Poetic Structure
A single row of text in a poem.
Line
Words or phrases being used multiple times for emphasis and rhythm to reinforce key ideas or emotions.
Repetition
Symbolism
"Her laughter bubbled up like a fresh spring, bright and clear spilling joy into the air."
Simile
A short form of Japanese poetry with 3 lines of five, seven and five syllables.
Haiku
Groups of lines in a poem, like a paragraph.
Stanza
Words that end with the same sound. This can happen at the end of lines or within them.
Rhyme
Subtle hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story.
Foreshadowing
"Time is a thief, silently stealing moments when we least expect it."
Metaphor
A type of poetry that does not rhyme or have regular meter.
Free Verse
The voice or persona of a poem. This is not the same as the poet or author, but it can be.
Speaker
The beat or flow of a poem, created by a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Rhythm
The attitude an author takes toward the subject. Can be determined by analyzing word choice.
Tone
"The old house groaned under the weight of memories, its walls whispering secrets of laughter and sorrow."
Personification
A poem in which the meaning is wholly or partially conveyed by the way it looks on the page—the visual form is essential to the meaning.
Concrete Poem
The order or pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines in a poem.
Rhyme Scheme
The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby words in a line or phrase.
Alliteration
An element (incident, object, image, or idea) that recurs frequently in a piece of literature. A symbol may occur once, but this can repeat throughout the piece.
Motif
"I'm so hungry I could eat the entire moon as still have room for the stars."
Hyperbole
A form of poetry that is used to tell a story. The poet combines elements of storytelling—like plot, setting, and characters—with elements of poetry, such as form, meter, rhyme, and poetic devices.
Narrative Poetry
Intentional pauses or gaps between stanzas in a poem that help create rhythm, emphasize ideas, or help shifts in tone or subject matter.
Stanza Breaks
The continuation of a sentence or thought from one line of poetry to the next without a pause or punctuation at the line break, allowing the idea to flow naturally.
Enjambment
An implied reference to something else, such as a famous person, event, place, literary work, work of art, etc.
Allusion
"The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, while the cool evening breeze carries the sweet scent of blooming jasmine through the air."
Imagery
a form of performance poetry that combines the elements of performance, writing, competition, and audience participation. It is performed at events called poetry slams. Poets must perform their own original work, and there can be no props nor music.
Slam Poetry