Literary/ Poetic Devices

1. Literary/ Poetic Devices

2. Allusion A reference to a well-known person, event, or place - From history, literature, the bible, mythology, pop-culture The White House Secret Service Code: Olympus WHY?

3. Tone A writer or speaker’s attitude toward a subject

4. Imagery A verbal expression of sensory experience; descriptive or figurative language that appeals to the reader’s five senses

5. Diction The writer’s choice of words that helps to convey voice and tone (formal/informal)

6. Syntax • The manner in which words, phrases, clauses, and sentences are arranged to create meaning

7. I wanna go tanning, because the babes love it. I wanna go tanning, because I’m fresh-to-death. I wanna go tanning. Anaphora The repetition of same words (or group of words) at the beginning of 2 or more lines

8. Voice • The unique writing style of an author/speaker (a combination of punctuation, diction, syntax)

9. Connotation The feeling a word carries beyond its dictionary definition

10. ThemeA writer’s central idea or main message about life Example Universal Themes/Ideas Experience vs. Youth The coexistence of good and evil Coming of Age/ Loss of Innocence The fall from grace and/or fortune

11. Symbol Anything that represents itself and also stands for something else, figuratively

12. “New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of…” Jay Z & Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind” Metaphor A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another

13. Extended Metaphor A metaphor extended over several lines

14. Hyperbole (Exaggeration) An exaggeration used to suggest strong emotion or create comic effect

15. Personification A figure of speech that gives human qualities to an animal, object, or idea Luck let a gentleman seeJust how nice a dame you can beI know the way you’ve treated other guys you’ve been withLuck be a lady with me Frank Sinatra, “Luck Be a Lady”

16. Simile A comparison of two or more unlike things using the words like or as “Just like dust we settle in this town.” Kasey Musgrave, “Merry-Go-Round”

17. Words whose sounds suggest their meaning

18. We let the world know we were here with everything we did. We laid a lot of memories down. Like tattoos on this town. Jason Aldean, “Tattoos on this Town” Repetition of initialconsonant sounds in words that are close together Alliteration

19. Rhyme The repetition of sounds at the end of lines of poetry

20. Rhyme SchemeA consistent pattern of rhyme throughout a poem Mr. Brown, the circus clown (A)puts his clothes on upside down. (A)He wears his hat upon his toes (B)and socks and shoes upon his nose. (B)

21. Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds with different consonant sounds “Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among the oldest of living things. So old it is that no man knows how and why the first poems came.” ~Carl Sandburg “Old Moon” Notice of the repetition of the long ‘o’ sound creates an almost mysterious feel to the poem. It slows down the pace and suggests to the reader the somber nature of “old.”

22. Consonance The repetition of final consonant sounds And it took so long just to feel alright, Remember how to put back the light in my eyes, I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed, ‘Cause you broke all your promises.

23. Rhythm • The metric beat or pattern of sounds in a poem.

24. Meter: A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry. My trunk is far too powerful, no sooner do I sneeze than windows crack and shatter from the impact of the breeze. Jack Prelutsky, “It’s Hard to Be an Elephant”

25. Iambic Pentameter • A metric pattern used in poetry with 10 syllables per line • Clap the syllables for the following line: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

26. Stanza Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village, though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound's the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost • A group of lines in a poem usually set off by a blank space • Often used to group ideas

27. Quatrain Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village, though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound's the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost • A stanza of four lines

28. Couplet Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village, though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound's the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost • Two consecutive lines that rhyme and have the same meter

29. Refrain “Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore.’” A regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song, usually at the end of a stanza

30. Free Verse Kidnap Poem Ever been kidnapped by a poet if i were a poet i'd kidnap you put you in my phrases and meterYou to jones beach or maybe coney island or maybe just to my house lyric you in lilacs dash you in the rain blend into the beach to complement my seePlay the lyre for you ode you with my love song anything to win you wrap you in the red Black green show you off to mama yeah if i were a poet i'd kid nap you Nikki Giovanni • A type of poetry with no consistent pattern of rhythm, rhyme, meter, and/or sound devices

31. Narrative Poetry • A form of poetry that tells a story

32. Lyric Poetry • Poems that typically express personal feelings and are generally spoken in the present tense

33. (Shakespearean) Sonnet • Generally deals with the passage of time, love, beauty, and mortality • Has the following structure: 3 Quatrains 1 Couplet Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

34. Ode • A type of lyrical poetry that is used to pay homage to someone or something

35. Words that appear to contradict one another

36. A literary device that exploits readers’ expectations; irony occurs when what is expected turns out to be quite different from what actually happens.

37. “And that was how he came to look after the doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia by their neighbors to avoid war and blood-shed. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna.” Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart Dramatic Irony A form of Irony in which the reader or audience knows more about the circumstances or future events in a story than the characters within it.

38. Verbal Irony E.A.P, “The Cask of Amontillado” Montressor “Drink,” I said, presenting him the wine. Fortunato “I drink,” he said, “to the buried that repose around us.” Montressor “And I to your long life.” Occurs when a speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite

39. Situational Irony Occurs when an event contradicts the expectations of the characters or the reader. Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart “As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow. The pot fell and broke in the sand. He heard Ikemefuna cry, “My father, they have killed me!” as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. “