Key Terms
Poetic License
In free verse poetry, poets use their poetic license that gives them the freedom to write as they please without following typical grammar rules.
Refrain
A phrase or line that repeats in a poem
Love that boy ….
I said I love that boy …
Visual Layout
The arrangement and design of words, letters and images on a page to show meaning, create a visual image, or enhance the reader’s experience
Remember: “My Yellow Dog,” by Jack when he created an image of his dog on the paper using words
Point of View
(Example from the story "Five Ripe Pears)
Point of view is the perspective from which something is seen, considered, or narrated composing both a physical standpoint and a mental attitude or opinion.
Example from "Five Ripe Pears": Depending on the POV of the character, taking the pears was considered stealing or notWhich poetic device is being used in the lines below:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
rhyme
Stanza
A stanza is a grouping of lines separated from others in a poem. In free verse poetry, the stanza can be used to mark a shift in mood, time, or thought.
Oxymoron
A phrase with two words that have opposite meanings
Silent scream
Seriously funny
Rhyme
Repeating identical or similar sounds at the end of words
Nature’s first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Symbolism
Example from "The Cannibal Hymn"
A symbol represents deeper ideas, emotions, or concepts beyond literal meaning. Symbolism is when something from a story represents something else. The symbol can be a living or nonliving object that represents something else.
Example from "The Cannibal Hymn": In the quote, "For Unas is the bull of heaven," bull is a symbol for Unas's power and strength.
Read the following lines from the poem “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” by Robert Browning:
”Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering”
Name two poetic devices used in the lines above.
rhyme onomatopoeia
The poet’s attitude towards the poem’s speaker, reader and subject matter, as interpreted by the reader. It is often described as a “mood” that pervades the experience of reading the poem.
Metaphor
A phrase that describes two unlike things without using “like” or “as”
You are my sunshine
Life is a rollercoaster
Simile
A phrase that compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as”
The lines in “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns:
O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.
Cause and effect
Example from "The Code of Hammurabi"
Explains why something happens (causes) and what results from it (effects)
Example from "The Code of Hammurabi": If a man is a brigand (member of a gang of robbers) and attacks people who are traveling, he shall be put to death.
Which two poetic devices is being used in the lines below:
The lungs of my city are congested.
Its arteries are blocked. Gridlocked.
And so its heart becomes infected.
Our collective mindset is being tested, messed with,
metaphor / personification
A deeper message or idea that a text explores; themes are often abstract concepts
Onomatopoeia
Word that sounds like a noise it describes
Buzz, meow, boom, sizzle, hiss, achoo, quack
Hyperbole
A figure of speech composed of a striking exaggeration. Hyperbole usually carries the force of a strong emotion
I’m so hungry I could eat a horse
Irony
Example from "The Code of Hammurabi"
Irony is a literary device where there is a contrast between what is meant/expected and what is actually said/done. Authors use irony to add depth, humor or tragedy, making readers think about the situation’s deeper meaning.
Example from "The Code of Hammurabi": If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his fingers.
Name two poetic devices in "I’ll Love You Till the Ocean Is Folded and Hung Up to Dry" By: W.H. Auden
I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain,
And the salmon sing in the street.
hyperbole / personification
Central Idea
Main Idea + Theme
Alliteration
Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in close proximity to each other
Busy bee
Whispering winds
Personification
Personification gives human qualities, emotions or actions to inanimate objects, animals or abstract ideas to create imagery, convey emotion, and enhance (add to) a poem’s meaning
The lines in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth:
"A host of golden daffodils; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and dancing in the breeze" personify the daffodils, which are shown to be "dancing" like humans.
Characterization
Example of direct or indirect characterization from "The Story of the Flood"
Characterization is the process that reveals the personality of a character. Direct characterization is when the writer directly describes the personality and traits of a character. Indirect characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character.
Example of direct characterization from "The Story of the Flood": "Ea the clever god"
Name one poetic device from the poem below:
What did we say to each other
that now we are as the deer
who walk in single file
with heads high
with ears forward
with eyes watchful
with hooves always placed on firm ground
in whose limbs there is latent flight
simile