what is haiku? > A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven and five syllables. Haiku often reflect on some aspect of nature (plural: Haiku, from archaic Japanese Haikai): A poetic form derived from Japanese literature. The haiku traditionally consists of three lines. The first line contains five syllables, the second line contains seven, and the last line five. The traditional subject-matter is a description of a location, natural phenomona, or wildlife, which is described in a poetic manner without authorial commentary or moral judgment explicitly stated. More information will be forthcoming. guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/wheeler/lit_terms_H.html A haiku is a Japanese poem having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Traditionally it concerns nature, the seasons, or an aspect of the natural world. community.middlebury.edu/~asantolu/glossary.htm Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that does not rhyme. Haiku poetry always has three lines of verse, with strict rules on the numbers of syllables for each line. The first line has five, the second line has seven, and the last line has five syllables.

164.109.43.23/GEP/documents/oth/teamlyc/glossary.htm – A 17 syllable form of Japanese poetry that consists of three unrhymed lines of five, seven and five syllables Is an unrhymed Japanses poem recording the essence of a moment keenly percieved, where nature is linked to human nature. There poems are usually written in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Example 1:page 730 Japanese haiku by Matsuo Basho Silent and still: then Even sinking into the rocks, The cicada's screech. Example 2: page 731 (not always consistant with the traditional subject matter.) Widow's Lament by: Richard Brautigan It's not quite cold enough to go borrow soome firewood from the neighbors Example 3: page 731 Hokku Poems by: Richard Wright I am nobody A red sinking autumn sun Took my name away Make up your mind snail! You are half inside your house And halfway out!

In the fallling snow A laughing boy holds out him paalms Until they are white Keep straight down this block Then turn right where you will find A peach tree blooming Wiith a twitching nose A d og reads a telegram On a wet tree trunk The spring lingers oon In the scent of a damp dog Rotting in the sun An unrhymed Japanese poem consisting of three lines with five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. Kabuki: (pg. 241) Japanese plays in which all the parts are played by men. Origins were in performances of wandering ballad singers and dancers, who acted out stories by dancing and gesturing. A rich blend of music, dance and mime and involved spectacular staging and costumes. Play's subjects ranged from adventures of brave samurai to tales of romance. Still popular today. Kami: Name given to divine spirits. Noh drama: (pg. 236) Developed from both Shinto and Buddhist forms of worship. A masked dancer, supported by minor players and a chorus, presents a slow dance-drama. Actors wear lavish costumes, but the stage is bare. Script is poetic, and the plot is simple.

Glossary of Poetry Terms for Writing & Reading Poems The shorter final stanza of a poem, as in a ballade. epic A long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure. Two of the most famous epic poems are the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, which tell about the Trojan War and the adventures of Odysseus on his voyage home after the war. epigram A very short, witty poem: “Sir, I admit your general rule,/That every poet is a fool,/But you yourself may serve to show it,/That every fool is not a poet.” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) epithalamium (or epithalamion) A poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. feminine rhyme A rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable: pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning. figure of speech A verbal expression in which words or sounds are arranged in a particular way to achieve a particular effect. Figures of speech are organized into different categories, such as alliteration, assonance, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, simile, and synecdoche.

foot Two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem. For example, an iamb is a foot that has two syllables, one unstressed followed by one stressed. An anapest has three syllables, two unstressed followed by one stressed. free verse (also vers libre) Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter. haiku A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku often reflect on some aspect of nature. heptameter A line of poetry that has seven metrical feet. heroic couplet A stanza composed of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter. hexameter A line of poetry that has six metrical feet. hyperbole A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis. Many everyday expressions are examples of hyperbole: tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears, etc. Hyperbole is the opposite of litotes. iamb A metrical foot of two syllables, one short (or unstressed) and one long (or stressed).

There are four iambs in the line “Come live/ with me/ and be/ my love,” from a poem by Christopher Marlowe. (The stressed syllables are in bold.) The iamb is the reverse of the trochee. iambic pentameter A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line. (The prefix penta- means “five,” as in pentagon, a geometrical figure with five sides. Meter refers to rhythmic units. In a line of iambic pentameter, there are five rhythmic units that are iambs.) Shakespeare's plays were written mostly in iambic pentameter, which is the most common type of meter in English poetry. An example of an iambic pentameter line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is “But soft!/ What light/ through yon/der win/dow breaks?” Another, from Richard III, is “A horse!/ A horse!/ My king/dom for/ a horse!” (The stressed syllables are in bold.) idyll, or idyl Either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds or extraordinary events set in the distant past.

Idylls of the King, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. lay A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels called trouvères. The Lais of Marie de France are lays. limerick A light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba. litotes A figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite. Some examples of litotes: no small victory, not a bad idea, not unhappy. Litotes is the opposite of hyperbole. lyric A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style. masculine rhyme A rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve. metaphor A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected.

Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles. meter The arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented (or stressed) syllables. metonymy A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. For example, in the expression The pen is mightier than the sword, the word pen is used for “the written word,” and sword is used for “military power.” narrative Telling a story. Ballads, epics, and lays are different kinds of narrative poems. ode A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure. John Keats's “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is a famous example of this type of poem. onomatopoeia A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of onomatopoeic words are buzz, hiss, zing, clippety-clop, and tick-tock.

