First quarter independent reading book project:
Name ______________________________
Mrs. Depoy and Mrs. Vallor
9th Grade Literary Terms
FIRST QUARTER
PLOT STRUCTURE:
1. Plot
a series of related events that make up a story or drama; the
underlying structure of a story
example from the movie “Spiderman”: Peter Parker, who is secretly in love with
Mary Jane, gets bitten by a spider, discovers he has special powers, becomes a
superhero and fights villains.
2. Exposition (Part I)
the basic situation (example: A character is placed in a situation
that contains the possibility of action. The character wants
something very much or has a problem that is causing trouble.)
example from Romeo and Juliet: A fight between the Capulet and Montague servants angers Prince Escalus. Romeo is depressed that Rosaline doesn’t
return his love, so his friends suggest taking him to a masquerade party.
3: Initiating Action: (Part II)
the event in which the character first meets with the conflict
example from Romeo and Juliet: At the masquerade party, Romeo falls instantly in love with Juliet, the beautiful daughter of his father’s enemy. Despite the fact that their families are feuding, they promise to marry the next day.
4. Rising Action (Part III)
the part of the story in which the main character takes some action
to resolve the conflict and meets with problems or complications such
as danger, hostility, indecision or fear
example from Romeo and Juliet: Romeo and Juliet are married in secret. Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt, and Juliet hears a rumor that Romeo is also dead. Juliet and the friar devise a plan so that she won’t have to marry Paris.
5. Climax (Part IV)
the most tense or exciting moment in the story; when something happens
to decide the outcome of the conflict
example from Romeo and Juliet: Romeo kills Paris. Romeo and Juliet die.
6. Falling Action (Part V)
the significant action that takes place between the climax and the resolution
example from Romeo and Juliet: The watchmen discover the bodies. Prince Escalus blames many people, including himself. Lady Montague dies of grief.
7. Denouement (pronounced “day-new-ma”)/ Resolution (Part VI)
Denouement is a French word meaning “untying the knot.” At this
moment, all the problems are solved, either happily or unhappily, and
the story is "closed."
example from Romeo and Juliet: Lord Capulet makes peace with Lord Montague.
CHARACTER:
8. Protagonist
the main character, usually an admirable/likable person with whom we
can identify
example: Odysseus, Harry Potter, Spiderman
9. Antagonist
the character or force that comes into conflict with the protagonist
example: Poseidon, Lord Voldemort, the Joker
10. Dynamic Character
capable of growing, learning and changing in an important way during
the course of the story (gains a new understanding of something,
makes an important decision and acts upon it)
examples: Telemachus becomes a man in The Odyssey. Scout Finch
learns not to be quick to judge others in To Kill a Mockingbird. Lord Capulet
lets go of his anger and makes peace with Lord Montague in Romeo and Juliet.
11. Static Character
exactly the same at the end of the story as he/she was at the
beginning
example: Poseidon hates Odysseus throughout The Odyssey. Lennie never
becomes any smarter in Of Mice and Men. Mr. Sir is always tough and mean in Holes. Most villains (the Green Goblin, Voldemort, Cruella D’Evil, Lex Luther, the Joker) are static characters who remain evil.
12. Round Character
a more complex character, three-dimensional
examples: Peter Parker wants to be a hero and help others in “Spiderman,” but
he also is frustrated that he can’t just be a normal person and marry Mary Jane.
Ron is usually a good friend to Harry Potter, but sometimes he becomes jealous
of Harry. Juliet does not wish to anger her father but falls in love with Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
13. Flat Character
has only one surface (like a paper doll); has only one or two key
personality traits and can be described in a single sentence
example: Polyphemus can only be described as a dumb brute in The Odyssey.
Harry Potter’s aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley are simple, one-dimensional
characters.
14. Caricature
a satirical, exaggerated representation of a person’s characteristics
example: The teachers in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” represent exaggerated
behavior.
15. Stereotype
a false assumption about a person based on that person’s gender,
economic status, appearance, country of origin, occupation,
race, religion, etc.
example: Some assume that a homeless person is lazy rather than realizing
that he/she might be physically or mentally disabled.
