Definition of lyric, sonnet, ode, elegy, epic, satire, ballad, dramatic monologue.

Definition: A lyric is a short, musical poem expressing personal emotions and thoughts of the speaker, often in the first person.
Function: The lyric aims to convey deep personal feelings, often focusing on themes of love, nature, and reflection.
Example: William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” is a quintessential lyric poem that captures the beauty of nature and the speaker’s emotional response to it.

Definition: A sonnet is a 14-line poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme. The most common forms are the Petrarchan (Italian) and the Shakespearean (English) sonnets.
Function: Sonnets often explore themes of love, beauty, politics, mortality, and the nature of time, offering a tight, structured format for poetic expression.
Example: William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”) reflects on the enduring beauty of the beloved, immortalized through poetry.

Definition: An ode is a formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and celebrates a person, place, thing, or idea.
Function: Odes are used to convey admiration or praise, often employing elevated language and complex structures.
Example: John Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale” praises the beauty of the nightingale’s song while contemplating the fleeting nature of life.

Definition: An elegy is a mournful, contemplative poem, often written in response to the death of a person or reflecting on a solemn subject.
Function: Elegies express grief, loss, and reflection, moving from sorrow to a sense of consolation.
Example: Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” reflects on mortality and the uncelebrated lives of the rural poor.

Definition: An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, often detailing heroic deeds, events of historical significance, or the journey of a hero.
Function: Epics serve to inspire, instruct, and entertain, often embodying the cultural values of the time.
Example: Homer’s “The Iliad” recounts the events of the Trojan War, focusing on the hero Achilles and his internal and external struggles.

Definition: Satire is a literary genre that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize human vices or societal flaws.
Function: Satire aims to provoke thought and encourage change by highlighting the absurdities or injustices in society.
Example: Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” is a satirical novel that critiques human nature, politics, and the pettiness of society.

Definition: A ballad is a narrative poem or song, typically in short stanzas, that tells a story, often of folk origin, with a focus on dramatic events.
Function: Ballads are used to tell stories, often with a focus on love, tragedy, or adventure, in a simple and direct manner.
Example: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a ballad that tells the tale of a sailor’s cursed voyage.

Definition: A dramatic monologue is a type of poem in which a single speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing their character and situation in a specific dramatic moment.
Function: Dramatic monologues provide insight into the speaker’s mind, often revealing personal thoughts, feelings, and motivations in a dramatic context.
Example: Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue in which a duke reveals his possessive and controlling nature as he speaks about his late wife.

M.A. English Entrance Test Prep