POETRY
Poetic Terms to Know Quiz Yourself
A comparison where one thing is said to be another.
Example 1
The student is a brain
Example 2 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.
Example 3
“Life is a cherished possession”
METAPHOR
A comparison where one thing is said to be another.
Example 1
The student is a brain
Example 2 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.
Example 3
“Life is a cherished possession”
A Comparison using like or as
Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night,
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear (Shakespeare, R and J)
SIMILE
A Comparison using like or as
Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night,
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear (Shakespeare, R and J)
The attempt to make a written or spoken word sound like the sound it represents.
Example 1
“I heard a Fly buzz – when I died”
Emily Dickinson
Example 2
Hear the loud alarum bells,
Brazen bells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune . . .
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air! . . . (Edgar Allen Poe, “The Bells”)
ONOMATOPOEIA
The attempt to make a written or spoken word sound like the sound it represents.
Example 1
“I heard a Fly buzz – when I died”
Emily Dickinson
Example 2
Hear the loud alarum bells,
Brazen bells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune . . .
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air! . . . (Edgar Allen Poe, “The Bells”)
The use of harsh sounding words or a discord of sounds.
Example 1
Example 2
Salt caked smoke stack
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.. .
from “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll
CACOPHONY
The use of harsh sounding words or a discord of sounds.
Example 1
Example 2
Salt caked smoke stack
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.. .
from “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll
The use of sweet sounding words to imply gentleness or softness
Eupony used long vowels and harmonious consonants (l, m, n, r, f, v)
Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness
(Ode to Autumn by John Keats)
EUPHONY
The use of sweet sounding words to imply gentleness or softness
Eupony used long vowels and harmonious consonants (l, m, n, r, f, v)
Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness
(Ode to Autumn by John Keats)
The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
Example 1
“ . . . danced in the dizziness of death “ Afu Cooper
Example 2
Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Example 3
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea. . .
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
ALLITERATION
The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
Example 1
“ . . . danced in the dizziness of death “ Afu Cooper
Example 2
Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Example 3
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea. . .
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The repetition of vowels in two or more words. The vowel rhyme is created
through the relatively close juxtaposition of the same or similar vowel sounds,
but with different end consonants
Example 1
Example 2
Lifted by the winnowing wind
“So twice five miles. . . .”
from Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
ASSONANCE
The repetition of vowels in two or more words. The vowel rhyme is created
through the relatively close juxtaposition of the same or similar vowel sounds,
but with different end consonants
Example 1
Example 2
Lifted by the winnowing wind
“So twice five miles. . . .”
from Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at
the ends of words.
Examples:
Litter and batter
Spelled and scald
Laughed and deft
Dress and boss
Slither and lather
CONSONANCE
The repetition of consonants or of a consonant pattern, especially at
the ends of words.
Examples:
Litter and batter
Spelled and scald
Laughed and deft
Dress and boss
Slither and lather
An exaggeration or an overstatement for the sake of emphasis.
And I will come again, my love,
Though it were ten thousand miles
HYPERBOLE
An exaggeration or an overstatement for the sake of emphasis.
And I will come again, my love,
Though it were ten thousand miles
A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts.
All hands on deck
I got new wheels
SYNECDOCHE
A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts.
All hands on deck
I got new wheels
Resembles synecdoche but is different. In this figure of
speech, the word we use to describe another thing is closely
linked to that particular thing, but is not a part of it.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
(the word “ears” replaces the concept of attention)
The pen is mightier than the sword.
(pen refers to written words and sword refers to military force)
METONYMY
Resembles synecdoche but is different. In a metonymy, the
word we use to describe another thing is closely linked to
that particular thing, but is not a part of it.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
(the word “ears” replaces the concept of attention)
The pen is mightier than the sword.
(pen refers to written words and sword refers to military force)
A play on words – playing with the sound of words
Example 1
Tree jokes are pretty popular
Example 2 from Romeo and Juliet
“ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”
Mercutio says this as he is bleeding to death
PUN
A play on words – playing with the sound of words
Example 1
Tree jokes are pretty popular
Example 2 from Romeo and Juliet
“ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”
Mercutio says this as he is bleeding to death
The combination in one expression of two words or phrases of opposite
meaning for effect.
Falsely true
Bitter-sweet
Sweet sorrow
O, loving hate
Beautiful tyrant
Honorable villain
OXYMORON
The combination in one expression of two words or phrases of opposite
meaning for effect.
Falsely true
Bitter-sweet
Sweet sorrow
O, loving hate
Beautiful tyrant
Honorable villain
A statement which, though it seems to be self-contradictory contains a
basis of truth.
I must be cruel to be kind (Hamlet)
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” (Animal Farm)
PARADOX
A statement which, though it seems to be self-contradictory contains a
basis of truth.
I must be cruel to be kind (Hamlet)
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” (Animal Farm)
The poet calls on someone or something which is not present or cannot
answer.
Milton! Thou should’st be living at this hour.
APOSTROPHE
The poet calls on someone or something which is not present or cannot
answer.
