English Poetry

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alliteration

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the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, normally at the
beginnings of words. “Gnus never know pneumonia”

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allusion

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a reference in a work of literature to something outside the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary event, person, or work

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antithesis

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- a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, as in “Man proposes; God disposes.” Antithesis is a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness

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apostrophe

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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

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assonance

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the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds. “A land laid waste with all its young men slain” repeats the same “a” sound in “laid,” “waste,” and “slain.”

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blank verse

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- unrhymed iambic pentameter. Blank verse is the meter of most of Shakespeare’s plays

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cacophony

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a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones. It may be an unconscious flaw in the poet’s music, resulting in harshness of sound or difficulty of articulation, or it may be used consciously for effect, for example, “Irks care the crop-full bird? Frets doubt the maw-crammed beast?”

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couplet

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a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes. (quatrain is 4 lines; sestet is 6; octave is 8)

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devices of sound

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the techniques of utilizing the sound of words, especially in poetry. Sound devices include rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia. The devices are used for many reasons, including to create a general effect of pleasant or of discordant sound, to imitate another sound, or to reflect a meaning.

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diction

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- the use of words in a literary work. Diction may be described as formal (the level of usage common in serious books and formal discourse), informal (the level of usage found in the relaxed but polite conversation of cultivated people), colloquial (the everyday usage of a group, possibly including terms and constructions accepted in that group but not universally acceptable), or slang (a group of newly coined words which are not acceptable for formal usage as yet).

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dramatic poem

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a poem which employs a dramatic form or some element(s)_ of dramatic techniques as a means of achieving poetic ends. The dramatic monologue is an example.

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elegy

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a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet’s meditations upon death or another solemn theme.

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enjambment

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the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next rather than utilizing end-stopped lines..

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extended metaphor

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an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem

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euphony

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a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate. Its opposite is cacophony. The following lines from John Keats’ Endymion are euphonious:

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figurative language

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writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language or that which is actual or specifically denoted) such as metaphor, irony, and simile. Figurative language uses words to mean something other than their literal meaning.

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free verse

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unrhymed poetry which is not written in a traditional meter

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hyperbole

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- a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration. It may be used for either serious or comic effect.

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imagery

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the images of a literary work; the sensory details of a work; the figurative language of a work. Imagery has several definitions, but it mainly refers to the visual, auditory, or tactile images evoked by the words of a literary work or the images that figurative language evokes

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irony

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- the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning. Verbal irony is 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, less harsh in its wording though in effect probably more cutting because of its indirectness. The ability to use and recognize irony is a mark of intelligence and sophistication; sarcasm is intended to be mean. Devices by which irony is achieved are hyperbole and understatement.

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internal rhyme

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rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end. The following lines contain internal rhyme:

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inversion

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a reversal of normal word order, often done to create a pattern or particular effect

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lyric poem

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- any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings.

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metaphor

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a figurative use of language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of a comparative term like “as,” “like,” or “than.” A simile would say, “night is like a black bat”; a metaphor would say, “the black bat night.”

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onomatopoeia

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the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning. Examples are “buzz,” “hiss,” or “creak.”

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oxymoron

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- a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression. This combination usually serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness.

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personification

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gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics

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poetic foot

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- a group of syllables in verse usually consisting of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables associated with it. The most common type of feet are as follows:

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rhyme

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close similarity or identity of sound between accented syllables occupying corresponding positions in two or more lines of verse

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rhythm

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the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables. The presence of rhythmic patterns lends both pleasure and heightened emotional response to the listener or reader.

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scansion

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a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and the type(s) of feet per line. Following are the most common types of meter:

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simile

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a directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects, usually with “like,” “as,” or “than.” It is easier to recognize a simile than a metaphor because the comparison is explicit

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sonnet

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- normally a fourteen-line iambic pentameter poem

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stanza

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usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines with the same meter and rhyme scheme.

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symbol

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something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else. For example, winter, darkness, and cold are real things, but in literature they are also likely to be used as symbols of death.

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synecdoche

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a form of metaphor which in mentioning a part signifies the whole. For example, we refer to “foot soldiers” for infantry, “field hands” for manual laborers who work in agriculture, or the “head of state” for the ruler.

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syntax

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the ordering of words into patterns or sentences. If a poet shifts words from the usual word order, you know you are dealing with an older style of poetry or a poet who wants to shift emphasis onto a particular word

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theme

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- 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.

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tone

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the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning.

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understatement

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the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is

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TP-CASTT

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Title-before reading the poem, think about the title and what it could mean

Paraphrase-read the poem and put it into your own words

Connotation-contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal level.

Consider the emotional aspects of the poem, the author’s

word choice, the figurative language, and symbolism.

Attitude-determine the speaker’s or poet’s tone. How does he/she feel

about this subject? How can you tell?

Shifts-notice any changes (shifts) in the tone/attitude. Does the speaker

change?

Title-look at the title again. This time examine it on an interpretive level.

What does it mean now that you have read the poem?

Theme-determine what the poet is saying about human behavior, life,

love, society, whatever.