Name___________________________________

LITERARY TERMS FOR POETRY

POETRY is a patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas in concentrated, imaginative and rhythmical terms. Poetry often contains rhyme and a specific meter, but not necessarily.

FIGURES OF SPEECH

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Language in which words are used in a non-literal sense to present a description, emotion, or image.

LITERAL LANGUAGE: Language that means exactly what it says.

HYPERBOLE (OVERSTATEMENT): an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis which is not to be taken literally

IMAGERY: words or phrases which create a certain picture in the reader's mind

METAPHOR: An implied comparison between two usually unrelated things that suggests one thing is the other; a linking verb is often used to connect the ideas. Sometimes the comparison is suggested but not directly stated. This is called an IMPLIED METAPHOR.

EXTENDED METAPHOR: a metaphor that is continued throughout a poem, often developed at great length.

PERSONIFICATION: the giving of human characteristics to inanimate objects, ideas or animals.

SIMILE: a direct comparison between two usually unrelated things using "like" or "as"

SYMBOL: a word or image that signifies something other than what is literally represented; it has both a literal and figurative meaning.

UNDERSTATEMENT: a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said

SOUND TECHNIQUES

ONOMATOPOEIA: the use of a word to represent or imitate natural sounds

EUPHONY: language which seems to the ear to be smooth, pleasant, and musical

CACOPHONY: language which seems to the ear to be harsh, rough, and unmusical

ALLITERATION: the repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in a line of verse (Ex: swans swiftly swimming)

ASSONANCE: the repetition of a vowel sound in two or more words in a line of verse (Ex: Bahamas, Rococo)

CONSONANCE: the repetition of a consonant sound in two or more words in a line of verse (Ex: Cracker Jack, beg and bribe)

WORDS TO DESCRIBE TONE

DENOTATION: the literal or dictionary meaning of a word

CONNOTATION: the implied meaning; emotions or feelings associated with a word

SPEAKER: the voice of the poem (not the author) who usually reveals the tone of the poem (can be a person, animal, or object the poet pretends to be)

TONE: the speaker’s attitude toward the subject matter

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RHYME

FREE VERSE: lines of poetry lacking rhyme or metrical patterns

END RHYME: rhyme at end of two or more lines

INTERNAL RHYME: rhyme within a line

PERFECT RHYME: an exact rhyme (cat/bat)

IMPERFECT RHYME: also known as approximate rhyme (cost/boast)

METER

IAMBIC: a foot (two syllables) consisting of an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable U /

TROCHAIC: a foot (two syllables) consisting of an stressed followed by an unstressed syllable / U

IAMBIC PENTAMETER: meter with lines of 10 syllables in an iambic (unstressed/stressed) pattern

REPETITION: reiterating a word or phrase

REFRAIN: the repetition of one or more phrases or lines at intervals in a poem

FORM

STANZA: a division of a poem based on thought or form (the “paragraphs” of poetry)

QUATRAIN: a stanza of four lines

COUPLET: two continuous lines of verse that contain end rhyme

SONNET: 14 line poem in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme and structure (A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 4 quatrains and a rhymed couplet)

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Lesson 1: Introduction to Poetry

When I think of poetry, three words that come to mind are _________________ , ___________________,

and ________________________ . One of the reasons I like/dislike poetry is because

______________________________________________________________________________ .

Some poems that have had some impact on me personally (song lyrics count, too!) are:

Pop Quiz: Read “Introduction to Poetry” using the 7 step process. Then answer the questions below.

Billy Collins Introduction to Poetry

I ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the lightlike a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poemand watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's roomand feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterskiacross the surface of a poemwaving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.

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Pop Quiz on “Introduction to Poetry”:

1. In line 4, the speaker compares a poem to a ____________________. This is an example of ______:a. simile b. implied metaphorc. personification d. allusion

2. The speaker’s desire for people “to waterski across the surface of the poem” suggests that he wants them to:a. study the poem carefullyb. be careful while reading the poemc. enjoy the poemd. skim the poem

3. The form of this poem is:a. sonnet b. 6 quatrainsc. rhyming couplets d. free verse

4. In the line “All they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it,” the poet is using: a. personification b. extended metaphorc. simile d. understatement

5. Who do you think the speaker of the poem might be? __________________________________________

6. What do you think is the speaker’s overall message about how to appreciate poetry? Which line best illustrates this theme?

Lesson 2: Word Choice/Connotation

You know that poem about two roads diverging in a woods? Of course, you do, and you know it's not just about a road, right? The connotations of that road lead most readers on to consider their own life journey, not just a travel itinerary. That's connotation.

In addition to literal, dictionary meanings, words often have implied, emotional meanings known as connotations. These connotations play a significant role in the search for the "right word" because they sometimes clash with a writer's intended meaning or view. Much of poetry involves the poet using connotative diction that suggests shades of meanings beyond "what the words simply say."

