Glossary
Allusion
An indirect or direct reference to a well-known person, event, place, literary work, or historical period.
Example:
Calling someone a "Scrooge" is an allusion to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, implying they are miserly.
Closed Structures
Poetic forms that adhere to predictable and consistent patterns of rhyme, meter, and line count.
Example:
A closed structure like a sonnet often conveys a sense of order or traditional beauty through its strict rules.
Extended Metaphor
A metaphor that is developed and sustained over several lines, stanzas, or even an entire poem, building on the initial comparison.
Example:
In Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death," Death is an extended metaphor for a courteous suitor taking the speaker on a carriage ride.
Figurative Language
Language that uses figures of speech to go beyond the literal meaning of words, creating vivid images and deeper meanings.
Example:
Poets often employ figurative language like metaphors and personification to add richness and complexity to their work.
Free verse
Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter, allowing the poet to follow natural speech rhythms.
Example:
Many contemporary poems are written in free verse, giving the poet freedom to express ideas without formal constraints.
Haiku
A Japanese poetic form consisting of three lines with a 5, 7, 5 syllable count, often focusing on nature.
Example:
The brief, evocative lines of a haiku can capture a fleeting moment, like "An old silent pond... / A frog jumps into the pond— / Splash! Silence again."
Hyperbole
Exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant to be taken literally.
Example:
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" is a common hyperbole to express extreme hunger.
Imagery
Language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch), creating a mental picture or sensory experience for the reader.
Example:
The poem's description of "the scent of pine needles and damp earth" uses strong imagery to evoke a forest setting.
Limerick
A five-line humorous poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme and a distinct rhythm.
Example:
The silly rhyme and rhythm of a limerick often make it memorable, such as "There once was a man from Nantucket..."
Metaphor
A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as," stating that one thing *is* another.
Example:
"The classroom was a zoo" is a metaphor comparing the chaotic environment to a wild animal enclosure.
Open Structures
Poetic forms that lack a consistent pattern of rhyme, meter, or stanza length, allowing for greater flexibility and freedom.
Example:
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a prime example of an open structure, flowing freely without traditional constraints.
Personification
Attributing human qualities, characteristics, or actions to non-human things, animals, or abstract ideas.
Example:
In the poem, the "moon peeked shyly from behind the clouds," an example of personification.
Sonnet
A 14-line poem, typically written in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme (e.g., Shakespearean or Petrarchan).
Example:
Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is a famous sonnet exploring love and immortality.
Structure (in poetry)
The overall framework or organization of a poem, including its form, stanza arrangement, and rhythmic patterns.
Example:
The consistent four-line stanzas and regular rhyme scheme of a ballad demonstrate its clear poetic structure.
Understatement
Representing something as less significant or important than it actually is, often for ironic or humorous effect.
Example:
After winning the lottery, saying "I guess that's not too bad" would be a classic understatement.
Villanelle
A 19-line poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain, with two rhymes and two refrains.
Example:
Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night" is a powerful villanelle that repeats key lines for emphasis.