Keats's “Ode to a Nightingale” not only uses onomatopoeia, but calls our attention to it: “Forlorn! The very word is like a bell/To toll me back from thee to my sole self!” Another example of onomatopoeia is found in this line from Tennyson's Come Down, O Maid: “The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable bees.” The repeated “m/n” sounds reinforce the idea of “murmuring” by imitating the hum of insects on a warm summer day. ottava rima A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in 8-line “octaves” with the rhyme scheme abababcc. pastoral A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way. pentameter A line of poetry that has five metrical feet. personification A figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes: dead leaves dance in the wind, blind justice. poetry A type of literature that is written in meter. quatrain A stanza or poem of four lines.

refrain A line or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza. rhyme The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. When the rhyme occurs in a final stressed syllable, it is said to be masculine: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve. When the rhyme occurs in a final unstressed syllable, it is said to be feminine: longing/yearning. The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different letter for each final sound. In a poem with an aabba rhyme scheme, the first, second, and fifth lines end in one sound, and the third and fourth lines end in another. rhyme royal A type of poetry consisting of stanzas of seven lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ababbcc. Rhyme royal was an innovation introduced by Geoffrey Chaucer. romanticism The principles and ideals of the Romantic movement in literature and the arts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Romanticism, which was a reaction to the classicism of the early 18th century, favored feeling over reason and placed great emphasis on the subjective, or personal, experience of the individual. Nature was also a major theme. The great English Romantic poets include Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. scansion The analysis of a poem's meter. This is usually done by marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in each line and then, based on the pattern of the stresses, dividing the line into feet. senryu A short Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in structure but treats human beings rather than nature, often in a humorous or satiric way. simile A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word “like” or “as.” An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem “Harlem”: “What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?” sonnet A lyric poem that is 14 lines long.

Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into two quatrains and a six-line “sestet,” with the rhyme scheme abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd). English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are composed of three quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. English sonnets are written generally in iambic pentameter. spondee A metrical foot of two syllables, both of which are long (or stressed). stanza Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme. stress The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables. Stressed syllables usually stand out because they have long, rather than short, vowels, or because they have a different pitch or are louder than other syllables. synecdoche A figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part. For example, the phrase “all hands on deck” means “all men on deck,” not just their hands.

The reverse situation, in which the whole is used for a part, occurs in the sentence “The U.S. beat Russia in the final game,” where the U.S. and Russia stand for “the U.S. team” and “the Russian team,” respectively. tanka A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven. terza rima A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in three-line “tercets” with the rhyme scheme aba bcb cdc, etc. The poet Dante is credited with inventing terza rima, which he used in his Divine Comedy. Terza rima was borrowed into English by Chaucer, and it has been used by many English poets, including Milton, Shelley, and Auden. tetrameter A line of poetry that has four metrical feet. trochee A metrical foot of two syllables, one long (or stressed) and one short (or unstressed).

An easy way to remember the trochee is to memorize the first line of a lighthearted poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which demonstrates the use of various kinds of metrical feet: “Trochee/ trips from/ long to/ short.” (The stressed syllables are in bold.) The trochee is the reverse of the iamb. trope A figure of speech, such as metaphor or metonymy, in which words are not used in their literal (or actual) sense but in a figurative (or imaginative) sense. verse More Than Rhyme: Poetry Fundamentals | Western Reserve Public Media (Line 2) Three or four adjectives that describe the person (Line 3) Important relationship (daughter of ..., mother of ..., etc.) (Line 4) Two or three things, people or ideas that the person loved (Line 5) Three feelings the person experienced (Line 6) Three fears the person experienced (Line 7) Accomplishments (who composed ...

, who discovered ..., etc.) (Line 8) Two or three things the person wanted to see happen or wanted to experience (Line 9) His or her residence (Line 10) Last name cinquain: A group of five; a short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight and two syllables; any stanza of five lines. diamante poems: Diamante poems are also known as diamond poems, as they are comprised of seven lines and take the shape of a diamond. Each line in a diamante poem serves a specific purpose. The first line is a one-word noun or subject, the second consists of two adjectives, the third consists of three verbs, the fourth contains four nouns, the fifth contains three verbs, the sixth contains two adjectives and the seventh uses a word that contrasts with the word in the first line, thus creating a parallel structure. lament poems: A lament poem is a literary piece that bemoans or bewails about an event that has occurred. This type of poem is filled with deep emotion and regret over the loss of something or someone that is dear to the poet’s heart.

In the old days, laments were performed or recited by women. limerick: A five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. If a couplet is a two-line rhymed poem, then a triplet would be a three-line rhymed poem. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a with lines 1, 2 and 5 containing three beats and rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 having two beats and rhyming. Limericks are meant to be funny. They often contain hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns and other figurative devices. The last line of a good limerick contains the punch line, or “heart,” of the joke. haiku: A verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing five, seven and five syllables respectively; also a poem written in this form. quinzaine poem: A poem where the first line has seven syllables. The second line has five syllables but is the beginning of a question. The third line has three syllables and is the end of the question. septet poem: A septet is a poem consisting of seven lines, and of any form or meter.

sonnet: A distinctive poetic style that uses resources that are used by poets to convey and reinforce the meaning or experience of poetry through the skillful use of sound system or pattern of metrical structure and verse composition, usually consisting of 14 lines arranged in a set rhythm scheme or pattern. Usually written in iambic pentameter, it consists first of an octave, or eight lines, which asks a question or states a problem or proposition and follows the rhyme scheme a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a. The last six lines offer an answer and follow the rhyme scheme c-d-e-c-d-e. Glossary of Poetry Terms Glossary of Poetry Terms accent The prominence or emphasis given to a syllable or word. In the word poetry, the accent (or stress) falls on the first syllable. alexandrine A line of poetry that has 12 syllables. The name probably comes from a medieval romance about Alexander the Great that was written in 12-syllable lines.

alliteration The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words: “What would the world be, once bereft/Of wet and wildness?” (Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Inversnaid”) anapest A metrical foot of three syllables, two short (or unstressed) followed by one long (or stressed), as in seventeen and to the moon. The anapest is the reverse of the dactyl. antithesis A figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other. An example of antithesis is “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” (Alexander Pope) apostrophe Words that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea. The poem God's World by Edna St.

