Poetry Study Guide
Poetry--a type of writing that "says more in less space" than prose
Key elements in poems:
*word choice
*line breaks
*rhythm
*style or form
*figurative language
*sound devices
Poetic License--you can break the rules as long as you have a good reason
Literal--the usual or actual meaning
Figurative--the meaning that is implied; not the actual meaning
So, if Fred said he was so hungry he could eat a cow, FIGURATIVELY, we know he was really hungry. LITERALLY, he would be in for a long night (and he better hope it was a tiny cow).
Sound Devices--the use of a sound or musical quality to achieve a certain effect
1. Alliteration--repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words somewhat close together
2. Assonance--repetition of vowel sounds in the middle of words somewhat close together
3. Consonance--repetition of consonant sound in the middle of words (somewhat close together)
4. Onomatopoeia--words that sound like the sounds they are describing
5. Rhyme--words that have the same end sound
6. Refrain--a word, phrase, or line repeated in a poem for a reason (not just accidentally)
Figurative Language--the opposite of literal, using one thing to describe another
1. Simile--comparing two things using like or as
2. Metaphor--comparing two things directly without using like or as
3. Personification--giving human characteristics to a non-human thing
4. Hyperbole--exaggeration for effect
5. Symbol--something that stands for itself and something more too
Line Breaks--how you decide to divide up your poem; IMPORTANT!
Stanza--a paragraph in a poem