Iambic Pentameter
A line of poetry made up of five iambics. An iambic is a metrical fret, a unit off measure, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
- forlorn! The very word is like a bell. To take me back from thee to my sole self.
- False face must hide what the false heart doth know
- If you have tears, prepare to shed them more
Imagery
Language that appeals to the five sense, especially to the sense of sight.
- out of the ash, I rise with my red hair, and I eat men like air
- Now the air snaps and eddies round them the way a river snaps and eddies round a sunken red engine.
- It drags the sea after it like a dark crime, it is fuel with the o-gape of complete despair
Irony (situational)
Where what happens is the opposite of what is expected to happen.
- The fisherman's house burns down
- The Olympic swimming champion drown in his swimming pool- or in his bathtub
Irony (verbal)
Where what is said is the opposite of what is really meant, sarcasm
- oh, I did great on that test! (eyes rolling)
- No, its ok, I like waiting in the rain
Metaphor
A direct comparison of two unlike things
- my soul is an enchanted boat
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things that use "like" or "as" in the comparison
- the holy time is quiet as a nun, Brotherless with adoration
Paralleslism
The use of similar or complementary grammatical contributions to the ideas that are related or equal in importance. Parallel elements may include words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs. This is a form of repetition.
- stupid is as stupid does
- sisters by chance, friends by choice
Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form
- a silver-scaled dragon with jaws flaming red sits at my elbow and toast my bread. I hand him fat slices, and then one by one, he hands them back when he sees they are done
Soliloquy
A long speech in a play in which a character, who is usually alone on stage, expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings.
- To be or not to be
- Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in
Symbol
Any object, person, place, or action that has a meaning in itself and that also stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, an attitude, a belief, or a value.
- colors, animals, seasons, nature
Free Verse
poetry that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme or line length. It relies on the natural rhythms of everyday speech
Hyperbole
A figure of speech that uses exaggeration, and through a comic effect, expresses strong emotion.
- setting a fastball past Hank Aaron is like getting a sunrise past a rooster
Diction
An authors word choice
- Poem Title (Barren: echoes down the darkened corridor. (womb-like)
Connotation
All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
- statesman vs politician
- delicious cuisine vs delicious cooking
Aphorism
A concise, sometimes witty, saying that expresses a principle, truth or observation about life
- Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead
- honesty is the best policy
Allusions
A reference rom art, history, the bible, mythology, literature, pop culture, etc. that the speaker or writer assumes the audience will understand
Alliteration
Where the same consonant sounds are repeated in close proximity to each other. This occurs most often at the beginning of words
- tried and true
- safe and sound
- fish or fowl
- rhyme or reason
Foreshadowing
The use of clues that hint at what is going to happen later in a work. Usually focuses on situations off importance to the plot
- witches predicting MacBeth