16. Stock Character
a person who fits our preconceived notion about a “type” of person;
has no individuality-- there are dozens like him/her on the shelf
(ex. A typical old man, a typical teenager, a typical detective, a
typical nun)
example: In “Mean Girls,” three characters fit the “popular girl” stereotype of
being mean and self-centered.
17. Foil
a character that is used as a contrast to another character (example:
a selfish character accents the generosity of another character)
example: Benvolio’s behavior is very different from Romeo’s. Benvolio thinks
before he acts whereas Romeo often acts impulsively.
18. External Conflict
something is externally blocking the character’s desire (examples:
person against person, nature, machine, society, supernatural beings,
etc.)
example: The protagonist has to battle outside forces such as a villain, a
dangerous animal or a force of nature.
19. Internal Conflict
the character is struggling against some personal quality that is
causing trouble
examples: the character must deal with his/her own jealousy, fear, love, pride, etc.
20. Tragic flaw/ hubris
a fundamental character weakness such as excessive pride, ambition or
jealousy; leads to the character’s ultimate demise
example: Romeo’s impulsive behavior leads to his death.
CHARACTERIZATION:
21. Direct Characterization
The writer tells us directly what the character is like.
example from “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant (page 27 in textbook): “She dressed plainly because she could not afford fine clothes, but was as unhappy as a woman who has come down in the world… She grieved incessantly, feeling that she had been born for all the little niceties and luxuries of living. She grieved over the shabbiness of her apartment, the dinginess of the walls, the worn-out appearance of the chairs, the ugliness of the draperies. All these things, which another woman of her class would not even have noticed, gnawed at her and made her furious.” Here the author clearly tells us that Madame Loisel is unhappy and materialistic.
22. Indirect Characterization
The writer shows us what the character is like through appearance,
speech, private thoughts, effect on other characters and actions.
example from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck:
George looked sharply at him. “What’d you take outa that pocket?”
“Ain’t a thing in my pocket,” Lennie said cleverly.
“I know there ain’t. You got it in your hand. What you got in your hand- hidin’ it?
“I ain’t got nothing’, George. Honest.”
“Come on, give it here.”
Lennie held his closed hand away from George’s direction. “It’s only a mouse, George.”
“A mouse? A live mouse?”
“Uh-uh. Jus’ a dead mouse, George, I didn’ kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead.”
“Give it here!” said George.
“Aw, leave me have it, George.”
“Give it here!”
“Lennie’s closed hand slowly obeyed. George took the house and threw it across the pool to the other side, among the bush. “What you want of a dead mouse, anyways?”
“I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,” said Lennie.
“Well, you ain’t petting no mice while you walk with me. You remember where we’re goin’ now?”
Lennie looked startled and then in embarrassment hid his face against his knees. “I forgot again” (Steinbeck 5,6).
Here Steinbeck shows the reader that Lennie acts like a child and that George looks after him like a parent.
DRAMATIC FORMS:
23. Comedy
a humorous or light-hearted drama with a happy ending
example: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night or A Midsummer Night’s Dream
24. Tragedy
a serious drama in which the protagonist is overcome by tragic events,
often as a result of his/her tragic flaw/hubris
example: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth
SECOND QUARTER TERMS
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
25. Metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things,
in which one thing becomes another thing without the use of
words “like,” “as,” “than,” or “resembles
example by Robert Burns: “O my love is a red, red rose”
26. Simile
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things,
using an explicit word such as “like,” “as,” “resembles” or “than”
example from “Day is Done” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
“And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away”
27. Analogy
a similarity or resemblance between things not otherwise identical
example: A street light is like a star. Both provide light at night, both are in predictable locations, both are overhead, and both serve no function in the daytime.
28. Symbolism
a person, place, thing or event stands for itself as well as for
something beyond itself
examples: The American flag and the bald eagle represent America.
The bulldog represents Stone Bridge High School.