Vincent Millay begins with an apostrophe: “O World, I cannot hold thee close enough!/Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!/Thy mists that roll and rise!” assonance The repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel sounds: “Thou still unravished bride of quietness,/Thou foster child of silence and slow time” (“Ode to a Grecian Urn,” John Keats). ballad A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is an example of a ballad. ballade A type of poem, usually with three stanzas of seven, eight, or ten lines and a shorter final stanza (or envoy) of four or five lines. All stanzas end with the same one-line refrain. blank verse Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse. caesura A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.

There is a caesura right after the question mark in the first line of this sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” canzone A medieval Italian lyric poem, with five or six stanzas and a shorter concluding stanza (or envoy). The poets Petrarch and Dante Alighieri were masters of the canzone. carpe diem A Latin expression that means “seize the day.” Carpe diem poems urge the reader (or the person to whom they are addressed) to live for today and enjoy the pleasures of the moment. A famous carpe diem poem by Robert Herrick begins “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…” chanson de geste An epic poem of the 11th to the 14th century, written in Old French, which details the exploits of a historical or legendary figure, especially Charlemagne. classicism The principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature. Examples of classicism in poetry can be found in the works of John Dryden and Alexander Pope, which are characterized by their formality, simplicity, and emotional restraint.

conceit A fanciful poetic image or metaphor that likens one thing to something else that is seemingly very different. An example of a conceit can be found in Shakespeare's sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” and in Emily Dickinson's poem “There is no frigate like a book.” consonance The repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words, as in lost and past or confess and dismiss. couplet In a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought. Shakespearean sonnets usually end in a couplet. dactyl A metrical foot of three syllables, one long (or stressed) followed by two short (or unstressed), as in happily. The dactyl is the reverse of the anapest. elegy A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful. An example of this type of poem is Thomas Gray's “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” enjambment The continuation of a complete idea (a sentence or clause) from one line or couplet of a poem to the next line or couplet without a pause.

An example of enjambment can be found in the first line of Joyce Kilmer's poem Trees: “I think that I shall never see/A poem as lovely as a tree.” Enjambment comes from the French word for “to straddle.” envoy The shorter final stanza of a poem, as in a ballade. epic A long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure. Two of the most famous epic poems are the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, which tell about the Trojan War and the adventures of Odysseus on his voyage home after the war. epigram A very short, witty poem: “Sir, I admit your general rule,/That every poet is a fool,/But you yourself may serve to show it,/That every fool is not a poet.” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) epithalamium (or epithalamion) A poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. feminine rhyme A rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable: pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning. figure of speech A verbal expression in which words or sounds are arranged in a particular way to achieve a particular effect.

Figures of speech are organized into different categories, such as alliteration, assonance, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, simile, and synecdoche. foot Two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem. For example, an iamb is a foot that has two syllables, one unstressed followed by one stressed. An anapest has three syllables, two unstressed followed by one stressed. free verse (also vers libre) Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter. haiku A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku often reflect on some aspect of nature. heptameter A line of poetry that has seven metrical feet. heroic couplet A stanza composed of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter. hexameter A line of poetry that has six metrical feet. hyperbole A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis. Many everyday expressions are examples of hyperbole: tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears, etc. Hyperbole is the opposite of litotes.

iamb A metrical foot of two syllables, one short (or unstressed) and one long (or stressed). There are four iambs in the line “Come live/ with me/ and be/ my love,” from a poem by Christopher Marlowe. (The stressed syllables are in bold.) The iamb is the reverse of the trochee. iambic pentameter A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line. (The prefix penta- means “five,” as in pentagon, a geometrical figure with five sides. Meter refers to rhythmic units. In a line of iambic pentameter, there are five rhythmic units that are iambs.) Shakespeare's plays were written mostly in iambic pentameter, which is the most common type of meter in English poetry.

An example of an iambic pentameter line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is “But soft!/ What light/ through yon/der win/dow breaks?” Another, from Richard III, is “A horse!/ A horse!/ My king/dom for/ a horse!” (The stressed syllables are in bold.) idyll, or idyl Either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds or extraordinary events set in the distant past. Idylls of the King, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. lay A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels called trouvères. The Lais of Marie de France are lays. limerick A light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba. litotes A figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite. Some examples of litotes: no small victory, not a bad idea, not unhappy. Litotes is the opposite of hyperbole. lyric A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet.

A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style. masculine rhyme A rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve. metaphor A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected. Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles. meter The arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented (or stressed) syllables. metonymy A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. For example, in the expression The pen is mightier than the sword, the word pen is used for “the written word,” and sword is used for “military power.” narrative Telling a story. Ballads, epics, and lays are different kinds of narrative poems. ode A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure.