Connotation is the extra tinge or taint of meaning each word carries beyond the minimal, strict definition found in a dictionary. For example, the words “house” and “home” both refer to a domicile, but “home” connotes certain singular emotional qualities and personal possessions in a way that “house” doesn't. I might own four houses I rent to others, but I might call none of these my home, for example.

Connotation descriptors:Favorable/positiveNeutral Unfavorable/negative

Activity: Each of the following sentences includes a pair of words with similar dictionary definitions but different connotations. Choose the word that is more appropriate based on the context of the sentence.

1. As snakes continue to grow, they (junk, shed) the protective keratinous layer on the surface of their bodies because it does not expand.

2. Oblivious to those around him, the father tenderly (smiled, smirked) at his newborn baby through the window of the hospital nursery.

3. During rush hour traffic in a metropolis, cars creep along at agonizingly slow (velocities, speeds).

4. Even the coolest star in the night skies is unbelievably (sultry, hot) according to astronomers.

5. The local newspaper's front-page story indicated that $50,000 was (stolen, pilfered) from the town's largest bank during the night.

6. The pack of wild horses (loped, sprinted) alongside the train at top speed for more than 200 yards.

7. Although many Americans purchase meat at their local grocery stores, some farmers still (butcher, execute) livestock to feed their families.

8. The French are (noted, notorious) for their fine food.

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Examples: Positive Neutral Negative relaxed inactive lazy prudent timid cowardly modest shy mousy time-tested old out-of-date dignified reserved stiff-necked persevering persistent stubborn up-to-date new newfangled thrifty conservative miserly self-confident proud conceited inquisitive curious nosy

Now read the following poem, mindfully open to the possible connotations of even the simplest words chosen.

The Summer I Was Sixteen by Geraldine Connolly

The turquoise pool rose up to meet us,its slide a silver afterthought down whichwe plunged, screaming, into a mirage of bubbles.We did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy.

Shaking water off our limbs, we liftedup from ladder rungs across the fern-coollip of rim. Afternoon. Oiled and sated,we sunbathed, rose and paraded the concrete,

danced to the low beat of "Duke of Earl".Past cherry colas, hot-dogs, Dreamsicles,we came to the counter where bees staggeredinto root beer cups and drowned. We gobbled

cotton candy torches, sweet as furtive kisses,shared on benches beneath summer shadows.Cherry. Elm. Sycamore. We spread our chenilleblankets across grass, pressed radios to our ears,

mouthing the old words, then loosenedthin bikini straps and rubbed baby oil with iodineacross sunburned shoulders, tossing a glancethrough the chain link at an improbable world.

1. Which words/phrases create a feeling of excitement?

2. Which words/phrases convey the feeling of time standing still in the summer?

3. Which words convey the romance of summertime?

Writing Assignment -- Your Turn: Write a free verse poem called: “The _______________ I Was _____________”

Season Age

Begin by brainstorming details about that season that paint a picture of your experience and what it meant to you at the time. Be as vivid and specific as possible. Incorporate these moments and images into a poem that DOES NOT RHYME. You poem must be written in free verse. However, you may organize it in quatrains (4-line stanzas) as Connolly did.

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Lesson 3: Speaker and Tone

The speaker is the voice of a poem, or the role the poet plays in the poem. The speaker may be the poet, or a fictional person, animal, or object the poet pretends to be. Playing a role in the poem enables the poet to state a message or explain a feeling more clearly than speaking as him or herself. For example, one poet may speak as an eagle to describe the wonders of flight. Another poet may pretend to be a mother in order to express an ideal of unselfish love.

When reading a poem, it is important to understand the speaker’s tone or attitude toward the subject of the poem. Is the speaker being honest or “tongue-in-cheek”? Is the speaker sharing emotions? Is the speaker trying to prove a point? Recognizing the speaker and the speaker’s attitude is an important step toward “reading between the lines.” Knowing a wealth of common adjectives used to describe tone is an excellent way to improve your analytical skills. Look at the following list of words and circle any you do not know the meaning of. For homework tonight, look up their meanings.

Pessimistic

Critical (with respect to the author’s tone)

Humorous

Scornful

Reflective

Melancholy

Joyous

Sympathetic

Contemplative

Optimistic

Perplexed

Ridiculing

Conspiratorial

Hopeful

Mournful

Skeptical

Biased/Unbiased

Ambiguous

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Still I Rise by Maya Angelou You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirtBut still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?Why are you beset with gloom?'Cause I walk like I've got oil wellsPumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,With the certainty of tides,Just like hopes springing high,Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?Bowed head and lowered eyes?Shoulders falling down like teardrops.Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?Don't you take it awful hard'Cause I laugh like I've got gold minesDiggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,You may kill me with your hatefulness,But still, like air, I'll rise.

