Poetry Terminology

AS English Literature: Poetry Terminology

Language

Imagery: descriptive lanaguage used to evoke a particular idea/feeling.

Sensory Imagery: descriptive language which appeals to one or more of the five senses. (eg. warm sand, the earthy scent of the forest)

 Personal pronouns: I, he, she, you, it, they, etc.

 Reflexive pronouns: himself, herself, myself, etc.

Antithesis: combining two contrasting ideas in a sentence (eg. 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.')

Persona: the voice in the poem

Ambiguity: imagery which is open to interpretation, seems to deliberately have multiple meanings

Figurative Language:

Oxymoron: two seemingly contradictory words appearing side by side. (eg. lead balloon, sad smile)

Metaphor: a figure of speech with an implied comparison - describes one thing as another (eg. the sea was a raging monster that night)

Simile: using as or like to describe something (eg. as quiet as a mouse)

Personification: applying human characteristics to things which are not human (eg. the wind howled)

Synecdoche: using a small part of something to represent it as a whole, eg. 'all hands on deck' - 'hands' refers to sailors; or a whole can represent a smaller aspect, eg. 'the police' to refer to a few police officers.

Pathetic Fallacy: human emotions reflected in natural events, such as weather - eg. a dark night corresponding…