Our+Glossary+of+Useful+Poetic+Terms

Anapest to Zeugma!


 * alliteration** - two or more words in a row that how the same first letter.

(New Oxford American Dictionary) //see also Ambivalent//
 * ambiguous  - //adjective // **- something that has double meaning, and can be interpreted in more than one way


 * ambivalent** - Anyone want to tackle this one? Julia? In particular, it is useful to see how this is illustrated by ambiguity.


 * analogy** - something that compares two things through their similarities


 * assonance** - when two words on the same line of a poem have the same vowel sound, "Birds can fl __y__ up high in the sk __y__ "


 * caesura** - (the space in the middle of a line -- like in //Beowulf//) What is it for?


 * confessional poem** - How is "Skunk Hour" a confessional poem? (when the author describes their personal thoughts and feelings to create a metaphor to the real world) "Skunk Hour" is one because Lowell talks about personal experiences


 * connotation** - a double meaning in a word/phrase: it has its literal meaning but suggests other emotions etc. -- what the word implies


 * consonance** - The repetition of consonants at the end of stressed syllables without the similarity of vowels, such as think and clank.


 * denotation** - the literal meaning of a word


 * elegy** - a poem for someone lost


 * metaphor** - a word or phrase that says one thing, but means another; for instance, grendel is a metaphor for mankind's imperfections and dark sides


 * paradox** - a statement that contradicts itself


 * rhyme** - How about in the context of "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"?


 * rhythm** - How about in the context of "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"?


 * symbol** - An object that has a different meaning than the literal one.


 * tone** - A feeling a poem gives the reader (sadness, happiness).

Feel free to contribute useful terms to our glossary by citing examples or describing the term //in your own words//. The list you compile will be the terms I test you on.