Poetry Forms and Structure
This poetry form is known for having exactly 14 lines.
Sonnet
When a poet gives human qualities to an object or animal, such as "the wind whispered."
personification
In "We Wear the Mask," the mask symbolizes this concept.
hiding one's true feelings/pain
This type of metaphor extends throughout an entire poem or a significant portion of it, comparing one thing to another in a sustained way.
extended metaphor
"Scratcha, ________, ________!"
scratcha, scratcha
This poetry form uses a syllable pattern of 5-7-5-7-7.
Tanka
A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as."
simile
The main theme of "Hope is the Thing with Feathers" is about this emotion that persists through difficult times.
hope
**DAILY DOUBLE**
Poetry written without a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
free verse
"Did you ____ and _____ your ______?
fall;bump;head
The rhythm pattern "unstressed-STRESSED" repeated five times in a line is known as this
Iambic pentameter
In "Hope is the thing with feathers," the bird is an example of this literary device.
metaphor
In "Ode to My Socks," Pablo Neruda transforms these everyday objects into something special.
socks
Two consecutive lines that rhyme and often appear at the end of a sonnet.
couplet
**DAILY DOUBLE**
"Tappa, tappa, tappa. That's the _____ I ______ to _____."
sound; love; hear
This type of poem is one of sorrow and usually is for one who is dead
**DAILY DOUBLE**
This literary device combines opposing or contradictory ideas, creating phrases like "deafening silence" or "living death."
oxymoron
In "We Real Cool," Brooks uses this technique to create tension between the pool players' bravado and their ultimate fate.
juxtaposition/contrast between carefree actions and death
In poetry, this term describes the deliberate use of words that mimic real sounds, such as "buzz," "sizzle," and "crash."
onomatopoeia
"Tappa, ______, tappa. And _______ have no _____!"
tappa; you'll; fear
This metrical foot, consisting of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable, is the opposite of an iamb. It was used by Shakespeare in Macbeth for the witches' lines.
trochee
This device involves addressing an absent person, abstract concept, or inanimate object as if it were present and could respond.
apostrophe
In Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," the poet employs this specific poetic device when he states "thy eternal summer shall not fade" to describe his beloved's beauty.
extended metaphor
In poetry, this technique allows a writer to convey complex ideas in just a few words by subtly referencing mythology, history, religion, or literature—such as comparing a lover’s beauty to “Helen’s face” without further explanation.
allusion
"This is a _________, not a democracy."
monarchy