29. Personification
a special kinds of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is
talked about as if it were human
examples: “The sun smiled on us.” “The ocean scribbles long
sentences on the shore.” “Love is blind.” “My cough is stubborn.”
30. Paradox
a phrase that appears to be contradictory but expresses some measure
of truth
example: “His complaint ... is too funny not to be taken seriously”
31. Oxymoron
words that have contradictory or sharply incongruous meanings
examples: conspicuous by his absence; cruel kindness; thunderous
silence; make haste slowly; found missing; genuine imitation; good
grief, almost exactly; same difference; government organization;
military intelligence; sweet sorrow; act naturally; business ethics;
clearly misunderstood; passive aggression; pretty ugly; definite
maybe; twelve-ounce pound cake; diet ice cream; working vacation;
exact estimate; sanitary landfill; home office; nearly perfect;
natural synthetic; graduate student; virtual reality; first annual;
vegetarian meatballs; safe bet, jumbo shrimp
32. Apostrophe
a person speaks rhetorically to an absent person or a personified thing
example: “Apostrophe to the Ocean” by Lord Byron
“Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean, roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain …”
(The speaker is talking to the ocean as if it is capable
of understanding him.)
33. Allusion
a reference to a statement, person, place, event or thing that is
known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports or
pop culture
example: In Romeo and Juliet Mercutio refers to the wings of Cupid (from Greek
mythology).
34. Imagery
language that appeals to the senses
example from “Meeting at Night,” by Robert Browning
“Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match…”
NARRATIVE FORMS:
35. Allegory/ Fable
a short moral story (often with animal characters that have human traits)
example: “The Tortoise and the Hare” by Aesop
36. Anecdote
a short, interesting story intended to make a point
example: The nurse in Romeo and Juliet tells a short story about her daughter.
In the Harry Potter series, Sirius Black tells Harry a short story about his father.
37. Autobiography
the story of a person’s life written by that person
example: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, written by himself
38. Biography
the story of a person’s life written by someone else
example: John F. Kennedy: A Biography by Michael O'Brien
39. Character sketch
a narrative that focuses on a character’s personality
example: Harry Potter is a thirteen year old orphan who is trying to become a wizard. He is kind, loyal, brave, intelligent, talented and not afraid to speak his mind.
40. Legend
a story about supernatural beings or events
example: King Arthur and the knights of the round table, Robin Hood, Bigfoot
41. Myth
a tale that explains historical events or supernatural phenomena
example: the Olympian gods (Zeus, Athena, Apollo, etc.)
42. Novel
an extended, prose narrative
example: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
43. Short Story
a brief, prose narrative
example: “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell (page 38 in textbook)
44. Tall tale
an exaggerated story; often includes a superhuman character
example: Paul Bunyan
STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUES:
45. Aside
private words that a character in a play speaks to the audience or to
another character (these words are not supposed to be overheard by others
onstage)
example: Lord Capulet talks to Tybalt privately so that other characters
cannot hear their conversation
46. Foreshadowing
clues about what is going to happen as the story unfolds
example: Romeo has a premonition that he shouldn’t go to the Capulet’s
party because something bad might happen. This alerts the audience
that there may be trouble ahead for Romeo.
47. Flashback
the scene in a movie, play, short story, novel or narrative poem that
interrupts the present action of the plot to “flash backward” and
tell what happened earlier
examples: There are many flashbacks in the Harry Potter series. The present action stops and the plot flashes back to when Harry’s parents were still alive or
when Voldemort was a student at Hogwarts.
On the TV show “Lost,” the characters are stranded on a deserted island; however, the plot often flashes back to their lives before they were stranded.
48. Setting
the time and place in a story; contributes to emotional effect and
atmosphere
example: Of Mice and Men takes place in California during the Depression era.
49. Theme
a central idea or insight of a work of literature; can usually be
expressed in few words
examples: old age, ambition, love, poverty, sickness, coming of age, etc.
