Sparrish-Illistrated poetry terms

Poetry Terms

Group: Sammie, Kolin, and Makaila

Personification
A figure of speech in which an animal,

object, or idea is given human
characteristics.

Example: The pencil in not human but it has a face and
arms that give it human characteristics.

Alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds at the

beginning of words.

Example: S is repeated multiple times.

Rhyme

The repetition of the same or similar
sounds, usually stressed in syllables at

the ends of lines

Rhythm

Musical quality created by a pattern of beats or stresses in
a line of poetry.

Example: Because I Could Not Stop For Death
By Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves,
And immortality.

Onomatopoeia
The use of words or phrases whose sounds suggest their

meanings. The sound of the word boom, for example,
suggests an explosion

Example: boom would indicate a loud explosion.

End rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines.

Internal rhyme
Rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.

Stanzas
A group of lines in a poem set off by blank lines.

Example:
Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry.
Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry.

←Stanza
Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry.
Poetry. Poetry. Poetry. Poetry.

Symbol

A person, place, an object, or an action that stands for
something beyond itself.

Simile
A comparison using like or as.

Metaphor

Direct comparison between two unlike things. It does not
use the words like or as.

Hyperbole

Figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for
emphasis or humorous effect.

Free Verse

Poetry written without a regular rhyme scheme, meter, or
form.

Imagery

Language that appeals to the five senses---touch, taste,
smell, hearing, and sight.

Example:
I smell the flowers,

Hear the bees.
Feel the nectar,
See the trees.
And one more thing,
I taste the honey.

Lyric poem

Short poem that directly expresses the poet’s thoughts
and emotions in a musical way.

Narrative poem
Poem that tells a story.

Example: This poem tells a story about the harvest of the
sea.

Rhyme scheme

The sequence in which the rhyme occurs. The first end
sound is represented as the letter a, the second b, etc.

Poetry

A form of writing that uses not only words, but also form,
patterns of sound, imagery, and figurative language to

convey its message

Sound devices

Techniques used to create a sense of rhythm or to
emphasize particular sounds in writing.

Meter

Regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that
gives a line of poetry a predictable rhythm.

Figurative language
The use of words to create an image in the reader's mind.

Mood
The feeling or atmosphere created by the writer.

Idiom

A phrase or expression whose meaning is different from
what the words say literally.

Symbolism

A literary device where a physical object represents
something else.

Repetition
A technique in which the same word or line is repeated for
emphasis or unity. Helps to reinforce meaning and create

an appealing rhythm

Refrain
Stanza or line that is repeated throughout the poem.

Couple
Rhymed pair of lines in a poem.