Poetry Terms

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the lines of a poem.

The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage.

A reference to a person, place, or thing--often literary, mythological, or historical.

A rhyme that occurs within one line

Word choice

Any language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh insights

The author’s attitude toward the subject of the work. Usually positive or negative.

Writing organized into sentences and paragraphs that is not poetry. e.g. Novels and short stories are examples

The repetition of sounds in a group of words as in “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.” 

A pair of rhyming lines in a poem often set off from the rest of the poem. 

A major subdivision in a poem.

Giving inanimate objects human characteristics.

Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

The authorial presence in a piece of literature whether in the first, second, or third person.

Ten-syllable lines in which every other syllable is stressed.

The use of description that helps the reader imagine how something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes.

legend that embodies the beliefs of people and offers some explanation for natural and social phenomena.

Poetry with no set meter (rhythm) or rhyme scheme.

Ex: “This chair is a rock,” or “I am an island.”

A poem mourning the dead

Giving inanimate objects human characteristics.

The central idea of a work.

Rhyming words that are at the ends of their respective lines

A long poem narrating the adventures of a heroic figure

The use of words that sound like what they mean such as “buzz,” “bang,” or “tic-tock.”

A type of poetry that expresses the poet’s emotions.

The overall feeling of a work, which is related to tone and mood.

A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter. 

Unrhymed lines of poetry usually in iambic pentameter.

The use of one thing to represent another. Something that stands for something else. 

A four-line stanza.

The repetition of vowel sounds