THIRD QUARTER TERMS
50. Omniscient Point of View
Omniscient means “all-knowing.” The omniscient narrator is a god-
like observer who knows everything that is going on in the story and
who can see into each character’s heart and mind.
example from “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant (page 27 in textbook):
She gave him an irritated glance and burst out impatiently, “What do you think I have to go in?”
He hadn’t given that a thought. He stammered, “Why, the dress you wear when we got to the theater. That looks quite nice, I think.”
He stopped talking, dazed and distracted to see his wife burst out weeping. Two large tears slowly rolled from the corners of her eyes to the corners of her mouth; he gasped, “Why, what’s the matter? What’s the trouble?”
By sheer willpower she overcame her outburst and answered in a calm voice…”
Here the author tells us the feelings of both characters.
51. First-Person Point of View
An “I” tells the story and participates in the action. As a reader,
you feel you are listening to a friend tell his/her story or reading
his/her diary.
example from page 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:
“Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence… I did not miss
her, but I think Jem did.”
Here the story is being told from the perspective of six-year-old Scout Finch.
52. Limited Third-Person Point of View
The story is told by an outside observer who is viewing the action
from the vantage point of a single character. The narrator doesn’t
refer to himself/herself as “I.” Third-person pronouns (he, she,
they) refer to all characters.
example from “To Build a Fire” by Jack London (page 519 in textbook):
“He was newcomer in the land, and this was his first winter. The
trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert
in all the things of life…” (Note that the author does not use “I” to tell the story.)
53. Speaker/Narrator
the voice of the person telling the story
example: Ponyboy narrates the story in The Outsiders. Scout Finch tells
the story in To Kill a Mockingbird.
USE OF DICTION:
54. Diction
a writer’s or speaker’s choice of words
example: Slang would be appropriate in a casual conversation with a friend but unsuitable in a newspaper editorial.
55. Rhetorical Question
a question intended to make a point rather than evoke an answer
example: When a parent asks a misbehaving child, “Do you think I’m talking to hear myself talk?” he/she does not want an answer.
56. Cliché
an overused expression
example: “Honesty is the best policy.”
57. Connotation
all the meanings, associations or emotions that a word suggests
examples: “thrifty” vs. “cheap,” or “stalky” vs. “fat”
58. Denotation
the literal, dictionary definition of a word
example: thrifty is defined as “careful and diligent in the use of resources”
59: Hyperbole/ Overstatement
exaggeration; meaning comes from the Greek and means “an excess”
examples: “My backpack weighs a ton.” “My parent is going to strangle me.”
example from “The Genuine Mexican Plug” by Mark Twain:
“The auctioneer stormed up and down the streets for four days
dispersing the populace, interrupting business and destroying
children.”
60: Irony
a contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality-- between
what is said and what is really meant, between what is expected and
what really happens, or between what appears to be true and what
really is true
example: In “The Necklace,” by Guy de Moupassant (textbook page 26),
Madame Loisel spent years paying off her friend’s necklace that she
borrowed and lost. She was afraid to tell her friend that she lost the
necklace, so she spent 36,000 francs replacing it. Years later she found
it that it was a fake, worth only 500 francs.
61. Dramatic Irony
a situation in which the audience knows something that a character
doesn’t know
example of dramatic irony from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”:
The audience knows that Juliet isn't really dead, but Romeo
doesn’t know.
62: Dialect
the way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or
group of people
example: Some people from the South say “ya’ll.” Some people from the North
say “Yous guys.”
63: Pun
a play on the multiple meanings of a word or on two words that sound
alike but have different meanings (many jokes and riddles are based on puns)
examples: When is a doctor most annoyed? When he runs out of patients.
Where did the polar bear hide his money? In the snow bank.
Where do polar bears vote? The North Poll.
Why are fish so smart? Because they hang out in schools.
What do you call a sleeping bull? A bulldozer.
64. Understatement
ironically stating less than what is expected; the opposite of hyperbole
example from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger:
“It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.”
65. Literal Language
language that can be interpreted literally
example: “I’ll be back in a minute” literally means “I’ll be back in sixty seconds.”
