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Name___________________________________
LITERARY TERMS FOR POETRY
POETRY is a patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas in concentrated, imaginative and
rhythmical terms. Poetry often contains rhyme and a specific meter, but not necessarily.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
SOUND TECHNIQUES
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Language in which
words are used in a non-literal sense to present a
description, emotion, or image.
ONOMATOPOEIA: the use of a word to
represent or imitate natural sounds
LITERAL LANGUAGE: Language that means
exactly what it says.
EUPHONY: language which seems to the ear to
be smooth, pleasant, and musical
CACOPHONY: language which seems to the ear
HYPERBOLE (OVERSTATEMENT): an
to be harsh, rough, and unmusical
exaggeration for the sake of emphasis which is not
to be taken literally
ALLITERATION: the repetition of the initial
letter or sound in two or more words in a line of
IMAGERY: words or phrases which create a certain verse (Ex: swans swiftly swimming)
picture in the reader's mind
ASSONANCE: the repetition of a vowel sound in
METAPHOR: An implied comparison between two two or more words in a line of verse (Ex:
usually unrelated things that suggests one thing is Bahamas, Rococo)
the other; a linking verb is often used to connect the
ideas. Sometimes the comparison is suggested but CONSONANCE: the repetition of a consonant
not directly stated. This is called an
sound in two or more words in a line of verse (Ex:
IMPLIED METAPHOR.
Cracker Jack, beg and bribe)
EXTENDED METAPHOR: a metaphor that is
continued throughout a poem, often developed at
great length.
PERSONIFICATION: the giving of human
characteristics to inanimate objects, ideas or
animals.
WORDS TO DESCRIBE TONE
DENOTATION: the literal or dictionary meaning
of a word
CONNOTATION: the implied meaning; emotions
SIMILE: a direct comparison between two usually or feelings associated with a word
unrelated things using "like" or "as"
SPEAKER: the voice of the poem (not the author)
SYMBOL: a word or image that signifies
who usually reveals the tone of the poem (can be
something other than what is literally represented; it a person, animal, or object the poet pretends to be)
has both a literal and figurative meaning.
TONE: the speaker’s attitude toward the subject
UNDERSTATEMENT: a statement that is
matter
restrained in ironic contrast to what might have
been said
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RHYME
METER
FREE VERSE: lines of poetry lacking rhyme or
metrical patterns
IAMBIC: a foot (two syllables) consisting of an
unstressed followed by a stressed syllable
U/
END RHYME: rhyme at end of two or more lines TROCHAIC: a foot (two syllables) consisting of
an stressed followed by an unstressed syllable / U
INTERNAL RHYME: rhyme within a line
IAMBIC PENTAMETER: meter with lines of 10
syllables in an iambic (unstressed/stressed) pattern
PERFECT RHYME: an exact rhyme (cat/bat)
IMPERFECT RHYME: also known as approximate REPETITION: reiterating a word or phrase
rhyme (cost/boast)
REFRAIN: the repetition of one or more phrases
or lines at intervals in a poem
FORM
STANZA: a division of a poem based on thought
or form (the “paragraphs” of poetry)
QUATRAIN: a stanza of four lines
COUPLET: two continuous lines of verse that
contain end rhyme
SONNET: 14 line poem in iambic pentameter,
with a specific rhyme scheme and structure (A
Shakespearean sonnet consists of 4 quatrains and
a rhymed couplet)
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Lesson 1: Introduction to Poetry
When I think of poetry, three words that come to mind are _________________ , ___________________,
and ________________________ . One of the reasons I like/dislike poetry is because
______________________________________________________________________________ .
Some poems that have had some impact on me personally (song lyrics count, too!) are:
Pop Quiz: Read “Introduction to Poetry” using the 7 step process. Then answer the questions below.
Billy Collins Introduction to Poetry
Pop Quiz on “Introduction to Poetry”:
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
1. In line 4, the speaker compares a poem to a
____________________. This is an example of ______:
a. simile
b. implied metaphor
c. personification
d. allusion
or press an ear against its hive.
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
2. The speaker’s desire for people “to waterski across
the surface of the poem” suggests that he wants them to:
a. study the poem carefully
b. be careful while reading the poem
c. enjoy the poem
d. skim the poem
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
3. The form of this poem is:
a. sonnet
b. 6 quatrains
c. rhyming couplets
d. free verse
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
4. In the line “All they want to do is tie the poem to a
chair with rope and torture a confession out of it,” the
poet is using:
a. personification
b. extended metaphor
c. simile
d. understatement
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
5. Who do you think the speaker of the poem might be?
__________________________________________
6. What do you think is the speaker’s overall message
about how to appreciate poetry? Which line best
illustrates this theme?
