Poetry 101

POETRY

Poetic Terms Stanza: a group of two or more lines in a

poem ( a paragraph within a poem) Verse: a line Rhyme:The similarity of ending sounds

existing between two words Rhyme Scheme: The sequence in which

the rhyme occurs. The first end sound is represented as the letter "a", the second is "b", etc.

Poetic Devices - Language Figurative Language

Simile Metaphor Alliteration Hyperbole Imagery Personification

Poetic Devices – Language & Style

Tone Voice Repetition Symbol Theme

Simile A comparison between two objects

using a specific word or comparison such as "like", "as", or "than".

Metaphor A comparison between two objects with

the intent of giving clearer meaning to one of them

Alliteration Repetition of the same letter of the first

word EX:

sweet smell of success She left the Heaven of Heroes and came

down To make a man to meet the mortal need A man to match the mountains and the sea The friendly welcome of the wayside well

Hyperbole a figure of speech that uses an

exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response.

EX: They ran like greased lightning.

He's got tons of money.Her brain is the size of a pea.He is older than the hills.I will die if she asks me to dance.She is as big as an elephant!

Imagery Imagery is the use of vivid description,

usually rich in sensory words, to create pictures, or images, in the reader's mind.

Personification is giving human traits (qualities,

feelings, action, or characteristics) to non-living objects (things, colors, qualities, or ideas).

For example: The window winked at me

Onomatopoeia a word whose sounds seem to duplicate

the sounds they describe--hiss, buzz, bang, murmur, meow, growl

Allusion Reference to an event, place, or

character from history. EX

Waters of Babylon

Oxymoron a statement with two parts which seem

contradictory; examples: sad joy, a wise fool, the

sound of silence, or Hamlet's saying, "I must be cruel only to be kind"

Tone the writer's attitude toward the material

and/or readers. Tone may be playful, formal, intimate, angry, serious, ironic, outraged, baffled, tender, serene, depressed, etc.

Repetition the repeating of words, phrases, lines,

or stanzas.

Symbolism anything that stands for something else

Theme the abstract concept explored in a

literary work; frequently recurring ideas, such as

enjoy-life while-you-can;