Poetry
Personification – Giving human qualities
to non-human things (e.g., "The wind
whispers").
Hyperbole – Exaggeration for effect (e.g.,
Poetry Terms: "I've told you a million times!").
Title – The name of the poem; often Irony – When the opposite of what is
indicates the theme. expected happens.
Speaker – The voice in the poem (not Sarcasm – A mocking or cutting form of
necessarily the poet). irony.
Stanza – A group of lines in a poem Climax – A buildup leading to the most
(similar to a paragraph in prose). important point.
o 2 lines → Couplet Anti-climax – A letdown after a buildup.
o 3 lines → Tercet
o 4 lines → Quatrain Paradox – A statement that seems
o 5 lines → Quintet contradictory but holds truth (e.g., "The
o 6 lines → Sestet more you learn, the less you know").
o 7 lines → Septet Ellipsis (...) – Dots that indicate an
o 8 lines → Octave unfinished thought or suspense.
Line – A single row of words in a poem. Metonymy – Words that refer to an image.
Rhyme Scheme – The pattern of end Polysyndeton – Used to slow down the
rhymes in a poem: rhythm.
o Couplet (aa bb) Synecdoche – Refers to a small part of
something that actually represents
o Alternate rhyme (abab)
something larger.
o Enclosed rhyme (abba)
o Broken rhyme (abca)
Literary Aspects in Poetry:
o Free verse (no set rhyme
Theme – The central message or idea of
pattern)
the poem.
Alliteration – Repetition of the same
Tone – The emotion or attitude in the poem
consonant sound at the beginning of words
(e.g., joyful, melancholic, sarcastic).
(e.g., "Big blue balloons").
Mood/Atmosphere – The feeling created
Assonance – Repetition of vowel sounds
by the poem.
(e.g., "The moon moves smoothly").
Time and Setting – When and where the
Consonance – Repetition of consonant
poem takes place.
sounds anywhere in words.
Word Choice (Diction) – The specific
Enjambment – When a sentence continues
words used to create an effect.
beyond the end of a line without a pause.
Imagery – The use of descriptive language
Metaphor – A direct comparison without
to create pictures in the reader’s mind.
"like" or "as" (e.g., "Life is a journey").
Structure – The way the poem is
Simile – A comparison using "like" or "as"
organized (e.g., number of stanzas and
(e.g., "He roared like a lion").
lines).
Personification – Giving human qualities
to non-human things (e.g., "The wind
whispers").
Hyperbole – Exaggeration for effect (e.g.,
Poetry Terms: "I've told you a million times!").
Title – The name of the poem; often Irony – When the opposite of what is
indicates the theme. expected happens.
Speaker – The voice in the poem (not Sarcasm – A mocking or cutting form of
necessarily the poet). irony.
Stanza – A group of lines in a poem Climax – A buildup leading to the most
(similar to a paragraph in prose). important point.
o 2 lines → Couplet Anti-climax – A letdown after a buildup.
o 3 lines → Tercet
o 4 lines → Quatrain Paradox – A statement that seems
o 5 lines → Quintet contradictory but holds truth (e.g., "The
o 6 lines → Sestet more you learn, the less you know").
o 7 lines → Septet Ellipsis (...) – Dots that indicate an
o 8 lines → Octave unfinished thought or suspense.
Line – A single row of words in a poem. Metonymy – Words that refer to an image.
Rhyme Scheme – The pattern of end Polysyndeton – Used to slow down the
rhymes in a poem: rhythm.
o Couplet (aa bb) Synecdoche – Refers to a small part of
something that actually represents
o Alternate rhyme (abab)
something larger.
o Enclosed rhyme (abba)
o Broken rhyme (abca)
Literary Aspects in Poetry:
o Free verse (no set rhyme
Theme – The central message or idea of
pattern)
the poem.
Alliteration – Repetition of the same
Tone – The emotion or attitude in the poem
consonant sound at the beginning of words
(e.g., joyful, melancholic, sarcastic).
(e.g., "Big blue balloons").
Mood/Atmosphere – The feeling created
Assonance – Repetition of vowel sounds
by the poem.
(e.g., "The moon moves smoothly").
Time and Setting – When and where the
Consonance – Repetition of consonant
poem takes place.
sounds anywhere in words.
Word Choice (Diction) – The specific
Enjambment – When a sentence continues
words used to create an effect.
beyond the end of a line without a pause.
Imagery – The use of descriptive language
Metaphor – A direct comparison without
to create pictures in the reader’s mind.
"like" or "as" (e.g., "Life is a journey").
Structure – The way the poem is
Simile – A comparison using "like" or "as"
organized (e.g., number of stanzas and
(e.g., "He roared like a lion").
lines).