Out of the huts of history's shameI riseUp from a past that's rooted in painI riseI'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI riseInto a daybreak that's wondrously clearI riseBringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,I am the dream and the hope of the slave.I riseI rise

I rise.

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1. Describe the speaker of “Still I Rise.” Who do you think he/she is. Provide at least one example for your opinion.

2. Who do you think the “you” is that the speaker is speaking to? What is the speaker’s attitude toward that person? Provide an example to support your answer.

3. What is the speaker’s general tone or attitude in the poem? Find at least 3 words or phrases that support your answer.

Lesson 4: Figurative language (Auditory Imagery)

The Sound of Night by Maxine Kumin

And now the dark comes on, all full of chitter noise.Birds huggermugger crowd the trees,the air thick with their vesper cries,and bats, snub seven-pointed kites,skitter across the lake, swing out,squeak, chirp, dip, and skim on skatesof air, and the fat frogs wake and prinkwide-lipped, noisy as ducks, drunkon the boozy black, gloating chink-chunk.

And now on the narrow beach we defend ourselves from dark.The cooking done, we build our fireworkbright and hot and less for outlookthan for magic, and lie in our blanketswhile night knickers around us. Cricketschorus hallelujahs; paws, quietand quick as raindrops, play on the stonesexpertly soft, run past and are gone;fish pulse in the lake; the frogs hoarsen.

Now every voice of the hour—the known, the supposed, the strange,the mindless, the witted, the never seen—sing, thrum, impinge, and rearrangeendlessly; and debarred from sleep we waitfor the birds, importantly silent,for the crease of first eye-licking light,for the sun, lost long ago and sweet.By the lake, locked black away and tight,we lie, day creatures, overhearing night.

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1. Find at least 2 examples of onomatopoeia.

2. Find at least 2 examples of alliteration.

3. Find 1 example of assonance.

4. Find 1 example of consonance.

5. Find 1 example of euphony (sounds that are soothing to the ear). Why do you think the poet incorporated euphony in these lines?

6. The overall mood of the poem is:a. Sereneb. Restlessc. Violentd. Happy

Provide 2 examples from the poem to support this answer.

7. The overall tone/attitude of the speaker is:a. Joyousb. Mournfulc. Perplexedd. Observant

Provide 2 examples from the poem to support this answer.

Lesson 5: Figurative Language (Visual Imagery)

Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,And the river flows like a stream of glass;When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats its wingTill its blood is red on the cruel bars;For he must fly back to his perch and clingWhen he fain would be on the bough a-swing;And a pain still throbs in the old, old scarsAnd they pulse again with a keener sting--I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--When he beats his bars and he would be free;It is not a carol of joy or glee,But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--I know why the caged bird sings!

Writing Assignment -- Your Turn: In what ways are you a caged animal? Write an original poem about your own efforts at self-expression or aspiration, using this metaphor or another one to unify your piece. Try to mimic Dunbar’s form (3 stanzas of 7 lines each), rhyme scheme (ABAABCC), and use of repetition.

Begin your poem: I know why the _____________ ________________Animal Verb

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1. Find 1 example of simile.

2. Find 1 example of personification.

3. Explain how the visual imagery in the 2nd stanza contributes to the mood of the poem. Use a specific example to support your answer.

4. How does the use of repetition strengthen the poem’s meaning?

5. What is the meaning of the title? Use the title to help you uncover the theme or overall message of the poem. Provide an example from the poem to support this theme.

Lesson 6: Metaphor and Extended Metaphor

The Waning Moon by Percy Bysshe Shelley   

And like a dying lady, lean and pale,Who totters forth, wrapped in a gauzy veil,Out of her chamber, led by the insaneAnd feeble wanderings of her fading brain,The moon arose up in the murky east,A white and shapeless mass.

1. Explain the metaphor in the above poem.

Fog by Carl Sandburg

The fog comeson little cat feet.

It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then moves on.

2. Explain the metaphor in the above poem.

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My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother’s countenance Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.

3. What is the central metaphor of the poem?

4. What are some words that contribute to and extend this metaphor throughout the entire poem? (See if you can find at least 1 word from each stanza).

5. How does the form of the poem enhance this metaphor?

6. What is ironic about using this metaphor for the subject matter?

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Lesson 7: Allusion

Barbie Doll by Margie Piercy

This girlchild was born as usualand presented dolls that did pee-peeand miniature GE stoves and ironsand wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:You have a great big nose and fat legs.

She was healthy, tested intelligent,possessed strong arms and back,abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.She went to and fro apologizing.Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.

She was advised to play coy,exhorted to come on hearty,exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.Her good nature wore outlike a fan belt.So she cut off her nose and her legsand offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she laywith the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,a turned-up putty nose,dressed in a pink and white nightie.Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.Consummation at last.To every woman a happy ending.

