Elements of Poetry

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The underlying message, or 'big idea.' In other words, the critical belief the author trying to convey in the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem.

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Theme

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The elements in a poem that spark the senses. Helps the reader create a "picture" in their minds. It is not only VISUAL, but any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) that respond to what a poet writes.

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Sensory Details

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A verse, a line, or a group of lines that appears at the end of a stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections. It means “to repeat.” A poetic device that repeats, at regular intervals, in different stanzas.

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Refrain

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In poetry, this is a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter, or rhyming scheme. ______ in poetry are similar to paragraphs in prose.

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Stanza

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The repetition of a sound in a sequence of words that are close to each other. Typically uses consonant sounds at the beginning of a word to give stress to its syllable. Ex: Polly picked a petunia.

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Alliteration

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The way a poem is presented to the reader, including technical aspects like line length, stanza format, or appearance on the page.

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Form

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A stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse, or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to be longer, and unstressed shorter. (It is also a musical term with a similar meaning).

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Meter

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Poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm, and does not rhyme with fixed forms.

Such poems are without rhythm and rhyme schemes, do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules, yet still provide artistic expression.

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Free Verse

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A form of figurative language in which something that is not human is given human characteristics. Is often used in poetry to enhance the meaning and beauty of poems.

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Personification

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Sound words that make "noises" in poetry, just like in the poem, "Windshield Wipers."

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onomatopoeia