Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2021

Poetry Terms (English Literature)

 POETIC 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). Ballad A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. A popular narrative song passed down orally. In the English tradition, it usually follows a form of rhymed (abcb) quatrains. Folk (or traditional) ballads are anonymous and recount tragic, comic, or heroic stories with emphasis on a central dramatic event; examples include “Barbara Allen” and “John Henry.” Beginning in the Renaissance, poets have adapted the conventions of the folk balla...