Poetry Terms: Elegy ♥

DEFINITION
A poem for someone who has died.

EXAMPLE

I have not lost my rings, my purse,
My gold, my gems-my loss is worse,
One that the stoutest heart must move.
My pet, my joy, my little love,
My tiny kitten, my Belaud,
I lost, alas, three days ago.

       (Elegy on His Cat - Joachim Du Bellay)

SIGNIFICANCE

Elegy is either dedicated to the dead ones or about them. This makes poetry more interesting because we can have diversed types of poems.

Poetry Terms: Couplet ♥

DEFINITION
When two rhyming lines that are next to each other.

EXAMPLE

All this time you were pretending
So much for my happy ending
       (My Happy Ending - Avril Lavigne)
 

SIGNIFICANCE

There are many types of rhymes but couplet is one of the most common. It's the easiest and the fastest way to recognize the rhyme since the lines are right next to each other. It just simply makes the poem sound better when you hear it.

Poetry Terms: Rhyme ♥

DEFINITION
The identity in sound of words, especially at the end.

EXAMPLE

I can feel you all around
In the silence I hear the sound
Of your footsteps on the ground
And my heart slows down.
       (Invisible - Jonas Brothers)
 

SIGNIFICANCE

When people talk about poetry or poems, they think of rhymes. Therefore it's a major thing in poems. Even though it's not necessary be in a poem, it still makes the poem sound better. Once the poem sounds catchy, the reader would want to read more. Rhymes just make a poem sound more like...a poem.

Poetry Terms: Rhythm ♥

DEFINITION
The rise and fall of one's voice, created by stressed and unstressed syllables to create a beat to the poem.

EXAMPLE

Who says,
Who says you're not perfect,
Who says you're not worth it,
Who says you're the only one that's hurting,
Trust me,
That's the price of beauty,
Who says you're not pretty,
Who says your not beautiful,
Who says
        (Who Says - Selena Gomez)
 

SIGNIFICANCE

When you read a poem, it's better if you include rhythm in it. With stressed and unstressed syllables, the poem will sound much better and more appealing. Once you think that the poem sounds good, you would want to read it over and over again to find out about the meaning clearer.

Poetry Terms: Tone ♥

 

DEFINITION
The pitch or strength of your voice when you read a poem. When your voice goes up and down, it can create different moods to the poem.

EXAMPLE

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

    (What Are Words - Chris Medina)
 

SIGNIFICANCE

If you read the poem out loud with some tones in it, you can feel the moods and the emotions that the author's trying to create. By using tones, the poem will sound more dramatic and emotional, lively and realistic.

Poetry Terms: Speaker ♥

 

DEFINITION
The poem's narrator or the first person of the poem

EXAMPLE

I am sharp and focused
I wonder what the camera really sees
I hear the buzzing bee
I see flowers in early morning light
I want to stop light in a box
I am sharp and focused
 

SIGNIFICANCE

When the poem is in a first-person perspective, it'll be absolutely easier for us to understand the poem, especially the feeling of the character. Not only in poetry but in any type of literature, it is always easy to know the characters' feelings if it is told by a first-person perspective.

Poetry Terms: Personification ♥

 

DEFINITION
A comparison between a non-human thing to a human. This just simply means the author wants to make a non-human thing sound like a human.

EXAMPLE

The Cat and The Fiddle
Hey diddle, Diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
     - Mother Goose
 

SIGNIFICANCE

This type of figure of speech makes many connections to human beings which is a pretty good thing because we're humans and we understand things better if they relate to us. By making animals, objects or the nature sound more human-like, we feel like their "actions" are closer to us and it's easier to guess what their "feelings" and "emotions" are. This can also mean that when we get to the point where we can truly understand the mood and the feeling of the poem, we can REALLY get the poem.

Poetry Terms: Interpretation ♥

 

DEFINITION 
An explanation of a meaning of an artistic piece of work.

EXAMPLE

My Best Friend
Once was here
now is gone
I will always
love forever
the laughs
the tears
the smiles
without her
my life has no direction
no ups nor downs
no smiles or frowns
I miss her
I cry
I see her
I lie
whatever went wrong
I can mend
I will always
love forever
my very best friend
     - Athena

INTERPRETATION: This poem is simply about the author missing her best friend. She remembers every good moments she had with her friend and all of the bad moments as well. She will never forget the things that they did together because everything were just so memorable. Maybe she did something wrong, or maybe they were separated by a different reason and now that makes her missing her friend so bad.
 

SIGNIFICANCE

Interpretation is an essential skill when you study about poetry and poems. When you read a poem, you don't just simply read it, you need to understand it as well. You can guess what the author's trying to say through his/her's figure of speech throughout the poem. Another way to interpret easily is to make connections. Everything is easier when you have a connection to it; making it closer to yourself.