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Elements of Poetry Terms

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126576889themethe central idea of a poem
126576890denotationthe dictionary meaning of a word
126576891connotationwhat a word suggests beyond what it expresses; its overtones of meaning
126576892imagerythe representation through language of sense experience
126576893figure of speechany way of saying something other than the ordinary way; a way of saying one thing and meaning another
126576894figurative languagelanguage using figures of speech; should not be take literally
126576895similea means of comparing things that are essentially unlike; the comparison is expressed by a word or phrase (is, as, like)
126576896metaphora means of comparing things that are essentially unlike; the comparison is not expressed but is created when a figurative term is substituted for the literal term
126576897personificationgiving the attributes of a human to an animal, an object or a concept
126576898apostropheaddressing someone absent, dead or nonhuman as if it was alive and could respond
126576899synecdochecomparing unlike things; the use of a part for the whole
126576900metonymycomparing unlike things; the use of something closely related for the thing actually meant
126576901symbolsomething that means more than what it is
126576902allegorya narrative or description that has a second meaning beneath the surface
126576903paradoxan apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true
126576904overstatement or hyperboleexaggeration used in the service of truth
126576905understatementsaying less than one means (in what is said, or in how it is said)
126576906ironya situation or a use of language involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy
126576907verbal ironysaying the opposite of what one means
126576908sarcasmbitter or cutting speech intending to wound others' feelings
126576909satireridicule of human folly or vice with the purpose of bringing about reform
126576910irony of situationa discrepancy between the actual circumstances and those that would seem appropriate or between what one anticipates and what comes to pass
126576911allusiona reference to something in history or previous literature
126576912total meaningthe experience a poem communicates
126576913prose meaningthe part of a poem's total meaning that can be separated out and expressed through paraphrase
126576914tonethe writer's or speaker's attitude toward the subject, the reader or herself or himself
126576915alliterationthe repetition of initial consonant sounds
126576916assonancethe repetition of vowel sounds
126576917consonancethe repetition of final consonant sounds
126576918rhymethe repetition of the accented vowel sound and any succeeding consonant sounds.
126576919masculine rhymewhen a rhyme involves only one syllable
126576920feminine rhymewhen a rhyme involves two or more syllables
126576921internal rhymewhen one or more rhyming words are within the line
126576922end rhymewhen one or more rhyming words are at the ends of lines
126576923approximate rhyme (slant rhyme)words with any kind of sound similarity
126576924rhythmwavelike reoccurance of motion or sound; the natural rise and fall of language
126576925accented (stressed)in words with more than one syllable, at least one syllable is given more prominence in pronunciation
126576926rhetorical stressesin natural speech, the stressing of words or syllables so as to emphasize meaning and sentence structure
126576927end-stopped linethe end of the line corresponds with a natural speech pause
126576928run-on linewhere the line runs on without pause into the next line
126576929caesurasgrammatical or rhetorical pauses that occur within the line
126576930free versenonmetrical poetry in which the basic rhythmic unit is the line, and in which pauses, line breaks, and formal patterns develop organically from the requirements of the individual poem rather than from established poetic forms
126576931prose poemusually a short composition having the intentions of poetry but written in prose rather than verse
126576932meterthe identifying characteristic of rhythmic language that we can tap our feet to
126576933footthe basic unit of meter; normally one accented syllable plus one or two unaccented syllables or maybe none
126576934stanzaconsists of a group of lines whose metrical pattern is repeated throughout the poem in the same amount of lines
126576935metrical variationsdepartures from the basic metrical pattern
126576936substitutionreplacing the regular foot with another one
126576937extrametrical syllablesextra unaccented syllables added at the beginning or end of lines
126576938truncationthe omission of an unaccented syllable at either end of a line
126576939scansionthe process of defining the metrical form of a poem
126576940grammatical pausea pause introduced into the reading of a line by a mark of punctuation
126576941rhetorical pausea natural pause, unmarked by punctuation, introduced into the reading of a line by its phrasing or syntax
126576942blank verseunrhymed iambic pentameter
126576943phonetic intensiveswords whose sounds to some degree connects with their meaning
126576944onomatopoeiathe use of words that sound like what they mean
126576945euphonysmooth and pleasant sounding
126576946cacophonyrough and harsh sounding
126576947structurethe internal ordering of materials; the arrangement of ideas, images, thoughts, and sentences
126576948formexternal shape; an external pattern of a poem
126576949continuous forma form of a poem in which the lines follow each other without formal grouping, the only breaks being dictated by units of meaning
126576950stanzaic forma form in a series of stanzas: with repeated units having the same number of lines, the same metrical pattern and an identical rhyme scheme
126576951fixed forma form of poem in which the length and pattern are prescribed by previous usage or tradition (sonnet, villanelle)
126576952sonnet14 lines in length and in iambic pentameter. Can be Italian (Petrarchan) or English (Shakespearean)
126576953Petrarchan (Italian) sonneta sonnet consisting of an ovtave rhyming abbaabba and of a sestet using any arrangement of two or three additional rhymes
126576954octave1) and 8 lined stanza 2) the first 8 lines of a sonnet, usually the Italian model
126576955sestet1) a 6 lined stanza 2) the last 6 lines of a sonnet, usually the Italian model
126576956Shakespearean (English) sonneta sonnet rhyming asascdcdefefgg. Its cotent or structure ideally parallels the rhyme scheme, falling into 3 coordinate quatrains and a concluding couplet; but it can be structured in an octave and a sestet as well.
126576957villanellea 19 lined fixed form consisting of 5 tercets rhymed aba and a concluding quatrain rhymed abaa, with lines 1 and 3 of the first terect serving as refrains in an alternating pattern through line 15 and repeated in 18 and 19
126576958sentimentalityindulgence in emotion for its own sake; expression of more emotion that an occasion warrants
126576959rhetorical poetryuses a language more glittering and high-flown that its substance warrants.
126576960didactic poetrypoetry with a primary purpose to teach or preach

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