John Keats's “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is a famous example of this type of poem. onomatopoeia A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of onomatopoeic words are buzz, hiss, zing, clippety-clop, and tick-tock. Keats's “Ode to a Nightingale” not only uses onomatopoeia, but calls our attention to it: “Forlorn! The very word is like a bell/To toll me back from thee to my sole self!” Another example of onomatopoeia is found in this line from Tennyson's Come Down, O Maid: “The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable bees.” The repeated “m/n” sounds reinforce the idea of “murmuring” by imitating the hum of insects on a warm summer day. ottava rima A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in 8-line “octaves” with the rhyme scheme abababcc. pastoral A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way.

pentameter A line of poetry that has five metrical feet. personification A figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes: dead leaves dance in the wind, blind justice. poetry A type of literature that is written in meter. quatrain A stanza or poem of four lines. refrain A line or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza. rhyme The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. When the rhyme occurs in a final stressed syllable, it is said to be masculine: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve. When the rhyme occurs in a final unstressed syllable, it is said to be feminine: longing/yearning. The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different letter for each final sound. In a poem with an aabba rhyme scheme, the first, second, and fifth lines end in one sound, and the third and fourth lines end in another. rhyme royal A type of poetry consisting of stanzas of seven lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ababbcc. Rhyme royal was an innovation introduced by Geoffrey Chaucer.

romanticism The principles and ideals of the Romantic movement in literature and the arts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romanticism, which was a reaction to the classicism of the early 18th century, favored feeling over reason and placed great emphasis on the subjective, or personal, experience of the individual. Nature was also a major theme. The great English Romantic poets include Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. scansion The analysis of a poem's meter. This is usually done by marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in each line and then, based on the pattern of the stresses, dividing the line into feet. senryu A short Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in structure but treats human beings rather than nature, often in a humorous or satiric way. simile A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word “like” or “as.” An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem “Harlem”: “What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?” sonnet A lyric poem that is 14 lines long.

Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into two quatrains and a six-line “sestet,” with the rhyme scheme abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd). English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are composed of three quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. English sonnets are written generally in iambic pentameter. spondee A metrical foot of two syllables, both of which are long (or stressed). stanza Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme. stress The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables. Stressed syllables usually stand out because they have long, rather than short, vowels, or because they have a different pitch or are louder than other syllables. synecdoche A figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part. For example, the phrase “all hands on deck” means “all men on deck,” not just their hands.

The reverse situation, in which the whole is used for a part, occurs in the sentence “The U.S. beat Russia in the final game,” where the U.S. and Russia stand for “the U.S. team” and “the Russian team,” respectively. tanka A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven. terza rima A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in three-line “tercets” with the rhyme scheme aba bcb cdc, etc. The poet Dante is credited with inventing terza rima, which he used in his Divine Comedy. Terza rima was borrowed into English by Chaucer, and it has been used by many English poets, including Milton, Shelley, and Auden. tetrameter A line of poetry that has four metrical feet. trochee A metrical foot of two syllables, one long (or stressed) and one short (or unstressed).

An easy way to remember the trochee is to memorize the first line of a lighthearted poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which demonstrates the use of various kinds of metrical feet: “Trochee/ trips from/ long to/ short.” (The stressed syllables are in bold.) The trochee is the reverse of the iamb. trope A figure of speech, such as metaphor or metonymy, in which words are not used in their literal (or actual) sense but in a figurative (or imaginative) sense. verse Shadow Poetry - Poetry Handbook - S Poetry Handbook Sapphic Verse After the odes of the Greek lyric poet, Sappho, a verse of eleven syllables in five feet, of which the first, fourth and fifth are trochees, the second a spondee, and the third a dactyl. The Sapphic strophe consists of three Sapphic verses followed by an Adonic. Scan To mark off lines of poetry into rhythmic units, or feet, to provide a visual representation of their metrical structure. Scansion The analysis of verse into metrical patterns.

Senryu Senryu (also called human haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Senryu is usually written in the present tense and only references to some aspect of human nature or emotions. They possess no references to the natural world and thus stand out from nature/seasonal haiku. See example . Septenarius A Latin verse used only in comedy and consisting of seven feet. A stanza of seven lines definition can go in this space along with some br tags and stuff. Serenade Music sung (a lover's song) or performed in the open air at nights. Serpentine Verses Verses ending with the same word with which they begin. Sestet A poem or stanza containing six lines. Sestina The sestina is a strict ordered form of poetry, dating back to twelfth century French troubadours. It consists of six six-line (sestets) stanzas followed by a three-line envoy.

Rather than use a rhyme scheme, the six ending words of the first stanza are repeated as the ending words of the other five stanzas in a set pattern. The envoy uses two of the ending words per line, again in a set pattern. See example . First stanza,1- 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 Second stanza, 6 - 1 - 5 - 2 - 4 - 3 Third stanza, 3 - 6 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 5 Fourth stanza, 5 - 3 - 2 - 6 - 1 - 4 Fifth stanza, 4 - 5 - 1 - 3 - 6 - 2 Sixth stanza, 2 - 4 - 6 - 5 - 3 - 1 Concluding tercet: middle of first line - 2, end of first line - 5 middle of second line - 4, end of second line - 3 middle if third line - 6, end of third line - 1 Sight Rhyme A rhyme consisting of words with similar spellings but different sounds.

