Week 2: Poetry Terms
Although literary devices are important to know when reading any type of literature, they become crucial when one dives into the world of poetry. From rhyme to meter to poetic forms, poetry relies on making the biggest impact on the reader in a demanding structure that seeks to make every word impactful for the poet’s purposes. For the sake of understanding a small piece of all that the world of poetry has to offer readers, here are five literary from Deutsch’s Poetry Handbook.
Chiasmus
A chiasmus is when a poet uses a phrase or clause and then inverts the wording of that clause in the next phrase or clause. One such example of a chiasmus is found in Hammerstein’s song “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” as the Prince sings, “Do I love you because you’re beautiful? Or are you beautiful because I love you.” Hammerstein’s inversion of the first question creates the effect of emphasizing the prince’s struggle with understanding his emotions as he examines the question from different, yet similar, angles.
Epitaph
An epitaph is itself a short poem that is typically inscribed on a tomb to describe an individual’s legacy, either for better or worse. It is also used in poetry to similar effects of commemoration. An example of an epitaph is one that Robert Frost used in his poetry and later put on his tombstone that read, “And were an epitaph to be my story / I’d have a short one ready for my own. / I would have written of me on my stone: / I had a lover’s quarrel with the world.” Epitaphs are often used in poetry to emphasize the power of one’s legacy and the need for individuals to come to terms with the eventuality of death.
Limerick
A limerick is a form of poetry that focuses on humorous verse, consisting of three long and two short lines rhyming AABBA. One of the most famous limericks is associated with the storytelling of Mother Goose in her limerick “Hickory Dickory Dock,” reading, “Hickory dickory dock / The mouse ran up the clock / The clock struck one; / The mouse did run. / Hickory dickory dock.” Limericks are typically associated with comedy to make the reader laugh at nonsensical situations.
Muse
Muse refers to the nine muses of Greek mythology that presided over the sphere of arts and sciences, four of which solely presided over different forms of poetry. An appeal to a “muse” in poetry is used as a classical allusion to entreat the almighty to help them with the following poem. A popular example is found in Milton’s Paradise Lost as the narrator appeals, “Sing Heav’nly Muse,” as an introduction to his epic poem. Invoking the muses in a poem seeks to give credence to the poet and the poem that follows as they are, supposedly, divinely inspired.
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is the joining of contradictory terms to make an expression more pointed in its meaning. A famous example of an oxymoron is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as Juliet depicts their parting as “sweet sorrow.” Though “sweet” and “sorrow” have different connotations, Shakespeare uses them to emphasize Juliet’s anticipation of seeing Romeo again after their parting, making it both “sweet” and “sorrowful” to them. Oxymorons are used to showcase the power of different experiences and emotions and how they may be connected in various ways.
Hello Kaylee, I think the term “chiasmus” is really fascinating because in some way I knew what this word represented, but did not know that this technique was called such a thing. We hear this sort of inversion in everyday speech, TV shows, and novels, so I was unaware of its importance in poetry. Although it is not poetry, one of my favorite examples of this kind of inversion can be seen in one of my favorite shows called Jujutsu Kaisen, where a character named Geto asks another character, named Gojo, “Are you the strongest because you’re Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you’re the strongest?” The meaning changes completely depending on how the statement or question is arranged! I love this term and am happy you shared it with us. Another thing I found interesting about your post was the example you used for the term “limerick”. I remember hearing that rhyme a lot as a kid and thinking about how weird it sounds. Later in life, I wondered if rhymes like those counted as poetry but never did find out my answer until I read through the handbook. It’s cool how literature finds its way into different parts of our lives, even if we aren’t aware of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree! There are a lot of chiasmus' in pop culture and in history that kind of go unknown if you don't know what to look for. It's interesting to think about.
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