66: Figurative Language
language that is not intended to be taken literally
examples: similes, metaphors and personification
67. Mood
the emotional effect in a work; created through descriptive details
and evocative language
example: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William
Wordsworth
68. Tone
the attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject or a
character; conveyed through the writer’s choice of words and detail
examples: serious, affectionate, mocking, nostalgic, sympathetic, sad,
etc.
69. Satire
This is a kind of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice or
folly in order to bring about social reform. Writers of satire often try to
persuade the reader to do or believe something by showing the
opposite view as absurd.
example: Cervantes’ Don Quixote is a famous satire of the old ideals of chivalry.
FOURTH QUARTER TERMS
SOUND DEVICES:
70. Alliteration
the repetition of the same consonant sounds in words that are close
together or the repetition of consonant sounds that are very similar
example from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”
“Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter…”
71. Assonance
the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different
consonant sounds, especially in words that are close together: “base”
and “fade,” “young” and “love”
example from John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
“Thou foster child of silence and slow time”
72. Consonance
the repetition of a pattern of consonants within words in which the
separating vowels differ
examples: "leaf" and "loaf" or "room" and "roam"
73. Onomatopoeia
The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning
examples: crackle, pop, hiss, fizz, click, zoom, crash, splash,
whirr, tick-tock, meow, ruff, squeak, thump, boom, rumble, snarl,
sizzle, bang, cock-a-doodle-do, clickety-clack, gong, moo, screech,
howl, growl, kerplunk, gush, clang, chime
74: Rhyme Scheme
can be determined by using a letter of the alphabet to indicate each new rhyme
Examples: ex. ABAB, AABB (couplets), ABCB
from “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson:
Whenever Richard Cory went to town, A
We people on the pavement looked at him, B
He was a gentleman from sole to crown, A
Clean favored, and imperially slim. B
from “Roger the Dog” by Ted Hughes:
Asleep he wheezes at his ease. A
He only wakes to scratch his fleas. A
He hogs the fire, he bakes his head B
As if it were a loaf of bread. B
From “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall
“Mother dear, may I go downtown A
Instead of out to play, B
And march the streets of Birmingham C
In a Freedom March today?” B
75: Half-rhyme
a partial or imperfect rhyme, often using assonance or consonance
only; also called off rhyme, near rhyme, oblique rhyme or slant rhyme
examples: “orange” and “flourish” or “grown” and “moon”
76. Internal rhyme
occurs within a line
example from “The Owl and the Cat” by Edward Lear:
“O let us be married! Too long have we tarried!”
77: Meter
a generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry
*example from “The Bat” by Theodore Roethke:
“By day the bat is cousin to the mouse.
He likes the attic of an aging house.”
78: Iambic pentameter
a line of poetry made up of five iams (an iam is a metrical foot, or
unit of measure, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed syllable)
example from “Sonnet 2” by William Shakespeare:
“When forty winters shall besiege thy brow
(da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM)
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field”
(da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM)
79. Rhythm
a musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and
unstressed syllables or by the repetition of certain other sound
patterns, in poetry and prose
example from “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost:
“The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree”
80. Cacophony
“bad sound;” the use of harsh or discordant sounds that are
difficult to pronounce; often used for dramatic effect
example from “Player Piano” by John Updike:
“never my numb plunker fumbles”
81. Euphony
“good sound;” the phonetic quality of words that are smooth and
pleasant to the ear
example: “O star, the fairest one in sight”
POETRY:
82. Sonnet
a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter
example of a Shakespearian sonnet rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
“Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.”
83. Lyric
a relatively short non-narrative poem in which the first-person speaker expresses thoughts and feelings
(The term lyric comes from Greece where lyric poems were read and accompanied by a stringed instrument called the lyre. Hence, today we call words to songs “lyrics.”)]
example from “I Sit and Look Out” by Walt Whitman
“I sit and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all
oppression and shame;
I hear secret convulsive sobs from young men, at anguish with
themselves, remorseful after deeds done…”
84. Ballad
a narrative poem with a refrain
example: “The Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall
85. Elegy
a mournful, contemplative lyric poem of lament and consolation
concerning a particular person's death, or reflection on death in
general; may also refer to a serious meditative poem produced to
express the speaker’s melancholy thoughts
example from "In Memoriam" by Tennyson, written on the death of
Arthur Hallam:
“Let Love clasp Grief lest both be drowned,
Let darkness keep her raven gloss.