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1. Explain the allusion in the title. What does it have to do with the rest of the poem?

2. What is the overall tone of the ending of the poem?

a. skepticalb. melancholyc. ironicd. hopeful

Explain your answer.

Lesson 8: Rhyme scheme & types of rhyme

Rhyme occurs when words in a poem share the same sound. For example, scribble and dribble rhyme, but mother and father, despite identical endings, do not.

Common types of rhyme:

Exact (or perfect) rhyme: cat and hatApproximate (or imperfect) rhyme: dirt and earth/ peace and beads

Most rhymes are end rhymes, meaning that the rhyming words occur at the end of the lines. Rhymes that happen within a line of poetry are called internal rhymes.

An example of end rhyme would be:So long as men can breathe and eyes can seeSo long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

An example of internal rhyme would be:Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary

End rhymes often fall into a repeating pattern called a rhyme scheme. A rhyme scheme unifies a poem by creating sound echoes that give the poem a pattern. To determine the rhyme scheme of a poem, assign a new letter of the alphabet to each new end rhyme. Lines that rhyme will have the same letter. For example:

A word is dead AWhen it is said, ASome say. BI say it just CBegins to live DThat day. B

1. Complete the rhyme schemes for the poem below:

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,her hardest hue to hold.Her early leaf's a flower;but only so an hour.Then leaf subsides to leaf.So Eden sank to grief,so dawn goes down to day.Nothing gold can stay.

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2. Identify two examples of internal rhyme in the following poem:

Excerpt from Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free:We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.

3. Complete the rhyme scheme for the poem below. Circle at least 2 examples of approximate rhyme.

A Bird Came Down the Walk by Emily Dickinson

A bird came down the walk: He did not know I saw; He bit an angle-worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew From a convenient grass, And then hopped sidewise to the wall To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes That hurried all abroad,-- They looked like frightened beads, I thought; He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious, I offered him a crumb, And he unrolled his feathers And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean, Too silver for a seam, Or butterflies, off banks of noon, Leap, plashless, as they swim.

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Lesson 9: Rhythm and Meter

rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.

meter: the measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accent rhythm and the number of syllables in a line.

scansion: Describing the rhythms of poetry by dividing the lines into feet, marking the locations of stressed and unstressed syllables, and counting the syllables.

Thus, when we describe the rhythm of a poem, we “scan” the poem and mark the stresses (/) and absences of stress (U) and count the number of feet. A foot has two syllables.

In English, the two most common type of feet are:

Iambic - unstressed stressed U /Trochaic – stressed unstressed / U

Can you scan the following poem excerpts by placing a stressed (/) or unstressed (U) mark beneath each syllable? Then identify whether the poem is iambic or trochaic.

Emily Dickinson Iambic or trochaic?The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry’s cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

From Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”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.'

From Shakespeare’s MacbethDouble, double toil and trouble;     Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

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Lesson 10: The Sonnet

A frequent metrical description is iambic pentameter: a line with 10 syllables in iambic meter, or 5 pairs of syllables following an unstressed-stressed pattern. This is a meter especially familiar because it occurs in all blank verse (such as Shakespeare’s plays) and sonnets.

Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

Know these terms and identify each in the poem above:

1. iambic pentameter:

2. stanza:

3. quatrain:

4. couplet:

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5. Find at least 2 similes used in the sonnet. Why does the poet use these comparisons?

Lesson 11: Theme

A theme is the central message of the poem. In order to discover the theme, one must analyze many elements of the poem: word choice, figurative language, symbols, mood, tone. Read the following poem, and use all 7 steps of the poetry analysis process. Mark up the poem with a highlighter and pen as you complete each step.

Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

1. What two lines are repeated as a refrain? Why?

2. Using the repeated lines in your analysis, write a short paragraph explaining what you think the theme or overall message of the poem is.

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The Road Less Traveled by Robert FrostTwo roads diverged in a yellow woodAnd sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fairAnd having perhaps the better claimBecause it was grassy and wanted wearThough as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden blackOh, I kept the first for another day!Yet, knowing how way leads onto wayI doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages henceTwo roads diverged in a woodAnd I took the one less traveled byAnd that has made all the difference

Writing Extension: In life, most people will come to a metaphorical “fork in the road” at which they must make an important decision that may dramatically change their lives. Write a 5-paragraph essay in which you explain how important decisions can affect the future, for good or for bad. Use at least 3 examples from literature, history, science, politics, pop culture, or your own personal experience. Brainstorm and make an outline before you begin. You may use your outline to write your essay in class, and you will have 45 minutes to write.

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1. In the last stanza, how does the speaker feel about his decision to take “the road less traveled”? Provide at least 1 example to support your opinion.

2. Explain how “the two roads diverged in a wood” could be a metaphor for some other decision in life.

3. What seems to be the theme or overall message of the poem? Explain your response.