Poetry Terms Poetic Techniques Sound Rhythm Definition the

Poetry Terms

Poetic Techniques - Sound

Rhythm Definition: the pattern of beats of stresses in a line (hint – regular rhythm = metrical verse) “The Raven” By Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor, ' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door Only this, and nothing more. '

Rhyme Definition: repetition of sounds at the ends of words End Rhyme – occurs at the ends of lines Internal Rhyme – occurs within the lines `'Tis some visitor, ' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door Only this, and nothing more. ' (“The Raven” – Poe) While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, (“The Raven” – Poe) Slant Rhyme (aka near/half/off rhyme) – substitutes assonance or consonance for true rhyme Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all. (“Hope is the thing with feathers” – Dickinson)

Alliteration Definition: repetition of the same sound beginning several words in a sequence “Step forward, Tin Man. You dare to Come to me for a heart do you? You clinking, clattering collection of caliginous junk… And you, Scarecrow, have the effrontery to ask for a brain! You billowing bale of bovine fodder!" - delivered by the "Wizard of Oz" from the movie The Wizard of Oz

Assonance Definition: repetition of vowel sounds in words that end with different consonant sounds Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore… (Poe – “The Raven”) Hear the mellow wedding bells… (Poe – “The Bells”)

Consonance Definition: a type of slant rhyme in which the ending consonants match, but the preceding vowels do not I want a hero: an uncommon want, When every year and month sends forth a new one, Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant, The age discovers he is not the true one; Of such as these I should not care to vaunt, I'll therefore take our ancient friend Don Juan, We all have seen him, in the pantomime, Sent to the Devil somewhat ere his time. (Byron – “Don Juan”)

Onomatopoeia Definition: words that sound like what they mean

Poetic Techniques - Meaning

Major Terms… Image Figurative Language Definition: words or phrases used to describe something that appeals to senses (seen, heard, smelled, etc) Definition: any writing or speech meant to be understood figuratively rather than literally Ex: My mouth watered as I watched my mom pull the savory turkey out of the oven on Thanksgiving. Ex: hyperbole, understatement, metaphor, simile, metonymy/synecdoche, personification, and synaesthesia

Hyperbole Definition: use of overstatement for rhetorical effect

Understatement Definition: deliberately expresses an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact “It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain. ” - J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Metaphor/Simile Definition: compares one thing to another in order to explain by comparison. Similes use “like” or “as”; metaphors do not. Simile: “You’re as cold as ice…” - Foreigner (song) Metaphor: “No man island. ” - John Donne

Personification Definition: describing an idea, animal, or thing as if it were a person "Once again, the heart of America is heavy. The spirit of America weeps for a tragedy that denies the very meaning of our land. " -- Lyndon Baines Johnson

The End? ? ? No… This is just the beginning…