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AP Literature Flashcards

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2949264143AllusionAn indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historically, Biblical, or mythology0
2949264144AnaphoraA rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences.1
2949264145AntithesisA balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses. Ex(Speech is silver, but silence is gold.) "i would rather be ashes than dust, would rather that my spark should burn out...."2
2949264146ApostropheA figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply (ex. O Julius Caesar thou almighty yet; thy spirit walks abroad" or "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll")3
2949264147AsyndetonA series of words separated by commas (with no conjunction), e.g. "I came, I saw, I conquered." The parts of the sentence are emphasized equally; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. "He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a manic"4
2949264148CatharsisThe process by which an unhealthy emotional state produced by an imbalance of feelings is corrected and emotional health is restored (when Romeo commits suicide after finding a lifeless Juliet. People cry.)5
2949325883ChiasmusArrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern of XYYX. often short and summarizes a main idea. "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country"6
2949408564EllipticalA sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something."7
2949431133EpithetA descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something "snot green tea"8
2949431134EuphemismAn indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant. "he is at rest" instead of "he is dead"9
2949432275HyperboleA figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor10
2949433110InversionThe reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase.11
2949433111LitotesA figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. "It wasn't my best day"12
2949434851Dead Metaphoris a metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid: "The head of the house", "the seat of the government", "a knotty problem" are all dead metaphors.13
2949434859Extended MetaphorA metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.14
2949436861Mixed Metaphoris a metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. "The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas."15
2949436862MetonomyA figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty"). "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears."16
2949437942MotifA recurring theme, subject or idea17
2949438972OnomatopoeiaA word that imitates the sound it represents.18
2949438973OxymoronA figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "wise fool"19
2949441119ParadoxA statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. "War is peace, Freedom is slavery,"20
2949441120Periodic SentenceA sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. "Across the stream, beyond the clearing, the lion emerged" "in a hole on the ground, lived a rabbit"21
2949459391PersonificationA figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes22
2949466165PolysyndetonDeliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. Hemingway and the Bible both use extensively. Ex. "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"23
2949472901SimileA comparison using "like" or "as"24
2949584341SynecdocheA figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole.25
2949584342ZeugmaA trope in which one word, usually a noun or the main verb, governs two other words not related in meaning. They covered themselves in dust and glory" Ex. "We were partners, not soul mates, two separate people who happened to be sharing a menu and a life."26

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