Also called eye rhyme Sijo A short Korean poetry form consisting of three lines, each line having a total of 14-16 syllables in four groups ranging from 2 to 7 (but usually 3 or 4) syllables, with a natural pause at the end of the second group and a major pause after the fourth group. The third line often introduces a resolution, a touch of humor, or a turn of thought. Nature is often the subject matter of these poems like traditional haiku. Simile A comparison between two unlike things using like or as, etc. such as "Your eyes are like sparkling diamonds". Skeltonics Named for their creater, John Skelton, short verses of irregular meter with two or three stresses, sometimes in falling and sometimes in rising rhythm, and usually with rhymed couplets. Soliloquy A dramatic or literary form of discourse of a person speaking to himself without addressing a listener. Song A Song is an expression of a poet's personal emotions, meant to be sung. Lyrics in a song contain verses (lines that make up a song; sung poem) and a chorus (a repeating verse in a song (refrain).

Sonnet A Sonnet is a poem consisting of 14 lines (iambic pentameter) with a particular rhyming scheme: abab cdcd efef gg, abba cddc effe gg, or abba abba cdcd cd. English ("Shakespearean") sonnets have 10 syllable lines, Italian ("Petrarchan") sonnets have 11 syllable lines, and French sonnets have 12 syllable lines. See example . Sonneteer A composer of sonnets or an inferior poet. Spenserian Stanza A stanza consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter and a final alexandrine, rhymed ababbcbcc, first used by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene. Spondee, Spondaic A metrical foot consisting of two long or stressed syllables. Stanza, Stanzaic One of the divisions of a poem, composed of two or more lines of verse usually characterized by a common pattern of meter, rhyme, or number of lines.

Stanza Forms Names describing the number of lines is an stanzaic unit, (2) couplet, (3) tercet, (4) quatrain, (5) quintet (6) sestet, (7) septet, (8) octave Stave A set of verses; a stanza; a portion of a poem. Stich A line or verse of poetry. Stress Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on a word or syllables within a line of poetry. Strophe The first of a pair of stanzas of alternating form on which the structure of a given poem is based. Style The poet's individual creative process, through figurative language, sounds, and rhythmic patterns. Syllabic Verse A type of verse distinguished by the syllable count. Syllable A unit of spoken language consisting of a single impulse of the voice formed by a vowel, diphthong, or syllabic consonant alone. Symbol An image or icon that represents something else by association. Symbolism A common writing practice of representing things by means of symbols or symbolic meaning. Synaeresis or Syneresis The drawing together into one syllable of two consecutive vowels or syllables.

Synaloepha or Synalepha Blending of a vowel at the end of one word is coalesced with one beginning the next word, especially to fit a poetic meter; for example, th'eight men instead of the eight men. Syncope The shortening of a word by omission of a sound, letter, or syllable from the middle of the word; for example, ne'er for never. Synonym A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Syntax Poetry Terms Glossary (Reference) - TeacherVision Poetry Terms Glossary Poetry Terms Glossary This glossary of poetry terms – from Accent to Versification – will help your students better understand study and creation of of poetry. Grades: A-B | C-D | E-I | J-M | N-R | S-V Accent The prominence or emphasis given to a syllable or word. In the word poetry, the accent (or stress) falls on the first syllable. Alexandrine A line of poetry that has 12 syllables. The name probably comes from a medieval romance about Alexander the Great that was written in 12-syllable lines. Alliteration The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words.

Some famous examples of alliteration are tongue twisters such as She sells seashells by the seashore and Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Anapest A metrical foot of three syllables, two short (or unstressed) followed by one long (or stressed), as in seventeen and to the moon. The anapest is the reverse of the dactyl. Antithesis A figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other. An example of antithesis is "To err is human, to forgive, divine." (Alexander Pope) Apostrophe Words that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea. The poem God's World by Edna St. Vincent Millay begins with an apostrophe: "O World, I cannot hold thee close enough!/Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!/Thy mists that roll and rise!" Assonance The repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel sounds, as in the tongue twister "Moses supposes his toeses are roses." Ballad A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is an example of a ballad. Ballade A type of poem, usually with three stanzas of seven, eight, or ten lines and a shorter final stanza (or envoy) of four or five lines. All stanzas end with the same one-line refrain. Blank verse Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse. A-B | C-D | E-I | J-M | N-R | S-V Caesura A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line. There is a caesura right after the question mark in the first line of this sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Canzone A medieval Italian lyric poem, with five or six stanzas and a shorter concluding stanza (or envoy). The poets Petrarch and Dante Alighieri were masters of the canzone.

Carpe diem A Latin expression that means "seize the day." Carpe diem poems urge the reader (or the person to whom they are addressed) to live for today and enjoy the pleasures of the moment. A famous carpe diem poem by Robert Herrick begins "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may . . ." Chanson de geste An epic poem of the 11th to the 14th century, written in Old French, which details the exploits of a historical or legendary figure, especially Charlemagne. Classicism The principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature. Examples of classicism in poetry can be found in the works of John Dryden and Alexander Pope, which are characterized by their formality, simplicity, and emotional restraint. Conceit A fanciful poetic image or metaphor that likens one thing to something else that is seemingly very different.

