Poe-tic License
"My dog is as stubborn as a mule." What device compares two unlike things using like or as?
What is a simile?
Language that paints a vivid picture by appealing to the five human senses is known as what?
What is imagery?
What is a single row of words in a poem called? (Hint: It is NOT called a sentence!)
What is a line?
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." What sound device repeats the starting consonant sound in nearby words?
What is alliteration?
What is the central message, big lesson, or deeper truth about life that an author wants you to take away from a poem?
What is the theme?
"The hallway was a zoo during passing period." What device directly states that one thing is another without using like or as?
What is a metaphor?
"The fresh cinnamon rolls smelled sweet and warm coming out of the oven." Which two senses does this imagery target?
What are smell and taste (or touch/heat)?
What do we call a grouped unit of lines in a poem that functions like a paragraph in a story?
What is a stanza?
Words like BOOM, CRASH, BUZZ, and SPLASH that imitate the actual sound they make are examples of what?
What is onomatopoeia?
What is the difference between Tone and Mood?
Tone is the author's/speaker's attitude; Mood is the feeling created in the reader.
The alarm clock screamed at me to wake up." Giving human traits, actions, or emotions to a non-human object is called what?
What is personification?
"The sharp gravel crunched beneath my sneakers as the freezing wind bit my cheeks." Which two senses are targeted here?
What are sound (crunched) and touch/feeling (freezing / bit)?
Look at these four line endings: night (A) / blue (B) / light (A) / shoe (B). What pattern or scheme does this stanza follow?
What is an ABAB rhyme scheme?
Why would a poet repeat a word or phrase like "Never again... never again..." across multiple stanzas?
To emphasize an important emotion, theme, or idea.
Who is the narrator or voice that tells the story inside a poem? (Hint: It isn't always the actual author!)
Who is the speaker?
In poetry, when an object (like a red rose or a locked wooden door) stands for a bigger, abstract idea (like love or secrecy), what is that object called?
What is a symbol (or symbolism)?
If a poet uses visual words like shattered glass, decaying leaves, barren trees, and fading grey light, what feeling or atmosphere are they building for the reader?
What is a gloomy, sad, or eerie mood?
What do we call a pair of two consecutive lines in a poem that rhyme directly with each other and share the same meter (AABB pattern)?
What are rhyming couplets?
Reading a poem aloud with smooth pacing, proper pauses at punctuation, and natural tone without stumbling is called reading with what?
What is fluency (or automaticity)?
If a speaker describes a childhood summer using words like playful, golden, carefree, and warm, what is the speaker's tone toward their childhood?
What is nostalgic, fond, happy, or loving?
"I’ve told you a million times to clean your desk!" What device uses extreme exaggeration to emphasize a point?
What is hyperbole?
Why do poets use sensory imagery instead of just listing facts?
To help the reader visualize, feel connected, and experience the poem emotionally.
If Line 1 ends in star, Line 2 ends in bright, Line 3 ends in sky, and Line 4 ends in night, what is the exact letter scheme for this stanza?
What is ABCB?
When a poet makes a casual reference to a famous mythological figure, historical event, or classic story (like calling a hero Achilles or mentioning Romeo), what is that device called?
What is an allusion?
When a poem's ending reveals an outcome that is the complete opposite of what the reader or speaker expected, what device is being used?
What is irony?