Milton! Thou should’st be living at this hour.
A reference to characters and events of mythology, legends, bible,
history other literature.
Calling something a “wooden horse”
A gift that backfires – comes from the “gift” that the Greeks left for the Trojans.
Or someone or something that attacks the group it belongs to. The Trojan horse
was a large wooden horse that the Greeks used to take soldiers secretly into the
city of Troy in order to destroy it.
ALLUSION
A reference to characters and events of mythology, legends, bible,
history other literature.
Calling something a “wooden horse”
A gift that backfires – comes from the “gift” that the Greeks left for the Trojans.
Or someone or something that attacks the group it belongs to. The Trojan horse
was a large wooden horse that the Greeks used to take soldiers secretly into the
city of Troy in order to destroy it.
The use of words and details that appeal to a reader’s physical senses (sight,
touch, taste, hearing, smell).
Example 1
A red wheelbarrow
Glazed with rain water
Example 2
from “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“. . . And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny sports of greenery. . .
IMAGERY
Imagery is the use of words and details that appeal to a reader’s physical
senses (sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell).
Example 1
A red wheelbarrow
Glazed with rain water
Example 2
from “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“. . . And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny sports of greenery. . .
One thing that represents or stands for another. In literature this is generally
an object, person, situation or idea that deepens the meaning of the work by
evoking content that is not literally expressed in the work itself.
A rose has long been considered to represent of love and affection.
Colors can represent:
white – innocence, peace, youth, cold, clinical, sterile
red – desire, power, love, aggression, danger, violence
purple – royalty, spirituality, wisdom, cruelty, arrogance, mourning
In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” the raven is thought to represent a prophet.
SYMBOL
A symbol is one thing that represents or stands for another. In literature a
symbol is generally an object, person, situation or idea that deepens the
meaning of the work by evoking content that is not literally expressed in the
work itself.
A rose has long been considered a symbol of love and affection.
Colors can be symbolic:
white – innocence, peace, youth, cold, clinical, sterile
red – desire, power, love, aggression, danger, violence
purple – royalty, spirituality, wisdom, cruelty, arrogance, mourning
In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” the raven is thought to be the symbol of a
prophet.
A non-narrative, short poem that expresses the speaker’s feelings and
perceptions typically spoken in the first person. Initially, these poems
were meant to be sung and poets used to sing them with the
accompaniment of a musical instrument called a lyre. Modern ones
usually are not sung but still have musical qualities like rhythm, rhyme,
alliteration etc.
Example
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodills;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.. . .
William Wordsworth
LYRIC POETRY
A lyric is a non-narrative, short poem that expresses the speaker’s feelings
and perceptions typically spoken in the first person. Initially, lyric poems
were meant to be sung and poets used to sing them with the
accompaniment of a musical instrument called a lyre. Modern lyric poems
are usually not sung but still have musical qualities like rhythm, rhyme,
alliteration etc.
Example
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodills;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.. . .
William Wordsworth
A form of poem which has as its primary intention teaching of some truth or moral or the
making of some critical statement about society.
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starshine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry:
I am not there; I did not die.
Elizabeth Frye
DIDACTIC
A form of poem which has as its primary intention teaching of some truth or moral or the
making of some critical statement about society.
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starshine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry:
I am not there; I did not die.
Elizabeth Frye
A lyric poem of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter following one of
several possible rhyme schemes.
The two main types are
Italian (Petruchan) and English (Shakespearean).
SONNET
A lyric poem of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter following one of
several possible rhyme schemes.
The two main types are
Italian (Petruchan) and English (Shakespearean).
ENGLISH SONNET
Usually has three four line sections, each with its own rhyme scheme,
and ends in a two line rhymed couplet. The rhyme scheme is usually
abab dcdc efef gg.
The final couplet is usually a concluding statement commenting on the
preceding thoughts.
Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
…
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
W’hen in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
NOTE – this sonnet is an example of an extended metaphor (comparison
continues throughout)
ITALIAN SONNET
Is divided into two parts: an eight line section (octave) rhymed abba, abba and a six
line section (sestet) rhymed cde cde or cdc cdc.
Often the octave states a problem or a question and the sestet offers a solution.
London, 1802
Octave – 8 lines – introduces the theme or problem
Milton! Thou shouldst be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! Raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Sestet – 6 lines – solves the problem
(sestet) rhymed cde cde or cdc cdc.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life’s common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
A poem written in humorous imitation of another poem. Usually, it imitates the
tone, form and imagery of the original, but applies them to some ridiculous object.
In contemporary society, this literary form is a satirical redux of art. It imitates another
work of art to make light or make fun of it in some way. Many people see it as a form of
ridicule, while others revere it as the highest form of flattery.
"Austin Powers" (spoof on James Bond movies)
"Spaceballs" (spoof on Star Wars movies)
"Blazing Saddles" (spoof on American Western movies)
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (spoof on all Robin Hood movies)
"Scary Movie" (spoof on horror movies)
The ever popular "Saturday Night Live" where there is a live broadcast of satirical sketches
that ridicule the latest celebrity or reality star in the headlines, or even what is going on
in the news.
