POETIC TERMS AND DEVICES PARTS OF A POEM

POETIC TERMS AND DEVICES

PARTS OF A POEM Poems are made of up Lines Which form Stanzas – which are like paragraphs but for poems. Poems can be rhymed and unrhymed. Have very strict structure or none at all. Poems are often tied to, or are expressing, bigger ideas. Poems have Speakers instead of Narrators.

STANZAS Stanza divides a poem in such a way that does not harm its balance but rather it adds to the beauty to the symmetry of a poem. Moreover, it allows poets to shift their moods and present different subject matters in their poems. A 3 rhymed pair of lines is called a couplet (A rhymed couplet in Iambic Pentameter is known as a heroic couplet) lines is a Tercet 4 lines is a Quatrain 5 lines is a Quintain 6 lines is a Sestet 8 lines is an Octave

FREE VERSE Free Verse- can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such poems are without rhythms and rhyme schemes; do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules and still provide artistic expression

METAPHOR AND SIMILE Metaphor- A comparison of two unlike things. An Indirect comparison. “My brother was boiling mad” “Her Voice was music to my ears” Simile- A comparison of two unlike things using the words “like” or “as. ” A Direct comparison. “He was fast as a cheetah. ” “She moved like a swan. ”

ANALOGY Analogy- a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Metaphors and similes are tools used to draw an analogy Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer. How a doctor diagnoses diseases is like how a detective investigates crimes. Some see a pen, I see a harpoon

PERSONIFICATION Personification- a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn’t it so? The wind whispered through dry grass. The flowers danced in the gentle breeze. Time and tide waits for none. The fire swallowed the entire forest.

HYPERBOLE Hyperbole- an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. My grandmother is as old as the hills. Your suitcase weighs a ton! She is as heavy as an elephant! I am dying of shame. I am trying to solve a million issues these days

EUPHEMISM Euphemism- polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant. You are becoming a little thin on top (bald). “kick the bucket” “downsizing” “making the beast with two backs. ” – Othello

ONOMATOPOEIA Onomatopoeia- a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. The buzzing bee flew away. The sack fell into the river with a splash. The books fell on the table with a loud thump. He looked at the roaring sky. The rustling leaves kept me awake. Also Meow Boom Pow

ALLITERATION Alliteration- a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series. But a better butter makes a batter better. A big bully beats a baby boy. Sally sells seashells by the sea shore. Krispy Kreme Coca-Cola Pay. Pal

CONSONANCE Consonance- repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase Mike likes his new bike. He stood on the road and cried. Toss the glass, boss. It will creep and beep while you sleep. He struck a streak of bad luck. When Billie looked at the trailer, she smiled and laughed.

ASSONANCE Assonance- two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds I’ve got a migraine and my pain will range from up, down, and sideways I feel depressed and restless. The engineer held the steering to steer the vehicle. A host, of golden daffodils

OXYMORON Oxymoron- a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect Tragic comedy Seriously funny Awfully pretty Foolish wisdom Original copies Liquid gas Jumbo shrimp Sweet sorrow

PARADOX Paradox- a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth I am nothing. Nobody goes to that restaurant because it is too crowded. He was a wise fool Drowning in the fountain of eternal life I must be cruel to be kind

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OXYMORON AND PARADOX A paradox may consist of a sentence or even a group of sentences. An oxymoron, on the other hand, is a combination of two contradictory or opposite words. A paradox seems contradictory to the general truth but it does contain an implied truth. An oxymoron may produce a dramatic effect but does not make sense.

APOSTROPHE Apostrophe- is a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation “O”. A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech Twinkle Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me – Frankenstein Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou […]call on us

ENJAMBMENT Enjambment- In poetry it means moving over from one line to another without a terminating punctuation mark “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and asleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. ” “I am not prone to weeping, as our sex Commonly are; the want of which vain dew Perchance shall dry your pities; but I have That honorable grief lodged here which burns Worse than tears drown…”

END-STOPPING End-Stopping- is a poetic device in which a pause comes at the end of a syntactic unit (sentence, clause or phrase); this pause can be expressed in writing as a punctuation mark such as a colon, semi-colon, period or full stop. Bright Star, would I were as stedfast as thou art— Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite…. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date….

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENJAMBMENT AND END-STOPPING Enjambment is the opposite of end-stopped line. Thus, examples of end-stopped line should never be confused with enjambment examples. When a break or pause comes at the end of a line or sentence, it is called an end-stopped line. However, when a break comes in the middle of a phrase or line and idea moves on to the next line, it is called enjambment

METONYMY Metonymy- It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. The suits were at meeting. (The suits stand for business people. ) The pen is mightier than the sword. (Pen refers to written words and sword to military force. ) Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help. ) Kleenex Q-tip

SYNECDOCHE Synecdoche- is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. It may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa, or call a thing by the name of the material it is made of The term “coke” is a common synecdoche for all carbonated drinks The word “glasses” refers to spectacles. “Coppers” often refers to coins. The phrase "hired hands" can be used to refer to workmen United States won a gold medal in an event

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN METONYMY AND SYNECDOCHE Metonymy is often confused with another figure of speech called synecdoche. Synecdoche refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts. For example, calling a car “a wheel” is a synecdoche. A part of a car i. e. “a wheel” stands for the whole car. In a metonymy, on the other hand, the word we use to describe another thing is closely linked to that particular thing, but is not a part of it. For example, “Crown” which means power or authority is a metonymy. Metonymy is different from a metaphor. A metaphor draws resemblance between two different things