An example of a conceit can be found in Shakespeare's sonnet "target="_blank">Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" and in Emily Dickinson's poem "There is no frigate like a book." Consonance The repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words, as in lost and past or confess and dismiss. Couplet In a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought. Shakespearean sonnets usually end in a couplet. Dactyl A metrical foot of three syllables, one long (or stressed) followed by two short (or unstressed), as in happily. The dactyl is the reverse of the anapest. A-B | C-D | E-I | J-M | N-R | S-V Elegy A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful. An example of this type of poem is Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." Enjambment The continuation of a complete idea (a sentence or clause) from one line or couplet of a poem to the next line or couplet without a pause.

An example of enjambment can be found in the first line of Joyce Kilmer's poem Trees: "I think that I shall never see/A poem as lovely as a tree." Enjambment comes from the French word for "to straddle." Envoy The shorter final stanza of a poem, as in a ballade. Epic A long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure. Two of the most famous epic poems are the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, which tell about the Trojan War and the adventures of Odysseus on his voyage home after the war. Epigram A very short, witty poem: "Sir, I admit your general rule,/That every poet is a fool,/But you yourself may serve to show it,/That every fool is not a poet." (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Epithalamium (or Epithalamion) A poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. Feminine rhyme A rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable: pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning. Figure of speech A verbal expression in which words or sounds are arranged in a particular way to achieve a particular effect.

Figures of speech are organized into different categories, such as alliteration, antithesis, assonance, hyperbole, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, simile, and synecdoche. Foot Two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem. For example, an iamb is a foot that has two syllables, one unstressed followed by one stressed. An anapest has three syllables, two unstressed followed by one stressed. Free verse (also vers libre) Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter. Haiku A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku often reflect on some aspect of nature. Heptameter A line of poetry that has seven metrical feet. Heroic couplet A stanza composed of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter. Hexameter A line of poetry that has six metrical feet. Hyperbole A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis.

Many everyday expressions are examples of hyperbole: tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears, etc. Hyperbole is the opposite of litotes. Iamb A metrical foot of two syllables, one short (or unstressed) and one long (or stressed). There are four iambs in the line "Come live/ with me/ and be/ my love," from a poem by Christopher Marlowe. (The stressed syllables are in bold.) The iamb is the reverse of the trochee. Iambic pentameter A type of meter in poetry, in which there are five iambs to a line. (The prefix penta- means "five," as in pentagon, a geometrical figure with five sides. Meter refers to rhythmic units. In a line of iambic pentameter, there are five rhythmic units that are iambs.) Shakespeare's plays were written mostly in iambic pentameter, which is the most common type of meter in English poetry.

An example of an iambic pentameter line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is "But soft!/ What light/ through yon/der win/dow breaks?" Another, from Richard III, is "A horse!/ A horse!/ My king/dom for/ a horse!" (The stressed syllables are in bold.) Idyll, or Idyl Either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds or extraordinary events set in the distant past. Idylls of the King, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. A-B | C-D | E-H | J-M | N-R | S-V Lay A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels called trouveres. The Lais of Marie de France are lays. Limerick A light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba. Litotes A figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite. Some examples of litotes: no small victory, not a bad idea, not unhappy. Litotes, which is a form of understatement, is the opposite of hyperbole.

Lyric A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style. Masculine rhyme A rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve. Metaphor A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected. Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles. Meter The arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented (or stressed) syllables. Metonymy A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. For example, in the expression The pen is mightier than the sword, the word pen is used for "the written word," and sword is used for "military power." Telling a story. Ballads, epics, and lays are different kinds of narrative poems.

Ode A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure. John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is a famous example of this type of poem. Onomatopoeia A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of onomatopoeic words are buzz, hiss, zing, clippety-clop, cock-a-doodle-do, pop, splat, thump, and tick-tock. Another example of onomatopoeia is found in this line from Tennyson's Come Down, O Maid: "The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable bees." The repeated "m/n" sounds reinforce the idea of "murmuring" by imitating the hum of insects on a warm summer day. Ottava rima A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in 8-line "octaves" with the rhyme scheme abababcc. Pastoral A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way. Pentameter A line of poetry that has five metrical feet.

Personification A figure of speech in which nonhuman things or abstract ideas are given human attributes: the sky is crying, dead leaves danced in the wind, blind justice. Poetry A type of literature that is written in meter. Quatrain A stanza or poem of four lines. Refrain A phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza. Rhyme The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. When the rhyme occurs in a final stressed syllable, it is said to be masculine: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve. When the rhyme occurs in a final unstressed syllable, it is said to be feminine: pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning. The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different letter for each final sound. In a poem with an aabba rhyme scheme, the first, second, and fifth lines end in one sound, and the third and fourth lines end in another. Rhyme royal A type of poetry consisting of stanzas of seven lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ababbcc.

Rhyme royal was an innovation introduced by Geoffrey Chaucer. Romanticism The principles and ideals of the Romantic movement in literature and the arts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romanticism, which was a reaction to the classicism of the early 18th century, favored feeling over reason and placed great emphasis on the subjective, or personal, experience of the individual. Nature was also a major theme. The great English Romantic poets include Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. A-B | C-D | E-H | J-M | N-R | S-V Scansion The analysis of a poem's meter. This is usually done by marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in each line and then, based on the pattern of the stresses, dividing the line into feet. Senryu A short Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in structure but treats human beings rather than nature, often in a humorous or satiric way.

Simile A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as." An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem Harlem: "What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?" Sonnet A lyric poem that is 14 lines long. Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into two quatrains and a six-line "sestet," with the rhyme scheme abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd). English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are composed of three quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. English sonnets are written generally in iambic pentameter. Spondee A metrical foot of two syllables, both of which are long (or stressed). Stanza Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme. Stress The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables.

