Poetry terms literary devices

the central idea of a literary work

placing two contrasting ideas side by side in order to develop an idea through the contrast

the imitation of sounds by words

the emotional associations of a word

attitude of speaker toward a subject in text

taste imagery

repetition of vowel sounds

the literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion or attitude.

a comparison of two like things without mentioning one of them explicitly

smell imagery

a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words like, as, or resembles

verse with a natural pause at the end of the line

touch imagery

object, person, place, or action that maintains its own meaning while also standing for an abstract idea

the use of words that do not strictly rhyme when expected to.

hearing imagery

the repetition of initial consonant sounds

a comparison of two things or ideas where one becomes the other, often introduced by “is.”

imagery of movement

a controlling comparison throughout a poem

repetition of grammatical structure in a series of words, phrases or clauses

giving human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas

reference in a work of literature to something outside the work (often historical, political, mythological, or biblical)

no pause or stop at the end of a verse