PARODY
A poem written in humorous imitation of another poem. Usually, the parody
imitates the tone, form and imagery of the original, but applies them to some
ridiculous object.
In contemporary society, a parody is a satirical redux of art. It imitates another work of art
to make light or make fun of it in some way. Many people see it as a form of ridicule, while
others revere it as the highest form of flattery.
"Austin Powers" (spoof on James Bond movies)
"Spaceballs" (spoof on Star Wars movies)
"Blazing Saddles" (spoof on American Western movies)
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (spoof on all Robin Hood movies)
"Scary Movie" (spoof on horror movies)
The ever popular "Saturday Night Live" where there is a live broadcast of satirical sketches
that ridicule the latest celebrity or reality star in the headlines, or even what is going on
in the news.
A humorous, five-line poem, usually in ananpestic rhythm; the first,
second, and fifth lines have three feet and rhythm with each other; the
third and fourth lines have two feet and rhyme with each other.
They usually tell of the actions of a person.
There was an old man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!”
LIMERICK
A humorous, five-line poem, usually in ananpestic rhythm; the first,
second, and fifth lines have three feet and rhyme with each other; the
third and fourth lines have two feet and rhyme with each other.
Limericks usually tell of the actions of a person.
There was an old man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!”
A narrative poem, usually containing much repetition and often a
repeated refrain. Ballads were originally folk songs passed on from age
to age.
The Highwayman
By Alfred Noyes
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moom was a ghostly galleon tossed up cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman cam riding –
Riding – riding –
The highwayman came riding up to the old inn door…
BALLAD
A narrative poem, usually containing much repetition and often a
repeated refrain. Ballads were originally folk songs passed on from age
to age.
The Highwayman
By Alfred Noyes
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moom was a ghostly galleon tossed up cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman cam riding –
Riding – riding –
The highwayman came riding up to the old inn door…
A poem that tells a story and organizes its action according to a sequence
of time.
Example “The Listeners” by Walter de la Mare
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller’s head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
‘Is there anybody there?’ he said.
But no one descended to the Traveller …
NARRATIVE
A poem that tells a story and organizes its action according to a sequence
of time.
Example “The Listeners” by Walter de la Mare
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller’s head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
‘Is there anybody there?’ he said.
But no one descended to the Traveller …
A long narrative poem which tells of the adventures of heroic
characters.
Covers a long period of time or describes some monumental task.
The Odyssey
Beowulf
EPIC POEM
A long narrative poem which tells of the adventures of heroic
characters.
Covers a long period of time or describes some monumental task.
The Odyssey
Beowulf
A poem of mourning for a person or event.
Example
“O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman
O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead. . . .
ELEGY
An elegy poem is a poem of mourning for a person or event.
Example
“O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman
O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead. . . .
ODE
A poem that formally addresses a person, place, thing, or ideas. These types
of poems often praise or celebrate their subjects.
Example
“To Autumn” by John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines . . .
ODE
A poem that formally addresses a person, place, thing, or idea; odes often
praise or celebrate their subjects.
Example
“To Autumn” by John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines . . .
A poem that does not follow a consistent meter or rhyme scheme in the structure.
Example
“A Breakfast for Barbarians”
my friends, my sweet barbarians,
there is that hunger which is not for food –
but an eye at the navel turns the appetite
round
with visions of some fabulous sandwich,
the brain’s golden breakfast
eaten with beasts
with books on plates . . .
by Gwendolyn Macewen
FREE VERSE
A free verse poem is a poem that does not follow a consistent meter or rhyme
scheme in the structure.
Example
“A Breakfast for Barbarians”
my friends, my sweet barbarians,
there is that hunger which is not for food –
but an eye at the navel turns the appetite
round
with visions of some fabulous sandwich,
the brain’s golden breakfast
eaten with beasts
with books on plates . . .
by Gwendolyn Macewen
Poetry written in prose instead of using verse but still uses poetic techniques
such as repetition, rhyme, compression, fragmentation. This type of poetry
looks more like prose but reads more like poetry.
Example
“Dog Boy” by Mathew Rohrer
……On Scott Road, in Pittsburgh, which is a steep and winding city,
full of good-natured people, just at the point where the road
bottoms out beside a gnarled and ancient cemetery, a very small,
an extremely small man ran across the road in front of my
brother-in-law’s car and scrambled into the tombstones….
PROSE POETRY
Prose poetry is poetry written in prose instead of using verse but still uses
poetic techniques such as repetition, rhyme, compression, fragmentation.
Prose poetry look more like prose but reads more like poetry.
Example
“Dog Boy” by Mathew Rohrer
……On Scott Road, in Pittsburgh, which is a steep and winding city,
full of good-natured people, just at the point where the road
bottoms out beside a gnarled and ancient cemetery, a very small,
an extremely small man ran across the road in front of my
brother-in-law’s car and scrambled into the tombstones….