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AP Literature Rhetorical Terms Flashcards

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4891038792AlliterationRepitition of the same sound beginning several words in a sequence. Ex: Mama made me mash my M&Ms.0
4891038793AnaphoraThe repetition of a word of phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines. Ex: Repetition of "when you" in MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail1
4891038794AnastropheTransposition of normal word order. Ex: "Yoda I am."2
4891038795AntistropheRepetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses. Ex: Repetition of "without warning" in Roosevelt's speech3
4891038796AntithesisOpposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction. Ex: "Not that I loved Ceaser less, but that I loved Rome more."4
4891038797ApostropheA sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or an inanimate object. Ex: Naomi talking to her mother in Obasan5
4891038798AssonanceRepetition of the same sound in words close to each other. Ex: thy kingdom come, thy will be done.6
4891038799AsyndetonLack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words. Ex: JFK's inaugural speech7
4891038800CacophonyHarsh joining of sounds. Ex: "We want no parlay with you and your grisly hang who work your wicked will." -W. Churchill8
4891038801ChiasmusTwo corresponding pairs arranged not in parallels but in inverted order. Ex: "Fair is foul and foul is fair."9
4891038802ClimaxArrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in order of ascending power. Ex: "One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will, to strive to seek, to find, and not to yield." -Tennyson10
4891038803EuphemismSubstitution of an agreeable or non-offensive expression for something harsh or unpleasant. Ex: "passed away", "friendly fire"11
4891038804HendiadysUse of two words connected by a conjunction, instead of subordinating one another, to express a single complex idea. Ex: Sound and fury instead of furious sound12
4891038805HyperboleExaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect. Ex13
4891038806IronyExpressing of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean another. Ex: Romeo and Juliet14
4891038807LitotesUnderstatement for intensification. Ex: being stabbed is bad for you.15
4891038808MetaphorImplied comparison without using like or as. Ex: she is a flower.16
4891038809MetonymySubstitution of a word for something that represents it. Ex: calling the people that work on wall-street "Wall Street"17
4891038810OnomatopoeiaUse of words to imitate natural sounds. Ex: baa! Moo!18
4891038811OxymoronApparent paradox caused by using two contrasting words in a sequence Ex: Jumbo shrimp19
4891038812ParadoxSomething that seems to not make sense, but yet might make some sense. Ex: "what a pity that youth is wasted on the young"20
4891038813PersonificationAttribution of personality to an impersonal thing Ex: the moon smiled21
4891038814PolysyndetonUse of many conjunctions. Ex: Hemmingway's writing22
4891038815SimileComparison using like or as Ex: she is as beautiful as a flower23
4891038816SynecdocheUnderstanding one thing with another, using a part for a whole Ex: all hands on deck24
4891038817ZeugmaTwo different words liked to a verb that fits them both. Ex: "I caught a cold and the ball."25
4891038818AllusionReference to pop culture. Ex: Goodman Brown alludes to the fall of man.26
4891038819AllegoryStory in which everything is a symbol or represents something else. Ex: Animal Farm27
4891038820ConsonanceRepetition of a consonant. Ex: titinibilation28

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