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AP Literature Terms Flashcards

Poetry terms

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7882584973ALLEGORYstory or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities0
7882584974ALLITERATIONrepetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together1
7882584975ALLUSIONreference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature etc.).,2
7882584976ANALOGYComparison made between two things to show how they are alike,3
7882584977ASSONANCEthe repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together4
7882584979CONCEITan elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor.5
7882584980CONNOTATIONthe associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase in addition to its strict dictionary definition.,6
7882584981COUPLETtwo consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.,7
7882584982DICTIONa speaker or writer's choice of words.,8
7882584983ELEGYa poem of mourningusually about someone who has died. This is great praise or commendation a laudatory speech, often about someone who has died.9
7882584985FARCEa type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly far-fetched situations.10
7882584986FIGURATIVE LANGUAGEWords which are inaccurate if interpreted literally but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms.11
7882584987FLASHBACKa scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time.12
7882584988FOILA character who acts as contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero or a villain contrasting the hero.13
7882584989FORESHADOWINGthe use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot.14
7882584990FREE VERSEpoetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme.15
7882584991HYPERBOLEa figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement for effect. "If I told you once I've told you a million times...."16
7882584992IMAGERYthe use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing a place, or an experience.,17
7882584993IRONYa discrepancy between appearances and reality.,18
7882584994VERBAL IRONYoccurs when someone says one thing but really means something else.19
7882584995SITUATIONAL IRONYtakes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen.20
7882584996DRAMATIC IRONYis so called because it is often used on stage. A character in the play or story thinks one thing is true but the audience or reader knows better.21
7882584997LITOTESis a form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized throughthe negation of a negative form: Hawthorne--- "...the wearers of petticoat and farthingale...stepping forth into the public ways and wedging their not unsubstantial persons if occasion were, into the throng...",22
7882584998LYRIC POEMa poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker.23
7882584999METAPHORa figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as likeas, than, or resembles.,24
7882585000IMPLIED METAPHORdoes not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison:25
7882585001EXTENDED METAPHORis a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it. (conceit if it is quite elaborate).26
7882585002METONYMYa figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it. "We requested from the crown support for our petition." The crown is used to represent the monarch.27
7882585003MOODAn atmosphere created by a writer's diction and the details selected.28
7882585004ONOMATOPOEIAthe use of words whose sounds echo their sense. "Pop." "Zap.",29
7882585005OXYMORONa figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "Jumbo shrimp." "Pretty ugly." "Bitter-sweet"30
7882585006PARADOXa statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth.,31
7882585007PARALLEL STRUCTUREthe repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures32
7882585008PERSONIFICATIONa figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings thoughts, or attitudes.,33
7882585009QUATRAINa poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be considered as a unit.34
7882585012RHETORICAL QUESTIONa question asked for an effect, and not actually requiring an answer.35
7882585013SIMILEa figure of speech that makes an explicitly comparison between two unlike things using words such as like, as , than, or resembles.,36
7882585015SYNECDOCHEa figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. "If you don'tdrive properly you will lose your wheels." The wheels represent the entire car.,37
7882585016THEMEthe insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.,38
7882585017TONEthe attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audiencerevealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.,39

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