Poetry 101
Main idea or subject plus the author’s opinion (note: it is NEVER just one word; it is ALWAYS a phrase or statement)
Theme
A grouped set of lines in poetry.
Stanza
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Alliteration
A figure of speech in which a thing, an idea, or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.
Personification
The use of any element of language - a sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence - more than once with a structural intention.
Repetition
A figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things, using like or as
Simile
The use of same end sounds to connect two or more words together
Rhyme
The grouping together of words in a cohesive manner, with a clear break (unique to poetry)
A figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics.
Metaphor
Poetry that is free from limitations of a regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms but still provides artistic expression.
Free verse
When one line of poetry runs on to the next line, without punctuation
Enjambment
A word which imitates the natural sounds of a thing.
Onomatopeia
A stop or pause in a line, often marked by punctuation or by a grammatical boundary, such as a phrase or clause.
Caesura
A literary device that demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables.
Rhythm
the use of objects to represent ideas or qualities.
Symbolism