Poetry
Stanza
Rhyme and Meter
Alliteration
A stanza is to a poem what a paragraph is to a piece of prosaic writing.
couplet (2 lines)
tercet (3 lines)
quatrain (4 lines)
cinquain (5 lines)
sestet (6 lines)
sonnet (exactly 14 lines)
Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme
Rhyming in poetry is one convention that makes this form of literature recognizably different from prose and drama.
EX: TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
The total number of syllables present in each line.
The total count of accented (stressed) syllables in each line.
The tally of recurring patterns of two or three syllables - stressed and unstressed - clubbed in every line.
Each recurring pattern is individually called a foot.
One foot: Monometer
Two feet: Dimeter
Three feet: Trimeter
Four feet: Tetrameter
Five feet: Pentameter
Six feet: Hexameter
five different types of constant beat patterns
Iamb (Iambic) - One weak syllable followed by one accented syllable.
Trochee (Trochaic) - One accented syllable followed by one weak syllable.
Anapæst (Anapæstic) - Two weak syllables followed by one accented syllable.
Dactyl (Dactylic) - One accented syllable followed by two weak syllables.
Spondee (Spondaic) - Two consecutive accented syllables. This can usually be found at the end of a line.
Alliteration is the repetition of a particular consonant or a vowel sound in the initial stressed syllables of a series of words or phrases in close succession.
Simile
Simply put, a simile is a direct comparison drawn between two concepts, objects, or people using a verb like 'resembles' or connectives such as 'like', 'as' or 'than'.
Metaphor
Metaphor is an indirect parallel drawn between two completely unrelated things. It is a comparison, yes, but metaphors do not use the connectives 'like', 'as' and 'than'. A metaphor usually has more layers and depth than a simile which in the resemblance is usually more linear. Any metaphor can also have multiple interpretations depending on how complicated the poet chooses to make it.
Imagery
The figurative painting of a vivid picture in the mind of a reader with words is imagery. This element is most exploited in descriptive poem where the poet has the scope to use ornate adjectives, lofty language and an exquisitely elaborate canvas to give wings to his imagination. Of course, this scope is primarily offered by the dynamic nature of a descriptive poem.
Since imagery can be used to appeal to each of the five human senses, there are five different kinds of it that has been used by poets over the ages. They are:
Auditory imagery
Gustatory imagery
Olfactory imagery
Tactile imagery
Visual imagery
Symoblism
The presentation of a tangible object that actually represents an abstract or intangible concept or idea is symbolism. A symbol can be presented to the readers in the form of a character, an object strategically placed in the narrative, a word or phrase, or even a place. A symbol is mostly subtle in nature or at least never blatantly explained. Symbols are mostly multi-layered in nature and can be interpreted differently by different people.