Meter

Definition: Meter is the measure of the beat in a poem. Meter is measured in feet, which are syllables.
Example: "O Captain! my captain! our fearful trip is done.
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;"
Here, the meter is iambic.
Significance: Meter is important because it creates a flow to a poem that makes it sound more rhythmic and easier to read aloud.

Rhyme

Definition: Rhyming is the repetition of similar-sounding words.
Example: I do so like green eggs and ham!
Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-Am.
Significance: Rhyming gives lines in a poem unity and can provide more flow in a poem. It also adds the the rhythm of a poem.

Rhythm

Definition: Rhythm is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Example: The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
In this phrase, every other syllable is stressed.
Significance: Rhythm is important because it makes poetry sound more song-like and musical. Since poetry is written to be read aloud, poems with rhythm make the poem more uniform and sound nice. Rhythm is even noticeable when read silently since the mind automatically stresses certain syllables.

Repetition

Definition: Repetition is to repeat a phrase or word over and over again.
Example: Humpty Dumdpty sat on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Significance: Repetition creates emphasis on a certain word or phrase.

Tone

Definition: Tone is the emotion/feelings that a poem implies.
Example: "It was a dark and stormy night...."
This phrase has a mysterious tone.
Significance: The tone of a poem greatly impacts the emotions a reader feels. A poem with a happy tone can make a reader feel happy, while a poem with a sad tone can make a reader feel sad. Even further, a poem with a happy tone but a sad meaning creates literary irony.

Interpretation

Definition: Interpretation is what someone thinks something means. In poetry, interpretation is how a reader deciphers the poem's meaning. Everyone's interpretations differ, and there are no wrong interpretations.
Example: "He was like a cheetah."
Some people may interpret this as meaning that he was fast; however, others may interpret this as meaning the boy was fierce.
Significance: Interpretation is important because it allows readers to share their varying opinions on what a poem is trying to say. Without interpretation, discussions about poetry would be less exciting because there is no variation and trying to explain and support your individual interpretations.

Metaphor

Definition: A metaphor is a comparison between two things without using the words "like" or "as."
Example: Money is going down the drain.
Significance: Metaphors are important because they allow for symbolism. With metaphors, writers can state their point without being straightforward, making the reader think and interpret more. Also, metaphors can enrich descriptions, creating lively and vivid imagery.

Personification

Definition: Personification is giving human qualities to an inhuman object.
Example: The stars danced in the night sky.
Significance: Personification is important because it is another way of describing an object with figurative language, allowing the author to use less straightforward descriptions.

Onomatopoeia

Definition: An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it describes.
Example: Snap, crackle, pop!
Significance: Onomatopoeias are important because they are a part of auditory imagery, making a poem's descriptions more vivid and realistic.

Imagery

Definition: Imagery is descriptive language that stimulates the senses. Visual imagery describes sight, auditory imagery describes hearing, olfactory imagery describes smell, gustatory imagery describes taste and tactile imagery describes touch. Also, organic imagery describes feelings from within your body and kinesthetic imagery describes the feeling of movement.
Example: The beach smelled like rotting fish.
Significance: Imagery is important because it makes an imaginary world seem real. It allows readers to use their senses to understand a poem's setting in a clearer way.

Simile

Definition: A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."
Example: He was as brave as a lion.
Significance: Similes are important because they make descriptions more realistic by comparing objects to other known objects.

Speaker

Definition: The speaker is the person or thing that the poem is in the point-of-view of. Sometimes the speaker is the poet; other times, the speaker is imaginary.


Example: 

Well son, I'll tell you:
    Life for me ain't been no crystal stair,    It's had tacks in it,    And splinters,    And boards torn up,    And places with no carpet on the floor    Bare.

—"Mother to Son," Langston Hughes

In this poem, the speaker is imaginary; a mother is speaking to her son.

Significance: Speakers are important because it allows poets to write poems in perspectives other than their own. Understanding who/what the speaker is in the poem gives you a better understanding of what the poem's meaning and purpose is.

Symbol

Definition: Something that represents something else; a suggestion towards a separate idea made by the author.


Example: 

Ah Sunflower, weary of time,Who countest the steps of the sun;Seeking after that sweet golden climeWhere the traveller's journey is done

—"Ah Sunflower," William Blake 

Significance: Symbols are a way of saying something without blatantly saying it. Instead of directly stating a poem or phrase's meaning, authors sometimes use symbolism to hint at a hidden meaning.

Couplet

Definition: A pair of successive lines in a poem; they are usually the same length and rhyme.


Example: 

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

 —"Sonnet 18," William Shakespeare

Significance: Couplets are important because they add rhythm and sometimes rhyme to a poem. In sonnets, it signifies the end of the poem.

Stanza

Definition: A collection of lines in a poem; stanzas are separated by a line break. A paragraph is to prose as a stanza is to poetry.


Example: 

                     Our God, our help in ages past,
                     Our hope for years to come,
                     Our shelter from the stormy blast,
                     And our eternal home.

                     Beneath the shadow of Thy throne
                     Thy saints have dwelt secure;
                     Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
                     And our defense is sure.

—"O God, Our Help in Ages Past," Isaac Watts

Significance: Stanzas are important because they separate a poem into parts, organizing the poem and grouping like ideas and rhyme schemes together.

Poetry

Definition: A literary art in which words are used creatively to express feeling. Poetry takes many shapes and forms; often rhythmic and with rhyming schemes, poetry also uses figurative language and imagery to entertain the reader. Basically, a poem is a novel encapsulated into stanzas.

Example:

THE FOG comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on

—"The Fog," Carl Sandburg 

Significance: Poetry is a means of expressing as much emotion in as little space possible. Like any kind of art form, poetry should be read, appreciated, enjoyed and studied.

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