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Lesson 2: Word Choice/Connotation
You know that poem about two roads diverging in a woods? Of course, you do, and you know it's not just about
a road, right? The connotations of that road lead most readers on to consider their own life journey, not just a
travel itinerary. That's connotation.
In addition to literal, dictionary meanings, words often have implied, emotional meanings known as
connotations. These connotations play a significant role in the search for the "right word" because they
sometimes clash with a writer's intended meaning or view. Much of poetry involves the poet using connotative
diction that suggests shades of meanings beyond "what the words simply say."
Connotation is the extra tinge or taint of meaning each word carries beyond the minimal, strict definition found
in a dictionary. For example, the words “house” and “home” both refer to a domicile, but “home” connotes
certain singular emotional qualities and personal possessions in a way that “house” doesn't. I might own four
houses I rent to others, but I might call none of these my home, for example.
Connotation descriptors:
Favorable/positive
Neutral
Unfavorable/negative
Examples:
Positive
relaxed
prudent
modest
time-tested
dignified
persevering
up-to-date
thrifty
self-confident
inquisitive
Neutral
inactive
timid
shy
old
reserved
persistent
new
conservative
proud
curious
Negative
lazy
cowardly
mousy
out-of-date
stiff-necked
stubborn
newfangled
miserly
conceited
nosy
Activity: Each of the following sentences includes a pair of words with similar dictionary definitions but
different connotations. Choose the word that is more appropriate based on the context of the sentence.
1. As snakes continue to grow, they (junk, shed) the protective keratinous layer on the surface of their bodies
because it does not expand.
2. Oblivious to those around him, the father tenderly (smiled, smirked) at his newborn baby through the window
of the hospital nursery.
3. During rush hour traffic in a metropolis, cars creep along at agonizingly slow (velocities, speeds).
4. Even the coolest star in the night skies is unbelievably (sultry, hot) according to astronomers.
5. The local newspaper's front-page story indicated that $50,000 was (stolen, pilfered) from the town's largest
bank during the night.
6. The pack of wild horses (loped, sprinted) alongside the train at top speed for more than 200 yards.
7. Although many Americans purchase meat at their local grocery stores, some farmers still (butcher, execute)
livestock to feed their families.
8. The French are (noted, notorious) for their fine food.
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Now read the following poem, mindfully open to the possible connotations of even the simplest words chosen.
The Summer I Was Sixteen by Geraldine Connolly
The turquoise pool rose up to meet us,
its slide a silver afterthought down which
we plunged, screaming, into a mirage of bubbles.
We did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy.
Shaking water off our limbs, we lifted
up from ladder rungs across the fern-cool
lip of rim. Afternoon. Oiled and sated,
we sunbathed, rose and paraded the concrete,
danced to the low beat of "Duke of Earl".
Past cherry colas, hot-dogs, Dreamsicles,
we came to the counter where bees staggered
into root beer cups and drowned. We gobbled
cotton candy torches, sweet as furtive kisses,
shared on benches beneath summer shadows.
Cherry. Elm. Sycamore. We spread our chenille
blankets across grass, pressed radios to our ears,
mouthing the old words, then loosened
thin bikini straps and rubbed baby oil with iodine
across sunburned shoulders, tossing a glance
through the chain link at an improbable world.
1. Which words/phrases create a feeling of excitement?
2. Which words/phrases convey the feeling of time standing still in the summer?
3. Which words convey the romance of summertime?
Writing Assignment -- Your Turn: Write a free verse poem called:
“The _______________ I Was _____________”
Season
Age
Begin by brainstorming details about that season that paint a picture of your experience and what it meant to
you at the time. Be as vivid and specific as possible. Incorporate these moments and images into a poem that
DOES NOT RHYME. You poem must be written in free verse. However, you may organize it in quatrains (4line stanzas) as Connolly did.
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Lesson 3: Speaker and Tone
The speaker is the voice of a poem, or the role the poet plays in the poem. The speaker may be the poet, or a
fictional person, animal, or object the poet pretends to be. Playing a role in the poem enables the poet to state a
message or explain a feeling more clearly than speaking as him or herself. For example, one poet may speak as
an eagle to describe the wonders of flight. Another poet may pretend to be a mother in order to express an ideal
of unselfish love.
