Each poem has a speaker.Like a narrator, the speaker is not necessarily

the poet.It can be a fictional person, an animal, or

even a thing.“But believe me, son.

I want to be what I used to be when I was like you.”

- “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara

Line – word or row of words that may or may not form a complete sentence

Stanza – a group of lines forming a unit. The stanzas in a poem are separated by a space.“Open it.

Go ahead, it won’t bite.Well…. Maybe a little.”

“The First Book” by Rita Dove

Rhythm is the pattern of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. It can be regular but doesn’t have to be.

Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, which sets the overall rhythm for most poems.“Man and boy stood cheering by,

And home we brought you shoulder-high.“To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E.

Housman

Rhyme is the repetition of the same stressed vowel sound in two or more words.Internal rhyme – occurs within a line of poetry.End rhyme – occurs at the ends of lines.Rhyme scheme – the pattern of the end rhymes

designated by assigning a different letter of the alphabet to each new rhyme.

Alliteration – the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry.

Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words.Like a pair of thick socks.In the streamer is the trout seasoned with slivers of ginger.The stars never rise but I see the bright eyes.

Narrative – tells a storyLyric – expresses the personal thoughts and

feelings of the speaker.Dramatic – has one or more characters who

speak to other characters, to themselves, or to the reader.