Topics: Literature › Poetry
Type: Descriptive Essays
Sample donated: Jessica Anderson
Last updated: December 5, 2019
line
a horizontal row of words in poetry
stanza
a group of lines in poetry forming a unit and separated from the next stanza by a line or space; a set number of lines dictated by the rules of the form and structure of the type of poem written or by the poet’s choice
speaker
the voice that communicates with the reader of a poem
figure of speech
a word or expression in literature/poetry that is not meant to be taken literally
simile
uses the word like or as to compare seemingly two unlike things
metaphor
compares two or more different things by stating or implying that
personification
giving human characteristics to an animal, object, or idea
imagery
descriptive language used to represent objects, feelings, and thoughts; appeals to the senses; helps create pictures in your mind
rhyme
the repetition of a final stressed vowel sound and succeeding sounds in two or more words
internal rhyme
occurs within lines of poetry
end rhyme
occurs at the ends of lines of poetry
rhyme scheme
the pattern formed by end rhymes shown by using alphabet letters (example: abab cdcd efef gg)
rhythm
pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
meter
regular rhythm in poetry
foot
measurement of poetry which usually contains one stressed (hard) and one unstressed (soft) syllable
alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
consonance
repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words
assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words
onomatopoeia
the use of a word or phrase, such as swoosh or clank, that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes
tone
refers to the author’s attitude towards his/her subject matter; the mood of the poem
enjambment
the continuation of the sense of a sentence or phrase from one line of a poem to the next without a pause between the lines
analyzing text structure
identifying the order or pattern a/an poet/author uses to present his/her ideas
free verse
poetry without a fixed pattern or rhyme, meter, line length, or stanza arrangement; no form
paraphrase
restating a text’s meaning in your own words
questioning
ask yourself about the relevance of a given section of text
monitoring comprehension
questioning and paraphrasing are ways to do this
prose poetry
alternative to verse poetry where stanzas are used; avoids line breaks and uses sentence and paragraph form as in a story
visualizing
using words to create a mental picture
haiku
unrhymed Japanese verse form consisting of 17 syllables that are arranged in 3 lines; 5/7/5
interpreting imagery
using your on knowledge of the world and your understanding of the text to create meaning for the images present in the poetry
verse paragraph
is a group of lines in poetry that forms a unit; unlike a stanza, verse paragraph does not have a set number of lines
making inferences about theme
to draw a conclusion about the overall meaning of a literary work based on textual evidence and your own background knowledge
clarifying meaning
helps you better understand what you are reading and the author meant; re-reading a piece or confusing lines can help
ode
long, lyrical poem that often uses seven and eleven-syllable rhythms; express noble, dignified feelings; exalt subject matter
sonnet
14 line poem with set stanzas and rhyme scheme