Literary Terms and Devices

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Figurative language

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Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.

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Metaphor

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A comparison without using like or as.

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Personification

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A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.

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Simile

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A comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

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Structure of Poem

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How a poem is organized (line lengths and meters, stanza lengths, rhyme schemes (if any), and systems of repetition).

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Message

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A significant point or central theme.

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Theme

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Underlying message about life or human nature that a writer wants the reader to understand.

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Conflict

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A struggle between opposing forces.

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Line

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A row of words in a poem.

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Poet

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A person who writes poetry.