Stressed syllables usually stand out because they have long, rather than short, vowels, or because they have a different pitch or are louder than other syllables. Synecdoche A figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part. For example, the phrase "all hands on deck" means "all men on deck," not just their hands. The reverse situation, in which the whole is used for a part, occurs in the sentence "The U.S. beat Russia in the final game," where the U.S. and Russia stand for "the U.S. team" and "the Russian team," respectively. Tanka A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven. Terza rima A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in three-line "tercets" with the rhyme scheme aba bcb cdc, etc. The poet Dante is credited with inventing terza rima, which he used in his Divine Comedy.

Terza rima was borrowed into English by Chaucer, and it has been used by many English poets, including Milton, Shelley, and Auden. Tetrameter A line of poetry that has four metrical feet. Trochee A metrical foot of two syllables, one long (or stressed) and one short (or unstressed). An easy way to remember the trochee is to memorize the first line of a lighthearted poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which demonstrates the use of various kinds of metrical feet: "Trochee/ trips from/ long to/ short." (The stressed syllables are in bold.) The trochee is the reverse of the iamb. Trope A figure of speech, such as metaphor or metonymy, in which words are not used in their literal (or actual) sense but in a figurative (or imaginative) sense. Verse A single metrical line of poetry, or poetry in general (as opposed to prose). Versification 12 Essential Types of Poetry by Dictionary.com Sonnet [son-it] The sonnet, from the Italian sonetto meaning “little song,” is one of the better-known forms of poetry.

Made famous by the Italian writer Petrarch, the traditional sonnet consists of fourteen lines divided into two stanzas of eight and six lines each. There is no definitive structure or rhyme scheme of the sonnet, because over time different writers have given it their own poetic spin. Particularly famous is the Shakespearean sonnet, made up of three quatrains and a closing couplet. Perhaps the most recognizable is Sonnet 18, which begins “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate…” Villanelle [vil-uh-nel] The villanelle has humble origins as a rustic Italian song, but over the past few centuries it has developed into a highly structured form of poetry. A nineteen-line poem divided into five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a closing quatrain (four-line stanza), the villanelle is further constrained by a regular rhyming scheme and two refrains that are echoed in each stanza.

A classic example of a strict villanelle is Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night,” though the poem’s structure is so particular many poets choose to break its tight confines and compose near-villanelles, such as Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art.” Elegy [el-i-jee] The word elegy does not describe the form of a poem, but rather its content. Elegies are poems written to lament someone’s death, such as Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” written in honor of President Lincoln. The long-standing tradition of this type of poem traces back to ancient Greece, when elegies were sung to the accompaniment of an aulos (a double-reed instrument). Styles of funerary expression abound, but elegies are distinct from short epitaphs, laudatory odes, and eulogies, which fall into the category of prose. Haiku [hahy-koo] The Japanese haiku is a rigidly structured poetic form, consisting of three lines of five, seven, and five syllables.

Originally, haikus were the opening stanza of a style of long-form poem called the renga, or linked verse, but the compactness of these introductory lines intrigued Japanese poets of the 17th century. Soon the haiku broke away from its longer context into the profound three-line poems popular today. Gnomic Verse Gnomic verse may sound silly, but the essence of this type of poetry is to provide serious, meaningful advice. Before gnome referred to a little, dwarfish man who lives underground and guards treasure, a gnome was an aphorism, or pithy expression of a general truth. The two forms appear to be unrelated: gnome the creature was invented, perhaps arbitrarily, in the 1700s, and gnome the aphorism derives from ancient Greek gnṓmē meaning “judgment.” It was also in Greece that the tradition of filling poems with these judgments and aphorisms—originating the gnomic verse—also began. Ballad [bal-uhd] The ballad’s lyrical rhythm and rhyme nod to the fact that this poetic form is rooted in song.

The traditional ballad was performed at dances in time with the music, and the term ultimately derives from the Latin word ballāre meaning “to dance.” This form of narrative poem is structured with an unspecified number of rhymed quatrains (four-line stanzas). “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe are particularly famous examples of ballads. Epic [ep-ik] Much like a ballad, an epic is a narrative poem that spins a tale—a lengthy one—of a hero’s great valor and adventure. Much like the elegy, epics derive from ancient Greece, where epikós meant “speech,” “tale,” or “song,” and applied not only to the subject matter but to a specific type of meter, the Epic meter. The first epics of Western literature are the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, and in the English tradition we have Beowulf, Spencer’s The Fairie Queene, and Milton’s Paradise Lost. Limerick [lim-er-ik] The noble stature of the epic could not be more at odds with the nonsense verse the limerick.

Containing five lines with the rhyming pattern AABBA, the limerick is a brief and bouncy poem ideal for Mother Goose–style nursery rhymes. Named after the Irish town of Limerick, the poem allegedly got its name from the town custom of shouting “Will you come up to Limerick?” after an extemporized performance of nonsense poetry at social gatherings. Sestina [se-stee-nuh] The sestina took its name from the Italian word for “six,” the number at the core of the poem’s structure. This usually unrhymed poem consists of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy, or a short concluding stanza, at the end. Each stanza repeats the end words of the lines of the first stanza, but in a different order. Then the envoy uses those six words again, three in the middle of the lines and three in the end. This highly complex form of poetry was invented by a 12th-century troubadour, and unlike the sonnet, the sestina’s strict structure has remained essentially unchanged, its complexity a tempting challenge for poets to tackle.