Ah, sweeter to be drunk with loss,
To dance with Death, to beat the ground,
Than that the victor Hours should scorn
The long result of love, and boast,
Behold the man that loved and lost,
But all he was is overworn.”
86. Epic
a long story in poetry that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-
life hero who embodies the values of a particular society
examples: The Iliad by Homer and The Odyssey, by Homer
87. Narrative Poetry
tells a story or relates a series of events
examples: epics and ballads
88. Free Verse
poetry that doesn’t have a regular meter or rhyme scheme (but may use
internal rhyme, repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.)
example from “I, Too Sing America” by Langston Hughes
“I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes, But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.”
89. Odes
a long lyric poem that deals with a serious subject in an elevated
style; often containing impassioned praise of a person or thing (art,
for instance, or an abstract concept such as duty).
example: “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John Keats
90. Refrain
a repeated word, phrase, line or group of lines
example from “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun” by Walt Whitman
“Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling,
Give me juicy autumnal fruit ripe and red from the orchard,
Give me an arbor, give me the trellised grape.
Give me fresh corn and wheat, give me serene-moving animals teaching
content,
Give me nights perfectly quiet on high plateaus west of the
Mississippi, and I looking up at the stars…”
91: Limerick
A limerick is a humorous five-line poem written with one couplet and
one triplet. (The lines have seven, seven, five, five, and seven syllables.)
examples:
I once met a man from the South
Whose manner was somewhat uncouth
He’d constantly swear
Driving decent folk spare
‘Til some soap was applied to his mouth.
Limerick by Rachel Towarnicky
He hands her twelve red roses
And confidently poses
Waiting for a kiss
But oops she has missed
And now they’ve bumped their noses
Directions for creating a limerick
1.Introduce person: end line on place or name
2.Describe the characteristics of that person
3.Detail his/her activities on this line
4.And complete them on this line
5.Save the last line for comic consequence/conclusion
92. Soliloquy
an unusually long speech in which a character on stage alone expresses
his or her thoughts aloud
examples: “To be or not to be” in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” in Shakespeare’s Macbeth
93: Dramatic monologue
a speaker talks to a silent listener about a dramatic event or experience
example from Romeo and Juliet: “But soft! What light through yonder window
breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!”
94: Haiku
a Japanese verse form consisting of three lines and usually seventeen
syllables (five, seven, five); often about nature or a particular
moment of discovery or enlightenment
examples:
A giant firefly, First autumn morning
That way, this way, that way, this The mirror I stare into And it passes by. Shows my father’s face
(by Issa) (by Kijo Murakami)
95. Stanzas
groups of lines that have been separated from other groups of lines
in the poem (similar to paragraphs in prose); may have consistent
patterns of rhyme and meter or may have irregular rhyme patterns
example: “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke (page 614 in textbook)
has four stanzas of four lines each
Types of stanzas:
Couplet: a pair of rhyming lines in a poem (AABB rhyme)
example: “Roger the Dog” by Ted Hughes (in poetry packet)
is written in couplets
“Asleep he wheezes at his ease.
He only wakes to scratch his fleas.
He hogs the fire, he bakes his head
As if it were a loaf of bread.”
Tercet: a three-line stanza in which all three lines rhyme
Terza rima: a series of tercets in which the rhymes interlock (aba bcb cdc)
Quatrain: a four-line stanza
example: “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke (page 614 in textbook)
has four quatrains
Ottava rima: abababcc rhyme
Sestet: a stanza of six lines or the last six lines of a sonnet
example: “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron (in poetry packet)
consists of three sestets
Octet: a stanza of eight lines
example: “Count That Day Lost” by George Elliot (in poetry packet) has two octets
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