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AP Literature Terms Flashcards

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4909798004anaphorathe regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of two or more successive phrases or clauses.0
4909798005chiasmusa reversal in the word order of words in two otherwise parallel sentences1
4909798006apostrophethe direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea.2
4909798007hyperbolea rhetorical figure in which emphasis is achieved through exaggeration3
4909798008metaphorfigurative language that describes something as though it actually were something else4
4909798009metonymythe substitution of one term for another that is generally associated with it. (ex. the crown declared that the man would be executed.)5
4909798010synecdochea figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole (ex. all hands on deck)6
4909798011onomatopoeiathe use of words that sound like a noise7
4909798012paradoxa statement or expression so surprisingly self-contradictory but ends up being true on some level8
4909798013parallelismthe use of similar grammatical structures or word order.9
4909798014personificationthe use of human characteristics to describe animals, things, or ideas.10
4909798015point of viewthe perspective that a narrator takes toward the events it describes11
4909798017puna witty word-play which reveals that words with different meanings have similar or even identical sounds12
4909798018satirewriting that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of individuals or groups13
4909798019polysyndetonthe repetition of conjunctions in a sentence14
4909798020asyndetonthe omission of conjunctions in a sentence15
4909798021archetypea symbol found in many cultures16
4909798022dramatic ironya situation where the audience knows something that the characters on stage are not aware of17
4909798023allusiona reference to a piece of literature, character, historical figure that the author assumes the reader will recognize18
4909798025dictionthe word choices made by a writer19
4909798026didactichaving the primary purpose of teaching or instructing20
4909798029expositionthe beginning portion of Freytag's pyramid where the background information, characters and setting are introduced21
4909798032denouement (catastrophe)The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work or the outcome of a complicated sequence of events22
4909798034themeCentral idea of a work of literature23
4909798035toneA writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.24

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