ELEMENTS OF POETRY

A. Verse

Rhyming verse
Blank verse (has rhythm, usually iambic pentameter, but has no rhyme)
Free verse (has no regular rhythm or rhyme )
B. Rhythm

Poetic foot (a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables)
anapest (~~/ ) iamb ( ~/) spondee (//)
dactyl ( /~~) trochee ( /~ )

Meter (the number of poetic feet in a line of poetry)
dipody (2 feet) triameter (3 feet)
tetrameter (4 feet) pentameter (5 feet)

C. Imagery - word pictures created by the use of figurative language

simile - an expressed comparison between two different things using 'like' or 'as' Example:

eyes twinkle like stars.
as loud as the roaring sea

metaphor - an implied comparison between two different things; identifying a person or object as the thing to which it is being compared. Example:

"It is the East and Juliet is the sun."
tossed on the sea of life

D. Symbolism - use of one idea or object to represent another or an aspect of life. Example:

light often symbolizes knowledge or wisdom
darkness often symbolizes ignorance or despair

E. Contrast - showing the differences between two things

F. Comparison - showing the likeness between two things