in To Kill a jeerer is a coming of age.