anachronism
Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time (Ex. A person that belongs in an earlier time)
connotations
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning (Ex. Childish and childlike have a negative connotation as they refer to the immature behavior of a person)
enjambment
the continuation of thought from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation needed at the end of the previous line(s)
epiphany
literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight. (Ex. Character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the s
exaggeration
overstatement; act of exaggerating
figurative language
uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. When a writer uses literal language, he or she is simply stating the facts as they are.
figure of speech
a word or phrase used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or vivid effect.
literary device
a literary or linguistic technique that produces a specific effect, esp. a figure of speech, narrative style, or plot mechanism
allusion
a casual reference to someone or something in history or literature that creates a mental picture
antithesis
an opposition, or contrast of ideas (Ex. it was the best of times, it was the worst of times)
hyperbole
extreme exaggeration for effect (Ex. Giants tanding tall as mountains Towering over midgets)
inversion
act or instance of inverting; reversal of the usual or natural order of words (Ex. Where in the world were you!)
metaphor
the comparison of two unlike things by saying one is the other; indirect comparison (Ex. Clouds are ships in full sail Racing across the sky blue sea)
simile
the comparison of two unlike things by saying one is like or as the other; direct comparison (Ex. Sunshine like hope aglow...)
personification
the giving of human traits to non-human things incapable of having those traits (Ex. Anger frowns and snarls, Sending bolts of fire from darkest night.)
understatement
emphasizing an idea by talking about it in a restrained manner (Ex. Bill Gates has made a little money selling software)
oxymoron
the use of contradictory terms (together) for effect (Freezing heat of hate Surrounds the heart)
paradox
A statement that is self-contradictory because it often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time. (Ex. Bittersweet)
imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language (Ex. He fumed and charged like an angry bull.)
mood
literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions; atmosphere (Ex. mysterious/melancoly/chaotic mood)
narration
report of related events presented to the listeners or readers in words arranged in a logical sequence; ability to tell a story; do not have to follow rhythmic patterns.
parallelism
literary device; parts of the sentence are grammatically the same or similar in construction (Ex. You need to work quickly and decisively)
poetic devices
devices used in poems to add specific effects
alliteration
repetition of a beginning sound (Ex. Rain reigns roughly through the day. Raging anger from the sky)
assonance
repetition of vowel sounds (Ex. Blind eyes could blaze like meteors)
caesura
the pausing or stopping within a line of poetry caused by needed punctuation (Ex. Living, breathing apathy Saps energy, will, interest, Leaving no desire to win.)
onomatopoeia
word whose sound suggests its meaning (Ex. The alarm's clang interrupted the banjo's twang)
pun
a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings. (Ex. A chicken farmer's favorite car is a coupe.)
rhyme
correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. (Ex. path, bath)
end rhyme
when a poem has lines ending with words that sound the same; last syllables or words in 2 or more lines with each other
rhyme scheme
ordered pattern of rhymes at the end of the lines of a poem or verse (Ex. ABABA...)
internal rhyme
a rhyme created by two or more words in the same line of verse. (Ex. I went to town to buy a gown.)
approximate rhyme
keeps the same vowel sounds but uses words with different ending consonant sounds (Ex. ladies, bodies)
rhythm
strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
meter
unit of rhythm in poetry;pattern of the beats
foot
certain numbers of syllables; also called meter; 2 syllables
anapest
metrical foot consisting of 2 short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or stressed syllable (Ex. And the sheen | of their spears | was like stars | on the sea)
dactyl
metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by 2 unstressed syllables or (in Latin+Greek) one long syllable followed by 2 shot syllables (Ex. Just for a handful of silver he left us)
iamb
An unstressed followed by a stressed syllable (Ex. Come live | with me | and be | my love.)
pyrrhic
metrical foot used in formal poetry; consist of 2 unaccented, short syllables (Ex. "To a green thought in a green shade.")
spondee
beat in a poetic line which consists of 2 unaccented syllables (stressed/unstressed_ or DUM-DUM stressed pattern; rarely found in poems written alone; however, poets use this by combining other metrical feet. For instance, a word "faithful" contains spond
trochee
basic metrical unit called a foot consisting of 2 syllables. Begins with a stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed, or weak, syllable
verse
denotes a single line of poetry; can be reffered to as a stanza collection of metrical lines of poetry
monometer
rare form of verse; each line consists of a single metrical unit (foot or dipody)
dimeter
metrical line of verse with 2 feet
trimeter
poetic device; defined as a meter a line that consists of 3 iambic feet. 1/5 main types of iamb
tetrameter
line of poetry that has 4 metrical feet
pentameter
literary device; line in verse or poetry that has 5 strong metrical feet or beats.
hexameter
a line of verse containing 6 feet, usually dactyls; oldest known form of Greek poetry
blank verse
verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter.
free verse
poetry free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms
poetry
literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; genre of literature
ballad
poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas; slow sentimental song
haiku
Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5, traditionally evoking images of the natural world
sonnet
a poem of 14 line using any # of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables
Petrarchan (italian sonnet)
14 line sonnet with an octave (rhyme scheme: abbaabba) and a sestet (rhyme scheme edecde)
Shakespearean (English/ Elizabethan)
14 line sonnet with three quatrains and a couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg.
stanza
a 'paragraph' of poetry
couplet
two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit
quatrain
a stanza with four lines
sestet
a 6 line stanza; second division of a Italian sonnet
octave
a poem or stanza of 8 lines; an octet
symbol
something which represents something else besides itself (Ex. The dove, with olive branch in beak...)
theme
central topic; the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition (Ex. a writer's theme of a story may be personal his/her opinion that war is a curse for humanity.)
tone
in written composition, an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience; conveyed through choice of words or viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject
consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in the word (Ex. The flag unfurled above the symphony)
metonymy
the substitution of a word for one with which is closely associated (Ex. The White House announced that the President had vetoed the bill.)
analogy
the comparison of two things by explaining one to show how it is similar to the other (Ex. The day dawns as a journey. First one leaves the station on a train....)
total effect
the general impression a literary work leaves on the reader