a figure of speech in the form of a hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility.

ie: i will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one of his cheek

a meter that uses a consistent number of strong speech stresses per line.

The number of unstressed syllables my vary, as long as accented syllables do not. Much popular poetry, such as rap and nursery rhymes, is written in accentual meter.

repetition of 2 or more consonant sounds in successive words in a line of verse or prose.

Initial Alliteration: beginning of the words (cool, crazy cat)

Internal Alliteration: internally on stressed syllables (In kitchen cups concupiscent curds)

a lyric or song delivered at dawn, generally involving lovers who must part, or occasionally, one lover who asks the other to wake up

words, phrases, clauses, or sentences set in deliberate contrast to one another.

Balances opposing ideas, tones, or structures to heighten effect of a statement.

direct address to something or someone.

Often addresses something not normally spoken to. May address inanimate objects, dead or absent people, abstract things, or spirits.  Used to provide speaker with means to articulate thoughts aloud.

recurring symbol, character, landscape, or event found in a myth and literature across cultures and eras. (ex: the devil)

This idea began when Carl Jung had the theory of a collective unconscious.

repetition of two or more vowel sounds in successive words, which creates kind of a rhyme.

initial: all the awful auguries

internal: white lilacs

used to make the line memorable and focus attention on key words or concepts.

the most common form of ballad meter consists of 4 lines rhymed ABCB

first and third lines have 4 metrical feet

second and fourth lines have 3 metrical feet

(4,3,4,3)

a body of writings recognized by authority

list of books/poems/plays that a group of people have decided are important and worthy works

a pause within a line of verse.

Traditionally appear near middle of a line, but may be varied for expressive rhythmic effects. Usually occur at mark of punctuation, but can occur without.

an association or additional meaning that a word, image, or phrase may carry, apart from literal denotation.

Picked up from past uses

Ex: owl is not just a bird, it carries thoughts (connotations) associated with it.

(slant rhyme)

linked words that share similar consonant sounds but different vowel sounds (mink, monk)

meterical foot of verse

stressed/unstressed/unstressed

(Bat-ter-y / Par-a-mour)

the type of word choice and vocabulary an author decides is appropriate.

Concrete: highly specific word choice in the naming of something or someone

Abstract: words that express general ideas or concepts

boxer puppy [concrete] vs. young canine [abstract]

Lake Ontario [concrete] vs. body of fresh water [abstract]

intended to teach the reader a moral lesson or impart a body of knowledge

poetry that aims for education over art

verse full of irregularities- often due to poet's incompetence

crude verse with cliche, obvious rhyme, and inept rhyme

a poem written as a speech made by character at a decisive moment

(my last duchess)

a lament or sadly meditative poem, often written about death.

usually a sustained poem in a formal style

rhyme scheme organized into three quatrains with a final couplet : ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

shifts or turns often occur between quatrains (usually the 9th line)

a short, often summarizing stanza that appears at the end of certain poetic forms (sestina, chant royal, French Ballade)

contains poet's parting words

comes from french "envoi" [which means sending forth]

"unfolding"

entire poem is explained in detail, addressing every element and unraveling any complexities as a means of analysis

a rhyme of two or more syllables with a stress on a syllable other than the last.

Turtle & Fertile

an expression or comparison that relies not on its literal meaning, but rather on its connotations and suggestions

"he's dumber than dirt"

major types: simile, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche

anonymous narrative sounds, usually in ballad meter, that were originally transmitted orally.

most have been transcribed so they're not lost, but were originally for oral performance, resulting in many versions.

unit of measurement in metrical poetry.

different meters are identified by pattern and order of stressed and unstressed syllables in it.

usually contain 2 or 3 syllables, with one syllable accented.

means by which literary work reveals its meaning.

(the way the author exposes meaning and content of that meaning)

From the French "vers libre"

Describes poetry that organizes its lines without meter. It may be rhymed (as in some poems by H.D.), but it usually is not. There is no one means of organizing free verse, and different authors have used irreconcilable systems. What unites the two approaches is a freedom from metrical regularity.

Heroic couplet

Two rhymed lines that contain an independent and complete thought or statement. This closed couplet usually pauses lightly at the end of the first line; the second is more heavily end-stopped, or "closed".

Must be written in rhymed iambic pentameter to be called heroic couplets. (otherwise they are "closed couplets")

A metrical foot in verse in which an unaccented syllable is followed by accented one, as in "ca-ress" or "a cat".

The iambic measure is the most common meter used in English poetry.

Irony

(Verbal/Rhetorical)

A literary device in which a discrepancy of meaning is masked beneath the surface of the language. [says something, but means the opposite]

Verbal Irony- there is a discrepancy which is contained in words

Irony

(situational)

A literary device in which a discrepancy of meaning is masked beneath the surface of the language. [says something, but means the opposite]

Situational: the discrepency exists when something is about to happen to a character or characters who expect the opposite outsome

(also called a Petrarchan sonnet)

a sonnet with the following rhyme pattern for the first eight lines (the octave) : abba, abba; the final six lines (the sestet) may follow any pattern of rhymes, as long as it does not end in a couplet. The poem traditionally turns, or shifts, in mood or tone, after the octave.

A statement that one things is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not. By asserting that a thing is something else, a metaphor creates a close association between the two entities and usually underscores some important similarity between them.

"Richard is a pig"

An artificial word that combines parts of other words to express some combination of their qualities. Sometimes portmanteau words prove so useful that they become part of the standard language.

(smog= smoke & fog)

(brunch= breakfast & lunch)

from the Latin "versum"-meaning "to turn"

2 major meanings:

1. any single line of poetry

2. any composition in lines of more or less regular rhythm- in contrast to prose.