Poetic Devices

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Alliteration

Back 1

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

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Assonance

Back 2

The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose.

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Allusion

Back 3

An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or a representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication.

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Ambiguity

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vagueness

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Analogy

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K

Front 6

Apostrophe

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The poet speaking to a specific person

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Consonance

Back 7

Consonance is a poetic device characterized by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession

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Cacophony

Back 8

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

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Cliche

Back 9

K

Front 10

Connotation

Back 10

The associations called up by a word that goes beyond its dictionary meaning.

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Contrast

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Black White

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Denotation

Back 12

The dictionary meaning of a word.

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Euphony

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A pronunciation of letters and syllables which is pleasing to the ear.

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Euphemism

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A euphemism is a generally innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant.

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Enjambment

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A run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.

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Form

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K

Front 17

Free Verse

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Poetry without a regular pattern of meter or rhyme.

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Hyperbole

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an expression of exaggeration.

"I nearly died laughing."

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Irony

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A contrast or discrepancy between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life and in literature.

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Imagery

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The pattern of related comparative aspects of language, particularly of images, in a literary work.

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Line

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K

Front 22

Meter

Back 22

refers to how the feet are put together to form lines of poetry. The combinations of long
and short syllables give poetry a musical feel.

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Metonymy

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A figure of speech in which a closely related term is substituted for an object or idea.

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Metaphor

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a figure of speech that compares two unlike things directly, without the use of like or as.

"Her hair is silk."

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Mood

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the overall feeling the poem creates. Mood, or tone, for example, can be playful, sad, lonely, angry or joyful.

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Onomatopoeia

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words that imitate sounds

"Boom. Gurgle. Plink."

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Oxymoron

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K

Front 28

Paradox

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A figure of speech in which a statement appears to contradict itself.

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Personification

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assigning human qualities to non-human things.

"The tropical storm slept for two days."

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Pun

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words with a humorous double meaning, a "play on words."

"Do you like fish sticks"

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Point of View

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The angle of vision from which a story is narrated.

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Repetition

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K

Front 33

Rhyme

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The matching of final vowel or consonant sounds in two or more words.

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Rhythm

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the pattern of long and short syllables in a poetic line. In modern poetry, some words receive greater vocal emphasis than others.

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Rhetorical Question

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Question with no real answer

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Rhyme Scheme

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The scheme of rhyme

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Syllables

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K

Front 38

Simile

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figures of speech that compares two unlike things, using the words like or as.

"His feet were as big as boats."

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Symbol

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using an object to represent an idea. A symbol means what it is and also something more.

"The frog symbolizes peace"

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Synedoche

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A figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole.

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Speaker

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K

Front 42

Stanza

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A division or unit of a poem that is repeated in the same form--either with similar or identical patterns or rhyme and meter, or with variations from one stanza to another.

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Synesthesia

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a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

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Tone

Back 44

The implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work.