Poetry Terms & Info

 

poetry

·        oldest form of literature

·        uses words in a special way

·        written in lines (how words are put together)

·        written in stanzas (how lines are grouped)

·        often uses rhyme, rhythm, & figurative language

·        teaches us about ourselves in a different way

 

Prose

written in sentences & paragraphs

 

 

How to read a poem

 

1.

read aloud to hear sounds & rhythm

2.

decide who is speaking

3.

imagine the feelings or things described

4.

give each poem a chance

 

Misc. Concepts

 

allusion

reference to the Bible, literature, history, mythology, or to anything outside the writing that the writer expects the reader to know

 

analogy

an extended metaphor (comparison that keeps comparing & using language of the comparison so the reader catches the reference)

 

 

connotation

feeling a word carries with it

 

 

denotation

dictionary meaning of a word

 

imagery or sensory details

words/phrases that appeal to the senses; pictures made with words

 

inferences

a logical guess after looking at the evidence

 

mood        

feeling a reader gets upon reading

 

symbol     

has meaning in itself but represents something else

 

 

tone

attitude of the writer toward his/her subject

 

 

~  turn over  ~

 

Sounds of language

 

1.      rhyme

words that end with the same sound

            end rhyme

words that rhyme and appear at the ends of lines

            internal rhyme

rhyming words within a line

near rhyme

words that look like they might rhyme but don't;

words that almost rhyme

            rhyme scheme

letters of the alphabet used to chart rhyme

 

2.      rhythm

pattern of stressed & unstressed beats

 

            a.         regular rhythm

steady, syllables arranged to create a beat (e.g. one, two,

buckle my shoe)

 

 

            b.         free verse

syllables arranged freely

 

3.      repetition

repeating of certain words & phrases or even punctuation, done so for emphasis

 

4.      onomatopoeia

use of words that sound like their meanings (e.g. buzz,

crash, clink, quack)

 

5.      alliteration

repetition of consonant sound (usually at the beginning of words) e.g. tongue twisters

 

Figures of Speech or   Figurative Language

 

1.      metaphor

comparison of two unlike things; paints a mental picture

 

2.      personification

giving human qualities to an object, an animal or an idea

 

3.      hyperbole

an exaggeration

 

4.      simile

comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as

 

Some Basic Types of Poetry

          haiku

from Japan, a three line poem with the syllables of 5-7-5, creates a strong image & usually captures a single moment or an idea

          concrete

a poem shape suggests it meaning or what the poem is about; words & punctuation are arranged is a unique way

          narrative

tells a story