Poetry Forms and Devices Flashcards

Grade 8 · English · Flashcards

Review key poetry forms and literary devices used to create meaning and effect.

Flashcards

Sonnet: A 14-line poem; Shakespearean ends with a rhyming couplet; Petrarchan splits into octave + sestet.
Haiku: A 3-line Japanese poem with a 5-7-5 syllable structure capturing a single moment.
Free verse: Poetry without fixed meter or rhyme, relying on natural speech rhythms.
Metaphor: A direct comparison: 'Time is money.' No 'like' or 'as.'
Simile: A comparison using 'like' or 'as': 'Brave as a lion.'
Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words: 'wild and windy weather.'
Imagery: Vivid sensory language that creates pictures, sounds, smells, textures, or tastes in the reader's mind.
Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meaning: buzz, hiss, crackle.
Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things: 'The sun smiled down on us.'
Tone: The poet's attitude toward the subject — joyful, bitter, mournful, ironic, etc.
Mood: The emotional atmosphere the poem creates in the reader.
Speaker: The voice narrating the poem — a persona created by the poet, not necessarily the poet themselves.