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AP Literature Terms for exam Flashcards

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6704916297anaphorathe regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of two or more successive phrases or clauses.0
6704916298chiasmusa reversal in the word order of words in two otherwise parallel sentences1
6704916299apostrophethe direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, quality, or idea.2
6704916300hyperbolea rhetorical figure in which emphasis is achieved through exaggeration3
6704916301metaphorfigurative language that describes something as though it actually were something else4
6704916302metonymythe substitution of one term for another that is generally associated with it. (ex. the crown declared that the man would be executed.)5
6704916303synecdochea figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole (ex. all hands on deck)6
6704916304onomatopoeiathe use of words that sound like a noise7
6704916305paradoxa statement or expression so surprisingly self-contradictory but ends up being true on some level8
6704916306parallelismthe use of similar grammatical structures or word order.9
6704916307personificationthe use of human characteristics to describe animals, things, or ideas.10
6704916308point of viewthe perspective that a narrator takes toward the events it describes11
6704916309puna witty word-play which reveals that words with different meanings have similar or even identical sounds12
6704916310satirewriting that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of individuals or groups13
6704916311polysyndetonthe repetition of conjunctions in a sentence14
6704916312asyndetonthe omission of conjunctions in a sentence15
6704916313archetypea symbol found in many cultures16
6704916314dramatic ironya situation where the audience knows something that the characters on stage are not aware of17
6704916315allusiona reference to a piece of literature, character, historical figure that the author assumes the reader will recognize18
6704916316dictionthe word choices made by a writer19
6704916317didactichaving the primary purpose of teaching or instructing20
6704916318expositionthe beginning portion of Freytag's pyramid where the background information, characters and setting are introduced21
6704916319denouement (catastrophe)The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work or the outcome of a complicated sequence of events22
6704916320themeCentral idea of a work of literature23
6704916321toneA 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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