When reading a poem, it is important to understand the speaker’s tone or attitude toward the subject of the
poem. Is the speaker being honest or “tongue-in-cheek”? Is the speaker sharing emotions? Is the speaker trying
to prove a point? Recognizing the speaker and the speaker’s attitude is an important step toward “reading
between the lines.” Knowing a wealth of common adjectives used to describe tone is an excellent way to
improve your analytical skills. Look at the following list of words and circle any you do not know the meaning
of. For homework tonight, look up their meanings.
Pessimistic
Critical (with respect to the author’s tone)
Humorous
Scornful
Reflective
Melancholy
Joyous
Sympathetic
Contemplative
Optimistic
Perplexed
Ridiculing
Conspiratorial
Hopeful
Mournful
Skeptical
Biased/Unbiased
Ambiguous
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Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
1. Describe the speaker of “Still I Rise.” Who do you
think he/she is. Provide at least one example for your
opinion.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
2. Who do you think the “you” is that the speaker is
speaking to? What is the speaker’s attitude toward that
person? Provide an example to support your answer.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
3. What is the speaker’s general tone or attitude in the
poem? Find at least 3 words or phrases that support your
answer.
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Lesson 4: Figurative language (Auditory Imagery)
The Sound of Night by Maxine Kumin
And now the dark comes on,
all full of chitter noise.
Birds huggermugger crowd the trees,
the air thick with their vesper cries,
and bats, snub seven-pointed kites,
skitter across the lake, swing out,
squeak, chirp, dip, and skim on skates
of air, and the fat frogs wake and prink
wide-lipped, noisy as ducks, drunk
on the boozy black, gloating chink-chunk.
1. Find at least 2 examples of onomatopoeia.
2. Find at least 2 examples of alliteration.
3. Find 1 example of assonance.
And now on the narrow beach
we defend ourselves from dark.
The cooking done, we build our firework
bright and hot and less for outlook
than for magic, and lie in our blankets
while night knickers around us. Crickets
chorus hallelujahs; paws, quiet
and quick as raindrops, play on the stones
expertly soft, run past and are gone;
fish pulse in the lake; the frogs hoarsen.
4. Find 1 example of consonance.
Now every voice of the hour—
the known, the supposed, the strange,
the mindless, the witted, the never seen—
sing, thrum, impinge, and rearrange
endlessly; and debarred from sleep we wait
for the birds, importantly silent,
for the crease of first eye-licking light,
for the sun, lost long ago and sweet.
By the lake, locked black away and tight,
we lie, day creatures, overhearing night.
6. The overall mood of the poem is:
a. Serene
b. Restless
c. Violent
d. Happy
Provide 2 examples from the poem to support this
answer.
5. Find 1 example of euphony (sounds that are
soothing to the ear). Why do you think the poet
incorporated euphony in these lines?
7. The overall tone/attitude of the speaker is:
a. Joyous
b. Mournful
c. Perplexed
d. Observant
Provide 2 examples from the poem to support this
answer.
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Lesson 5: Figurative Language (Visual Imagery)
Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar
1. Find 1 example of simile.
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals-I know what the caged bird feels!
2. Find 1 example of personification.
I know why the caged bird beats its wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting-I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,-When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings-I know why the caged bird sings!
3. Explain how the visual imagery in the 2nd
stanza contributes to the mood of the poem.
Use a specific example to support your answer.
4. How does the use of repetition strengthen the
poem’s meaning?
5. What is the meaning of the title? Use the title
to help you uncover the theme or overall
message of the poem. Provide an example
from the poem to support this theme.
Writing Assignment -- Your Turn: In what ways are you a caged animal? Write an original poem about your
own efforts at self-expression or aspiration, using this metaphor or another one to unify your piece. Try to
mimic Dunbar’s form (3 stanzas of 7 lines each), rhyme scheme (ABAABCC), and use of repetition.
Begin your poem: I know why the _____________ ________________
Animal
Verb
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Lesson 6: Metaphor and Extended Metaphor
The Waning Moon by Percy Bysshe Shelley
And like a dying lady, lean and pale,
Who totters forth, wrapped in a gauzy veil,
Out of her chamber, led by the insane
And feeble wanderings of her fading brain,
The moon arose up in the murky east,
A white and shapeless mass.
1. Explain the metaphor in the above poem.
Fog by Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
2. Explain the metaphor in the above poem.
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My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother’s countenance
Could not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.
