Glossary
Closed structure
A poetic form that adheres to a fixed, predetermined pattern of rhyme, meter, and/or stanzas.
Example:
A limerick, with its strict AABBA rhyme scheme and specific rhythm, is a classic example of a closed structure poem.
Form
The specific type or pattern a literary work adheres to, often dictated by its structure, such as a sonnet or free verse.
Example:
The poet chose the form of a villanelle to emphasize the recurring, obsessive nature of the speaker's thoughts.
Free Verse
Poetry that does not use consistent meter, rhyme, or any other traditional poetic pattern, instead relying on natural speech rhythms.
Example:
Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' is a seminal work of free verse, allowing his expansive thoughts to unfold without formal constraints.
Haiku
A traditional Japanese poetic form consisting of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, often focusing on nature.
Example:
The brief, evocative imagery of a haiku like 'Old pond, still as glass / A frog leaps, breaks the silence / Ripples spread and fade' captures a fleeting moment.
Meter
The rhythmic pattern of a poetic line, determined by the number and type of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Example:
The steady beat of iambic pentameter, a common meter in English poetry, often mimics the natural rhythm of human speech.
Open structure
A poetic form that does not follow a set pattern of rhyme, meter, or stanza length, allowing for greater flexibility and freedom.
Example:
Many contemporary poets prefer an open structure to allow their thoughts to flow more naturally, unconstrained by traditional poetic rules.
Prose Poetry
Poetry written in paragraphs rather than traditional lines and stanzas, blurring the distinction between prose and poetry while retaining poetic qualities like imagery and rhythm.
Example:
A short piece describing a dream in vivid, sensory detail, written without line breaks, could be considered a compelling example of prose poetry.
Rhyme scheme
The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song, usually represented by letters (e.g., ABAB, AABB).
Example:
Identifying the rhyme scheme of a poem helps to understand its musicality and how the poet connects ideas across lines.
Rhymed Couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and often have the same meter, frequently used to provide a sense of closure or emphasis.
Example:
At the end of a scene, a character might deliver a witty rhymed couplet to signal a dramatic exit and leave the audience with a memorable thought.
Sonnet
A 14-line lyric 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 that explores the enduring nature of love and beauty.
Stanza
A group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse paragraph.
Example:
Each four-line stanza in the ballad tells a new part of the story, building suspense with every verse.
Structure
The overall organization or arrangement of elements within a literary work, particularly how a poem's lines, stanzas, and formal patterns are put together.
Example:
The intricate structure of a Shakespearean play, with its five acts and distinct scenes, helps to build dramatic tension and character development.