Palinode [pal-uh-nohd] You may have heard of the ode, a lyric poem dedicated to an object of admiration or praise. The palinode is less well-known, but very useful for the poet who later regrets writing an ode. The palinode is a recantation, a poem that withdraws the sentiment of a previous poem. Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, for example, concludes with a palinode in which he apologizes for the sin and “worldly vanitees” of his tales. Acrostic [uh-kraw-stik, uh-kros-tik] The keen abecedarian will take great pleasure in finding an acrostic hidden in the first letters of each line of a poem. Acrostics are words, names, or messages spelled out by particular letters in a series of lines. The term acrostic comes from the Greek roots akro- meaning “outermost, tip,” and stích, “line” or “verse.” Most acrostics are formed by the first letter of each line, read vertically down the poem’s edge.

Although the acrostic as a poetic genre may be somewhat scorned, this clever form of wordplay has been used by such well-regarded authors as William Blake, Lewis Carroll, and John Milton. Quia - 9th Grade Literature and Composition EOCT GPS - Literary Analysis Java Games: Flashcards, matching, concentration, and word search. 9th Grade Literature and Composition EOCT GPS - Literary Analysis Tools GA EOCT 9th Grade Literature Literary Analysis Section A B Almanac This is a magazine or book that contains weather forecasts, statistics, or other information of use or interest to readers. Antonym This is a word or phrase that means the opposite of another word or phrase. Argumentation This is the kind of writing that tries to persuade readers to accept an author's opinions. Cause And Effect This is the relationship between two or more events in which one event brings about another. Cognate These are words that have a common origin. Controlling Image An image or metaphor that dominates a literary work, especially with respect to conveying a theme. Dialect This is a form of language that is characteristic of a particular place or by a particular group of people. Dialogue These are the words spoken by characters in a literary work.

Dictionary This is a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words, with information given for each word, usually including meaning, pronunciation, and etymology. Editorial This is an article in a publication or a commentary on television or radio expressing the opinion of its editors, publishers, station, or network. Encyclopedia This is a comprehensive reference work containing articles on a wide range of subjects or on numerous aspects of a particular field, usually arranged alphabetically. Epistolary Novel This is a long story written as a letter. Essay This is a short, nonfiction work about a particular subject. Fact This is a statement that can be proved to be true. Fixed Form This means traditional verse form, or a poem that inherits from other poems certain familiar elements of structure including an unvarying number of lines, rhyme, meter, particular themes, tones, and other elements. Form This is the structure into which a piece of literature is organized. Genre This is the category or type of literature. Haiku This is a highly compressed form of Japanese poetry that creates a brief, clear picture in order to produce an emotional reaction in the reader. It relies upon images taken from nature and on the power of suggestion. It has three lines of five, seven, and five syllables each.

Informal Language This is what people use in everyday speech. It usually consists of fairly short sentences and simple vocabulary. Journal This is a daily autobiographical account of events and personal reactions. Legend This is a story about mythical beings or supernatural events, usually originally told orally for generations before being written down. Letter This is a written communication or message addressed to a reader or readers that is usually sent by mail. Logic This is the reasoning used to reach a conclusion based on a set of assumptions, or it may be defined as the science of reasoning, proof, thinking, or inference. Memoir This is an account of the personal experiences of an author. Metaphor This is a direct comparison of two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as." Meter This is the rhythm or regular sound pattern in a piece of poetry. Motivation This is the wants, needs, or beliefs that cause a character to act or react in a particular way. Multicultural This relates to, or includes, several cultures rather than only a mainstream culture. Mythology This is a body or collection of tales belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes.

It explains the actions of gods and goddesses or the cause of natural phenomena and includes supernatural elements. Nonfiction This is factual writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, or events. Opinion This is a statement that reflects a writer's belief about a topic , and it cannot be proved. Parallelism This is a persuasive technique in which an author creates a BALANCED sentence by re-using the same word structure. Poem This is an arrangement of words in verse. It sometimes rhymes, and expresses facts, emotions, or ideas in a style more concentrated, imaginative and powerful than that of ordinary speech. Primary Source This is an original document or firsthand account. Propaganda This is information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause. Rhetorical Strategy This is a plan an author uses to effectively deliver the intended message in written work. Secondary Source This is a commentary on an original document or firsthand account. Sequential Order This is the chronological, or time, order of events in a reading passage. Simile This is a comparison of two unlike things using the terms "like" or "as". Speech This is a talk or public address. Structure This refers to a writer's arrangement or overall design of a literary work.

It is the way words, sentences, and paragraphs are organized to create a complete work. Subheading This is a short title within an article that identifies the beginning of each new topic. Subplot This is a secondary plot in a work of literature that either explains or helps to develop the main plot. Symbol This is a person, place, thing, or event that represents something more than itself in a literary work. Synonym This is a word or phrase that has the same or almost the same meaning as another word or phrase. Syntax This refers to the ordering of elements in a sentence. Text This is the main body of a piece of writing or any of the various forms in which writing exists, such as a book, a poem, an article, or a short story. Thesis Statement This is the way in which the main idea of a literary work is expressed, usually as a generalization that is supported with concrete evidence. Topic Sentence

Question: What name is given to the Japanese verse form arranged in three lines of five, seven and five syllables?
Answer: Haiku