You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.
3. What is the central metaphor of the poem?
4. What are some words that contribute to and extend this metaphor throughout the entire poem? (See if
you can find at least 1 word from each stanza).
5. How does the form of the poem enhance this metaphor?
6. What is ironic about using this metaphor for the subject matter?
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Lesson 7: Allusion
Barbie Doll by Margie Piercy
This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.
1. Explain the allusion in the title. What does
it have to do with the rest of the poem?
She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.
In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
2. What is the overall tone of the ending of
the poem?
a. skeptical
b. melancholy
c. ironic
d. hopeful
Explain your answer.
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Lesson 8: Rhyme scheme & types of rhyme
Rhyme occurs when words in a poem share the same sound. For example, scribble and dribble rhyme, but
mother and father, despite identical endings, do not.
Common types of rhyme:
Exact (or perfect) rhyme: cat and hat
Approximate (or imperfect) rhyme: dirt and earth/ peace and beads
Most rhymes are end rhymes, meaning that the rhyming words occur at the end of the lines. Rhymes that
happen within a line of poetry are called internal rhymes.
An example of end rhyme would be:
So long as men can breathe and eyes can see
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
An example of internal rhyme would be:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary
End rhymes often fall into a repeating pattern called a rhyme scheme. A rhyme scheme unifies a poem by
creating sound echoes that give the poem a pattern. To determine the rhyme scheme of a poem, assign a new
letter of the alphabet to each new end rhyme. Lines that rhyme will have the same letter. For example:
A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
A
A
B
C
D
B
1. Complete the rhyme schemes for the poem below:
Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold,
her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
but only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
so dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
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2. Identify two examples of internal rhyme in the following poem:
Excerpt from Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free:
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
3. Complete the rhyme scheme for the poem below. Circle at least 2 examples of approximate rhyme.
A Bird Came Down the Walk by Emily Dickinson
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,-They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head
Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim.
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Lesson 9: Rhythm and Meter
rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.
meter: the measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accent rhythm and the number of syllables in a line.
scansion: Describing the rhythms of poetry by dividing the lines into feet, marking the locations of stressed and
unstressed syllables, and counting the syllables.
Thus, when we describe the rhythm of a poem, we “scan” the poem and mark the stresses (/) and absences of
stress (U) and count the number of feet. A foot has two syllables.
In English, the two most common type of feet are:
Iambic - unstressed stressed
Trochaic – stressed unstressed
U
/
/
U
Can you scan the following poem excerpts by placing a stressed (/) or unstressed (U) mark beneath each
syllable? Then identify whether the poem is iambic or trochaic.
Emily Dickinson
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
From Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'
From Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
Iambic or trochaic?
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Lesson 10: The Sonnet
A frequent metrical description is iambic pentameter: a line with 10 syllables in iambic meter, or 5 pairs of
syllables following an unstressed-stressed pattern. This is a meter especially familiar because it occurs in all
blank verse (such as Shakespeare’s plays) and sonnets.
Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Know these terms and identify each in the poem above:
1. iambic pentameter:
2. stanza:
3. quatrain:
4. couplet:
5. Find at least 2 similes used in the sonnet. Why does the poet use these comparisons?
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Lesson 11: Theme
A theme is the central message of the poem. In order to discover the theme, one must analyze many elements of
the poem: word choice, figurative language, symbols, mood, tone. Read the following poem, and use all 7 steps
of the poetry analysis process. Mark up the poem with a highlighter and pen as you complete each step.
Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
1. What two lines are repeated as a refrain? Why?
2. Using the repeated lines in your analysis, write a short paragraph explaining what you think the theme or
overall message of the poem is.
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The Road Less Traveled by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
1. In the last stanza, how does the speaker feel
about his decision to take “the road less
traveled”? Provide at least 1 example to
support your opinion.
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
2. Explain how “the two roads diverged in a
wood” could be a metaphor for some other
decision in life.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
3. What seems to be the theme or overall
message of the poem? Explain your response.
Writing Extension: In life, most people will come to a metaphorical “fork in the road” at which they must
make an important decision that may dramatically change their lives. Write a 5-paragraph essay in which you
explain how important decisions can affect the future, for good or for bad. Use at least 3 examples from
literature, history, science, politics, pop culture, or your own personal experience. Brainstorm and make an
outline before you begin. You may use your outline to write your essay in class, and you will have 45 minutes
to write.