Poetic Devices - Definitions

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Assonance

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The repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences.

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Paradox

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A seemingly self-contradictory phrase or concept that illuminates a truth.

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Hyperbole

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Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

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Elegy

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A poem written in tribute to a person (or thing), usually someone who has died. It is formal and traditional in tone.

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Personification

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A kind of metaphor that gives a nonhuman thing human qualities and/or characteristics.

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Metaphor

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A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as.'

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Simile

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A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as.'

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Alliteration

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The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

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Imagery

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Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a mental picture.

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Onomatopoeia

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A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes.