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AP Literature Flashcards

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7162003968Active voiceOne of the two "voices" of verbs ( see also passive voice). When the verb of a sentence is in the activevoice, the subject is doing the acting, as in the sentence "Kevin hit the ball." Kevin (the subject of thesentence) acts in relation to the ball.0
7162005537Allegorya story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one (i.e. the Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism)1
7162006555Alliterationthe use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words in a sentence, especially in poetry2
7162007061Allusiona brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.3
7162008039Anachronismderived from Greek; means "misplaced in time"—something (such as a word, an object, or an event) that is mistakenly placed in a time where it does not belong in a story4
7162009237Analogya comparison between two situations, processes, things etc. that is intended to show that the two are similar5
7162010933Anaphora: repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect. Lincoln's "we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground" is an example of anaphora.6
7162012527Anastrophedeliberate changing of word order for emphasis. Ex: Bright he was not. (Normally, He was not bright.)7
7162015200Anticlimaxwhen an action produces far smaller results than one had been led to expect8
7162015759Antiheroa protagonist who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, etc.9
7162016495Antithesisa rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of grammatical arrangement of words, clauses or sentences. Ex: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. . ." and "Agree to disagree."10
7162017668Aphorisma brief statement of an opinion or elemental truth. "Vision is the art of seeing the invisible." -Jonathan Swift11

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