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AP Poetry Terms
English Poetry Terms
53
Literature
12th Grade
02/24/2016

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Term
Alliteration
Definition
the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, normally at the beginnings of words

Ex: She sells sea-shells down b the sea-shore
Term
Allusion
Definition
A reference in a work of literature to something outside the work, especially to well-known historical or literary event, person, or work

Ex: When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn't necessary."
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
A figure of speech in which someone (usually, but not always absent), some abstract quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly addressed as though present

Ex: Bright Star, how I wish I were as steadfast as though art!
Term
Assonance
Definition
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Ex: A land laid waste with all its young men slain
Term
Blank verse
Definition
un-rhymed iambic pentameter

Ex: Milton's Paradise Island
Term
Cacophony
Definition
a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones

Ex: For growl and cough and snarl are the token of spendthrifts. Who know not the ultimate economy of rage"-"silences E. J. Pratt
Term
caesura
Definition
the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words. The terms usually refers to words in which the ending consonants are the same but the vowels that precede them are different.
Term
Couplet
Definition
a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same
Term
diction
Definition
the use of words in a literary work. May also be described as formal (the level of usage common in serious books and formal discourse), informal ( the level of usage of a group, possibly including terms and constructions accepted in that group but not universally acceptable), or slang
Term
dramatic poem
Definition
a poem which employs a dramatic form or some element or elements of dramatic techniques as a means of achieving poetic ends.
Term
elegy
Definition
a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet's meditations upon death or another solemn theme
Term
end-stopped
Definition
a line with a pause at the end. Lines that end with a period, a comma, a colon, a semicolon, and exclamation point, or a question mark are end-stopped lines
Term
enjambment
Definition
the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next
Term
extended metaphor
Definition
an implied analogy, or comparison which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem
Term
euphony
Definition
a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate (opposite of cacophony) Vowel sounds are usually taken as euphonious
Term
figurative language
Definition
writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language or that which is actual or specifically denoted)
Term
free-verse
Definition
poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical
Term
heroic couplet
Definition
two end-stopped iambic pantameter lines rhymed aa,bb,cc with the thought usually completed in the two-line unit
Term
hyperbole
Definition
a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration. It may be used for either serious or comic effect
Term
imagery
Definition
It is taken to describe the sensory details, particularly when they combine to create a complete "image" usually visual, but also auditory, tactile or olfactory
Term
irony
Definition
the contrast between actually meaning and the suggestion of another meaning
Verbal irony- a figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words which carry the opposite meaning. Irony is likely to be confused with sarcasm, but it differs from sarcasm in that it is usually lighter. The ability to recognize irony is one of the surer tests of intelligence and sophistication. Among the devices by which irony is achieved are hyperbole and understatement
Term
internal rhyme
Definition
rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end
Term
lyric poem
Definition
any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feeling. Love lyrics are common, but lyric poems have also been written on subjects as different as religion and reading
Term
metaphor
Definition
a figurative use of language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of a comparative term like "as", "like", or "than"
Term
meter
Definition
the repetition of a regular rhythmic usnit in a line of poetry. The meter of a poem emphasizes the musical quality of the language and often relates directly to the subject matter of the poem. Each unit of meter is known as a foot
Term
metonymy
Definition
a figure of speech which is characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the word in mind for the word itself
Term
mixed metaphors
Definition
the mingling of one metaphor with another immediately following with which the first is incongruous

Ex: I smell a rat. I see it floating in the air. I shall nip it in the bud
Term
narrative poem
Definition
a non-dramatic poem in which tells a story or presents a narrative, whether simple or complex, long or short

Ex: epics or ballads
Term
octave
Definition
an eight-line stanza. Most commonly, octave refers to the first division of an Italian sonnet
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning

Ex: buzz, hiss, or honk
Term
oxymoron
Definition
a form of a paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression. This combination usually serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness

Ex: wise fool or sad joy
Term
paradox
Definition
a situation or action or feeling that appears to be contradictory but on inspection turns out to be true or at least to make sense
Term
paraphrase
Definition
a restatement of an ideas in such a way as to retain the meaning while changing the diction and form. A paraphrase is often an amplification of the original for the purpose of clarity
Term
personification
Definition
a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics
Term
poetic foot
Definition
a group of syllables in verse usually consisting of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables associated with is

Ex. iambic u/
trochaic /u
anapestic uu/

Trochee trips from long to short
Form long to long in solemn sort
Slow spondee stalks; strong foot! yet ill able
Ever to come up with Dactyl trisyllable
Iambics march from short to long;
With a leap and a bound and swift Anapests throng
Term
quatrain
Definition
a four-line stanza with a combination of rhymes
Term
refrain
Definition
a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza
Term
rhythm
Definition
the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables. The presence of rhythmic patterns lends both pleasure and heightened response to the listener or reader
Term
satire
Definition
writing that seeks to arouse a reader's disapproval of an object by ridicule. Usually comedy that exposes errors with an eye to correct vice and folly

Ex. poetry of Alexander Pope
Term
Scansion
Definition
a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and the type(s) of feet per line

Ex. monometer one foot per line

dimeter two feet per line
Term
sestet
Definition
a six-line stanza. Most commonly, sestet refers to the second division of an Italian sonnet
Term
Simile
Definition
a directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects, usually with "like", "as", or "than".

Ex: my love is like a fever
Term
Sonnet
Definition
normally a fourteen-line iambic pentameter poem.

Ex: abba, abba, cde, cde
Term
Structure
Definition
the arrangement of materials within a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work. The most common units of structure in a poem are the line and stanza
Term
Style
Definition
the mode of expression in language; the characteristics manner of expression of an author.

Ex: diction, syntax, figurative language
Term
Symbol
Definition
something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else

Ex: winter, darkness, and cold things symbolize death
Term
Synecdoche
Definition
a form of metaphor which in mentioning a part signifies the whole

Ex: foot soldiers for infantry and field hands for manual laborers
Term
Syntax
Definition
the ordering of words into patterns or sentences.
Term
Tercet
Definition
A stanza of three lines in which each line ends with the same rhyme
Term
theme
Definition
the main thought expressed by a work. In poetry, it is the abstract concept which is made concrete through its representation in person, action, and image in the work
Term
tone
Definition
the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses the meaning. Described by adjectives and can change from stanza to stanza or line to line
Term
understatement
Definition
the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is
Term
villanelle
Definition
a nineteen line poem divided into five tercets and a final quatrain. Usues only two rhymes which are repeated

Ex: Dylan Thomas's poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
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