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Poetic Terms AP Literature Flashcards

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5186005533alliterationthe repetition of initial consonant sounds Example"Silence surged softly..."0
5186005534assonancethe repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables Examples: "purple curtain," "young love"1
5186005535cacophonythe opposite of euphony; a harsh, unpleasant combination of sound. Cacophony may be an unconscious flaw, or it may be used consciously for effect, as Browning and Hardy often used it.2
5186005536consonancethe repetition in two or more words of final consonants in stressed syllables Example: "east and west"3
5186005537euphonypleasing sounds. Opposite of cacophony.4
5186005538metera generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry5
5186005539Feetare the individual building blocks of meter.6
5186005540Iambicduh-DUH, as in "above"7
5186005541Anapesticduh-duh-DUH as in "but of course"8
5186005542DactylicDUH-duh-duh, as in "honestly"9
5186005543TrochaicDUH-duh, as in "pizza"10
5186005544Iambic pentameterduh-DUH (five iambic feet in one line...Shakespearean sonnets)11
5186005545Approximate/slant rhymetwo words are alike in some sounds, but do not rhyme exactly (Example: now and know)12
5186005546End rhymeoccurring at the ends of lines (the most common type of rhyme)13
5186005547Internal rhymeoccurring within a line14
5186005548rhyme schemethe pattern of end rhymes, labeled with capital letters for the purpose of analysis15
5186005549ballada song or poem that tells a story of tragedy, adventure, betrayal, revenge, or jealousy16
5186005550blank verseverse written in unrhymed, iambic pentameter17
5186005551dramatic monologuea poem in which a character speaks to one or more listeners who remain silent or whose replies are not revealed18
5186005552elegya poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual19
5186005553epica long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society20
5186005554epitaphan inscription on a gravestone or a commemorative poem written as if it were for that purpose21
5186005555free verseunrhymed poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern or meter. It seeks to capture the rhythms of speech22
5186005556heroic couplet2 lines of poetry that rhyme and are in iambic pentameter23
5186005557limericka humorous, rhyming five-line poem with a specific meter and rhyme scheme24
5186005558lyric poemverse that expresses the personal observations and feelings of a single speaker25
5186005559narrative poema poem that tells a story26
5186005560odea complex and often lengthy lyric poem, written in a dignified formal style on some lofty or serious subject, addresses a subject Example ode to my coffee27
5186005561Shakespearean/English sonnet三个四行诗加一副对联;a sonnet which consists of three quatrains and a couplet. The most common rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.28
5186005562Petrarchan/Italian sonnet8+6;a sonnet which consists of an octave and a sestet with the rhyme scheme being abbaabba cdecde. There is usually a pronounced tonal shift between the octave and sestet as well.29
5186005563sestina6*6+3;a poem that consists of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy. It makes no use of refrain. The form is usually unrhymed; rather it has a fixed pattern of end-words which demands that these end-words in each stanza be the same, though arranged in a different sequence each time.30
5186005564villanellea poem that has 19 lines, 5 stanzas of three lines and 1 stanza of four lines with two rhymes and two refrains. The 1st, then the 3rd lines alternate as the last lines of stanzas 2,3,and 4, and then stanza 5 (the end) as a couplet. It is usually written in tetrameter (4 feet) or pentameter.31
5186005565caesura(or cesura) A pause or break in a line of verse. Originally, in CLASSICAL literature, the caesura characteristically divides a FOOT between two words, usually near the middle of a line. Some poets, however, have sought diversity of rhythmical effect by placing the caesura anywhere from near the beginning of a line to near the end.32
5186005566couplettwo consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. Heroic couplet is also in iambic pentameter.33
5186005567enjambmentthe continuation of the sense and grammatical construction of a verse or couplet on to the next verse or couplet. In other words, the line is not end-stopped, but wraps around to the next line.34
5186005568stanzaa group of lines in a poem, considered as a unit, like a paragraph in prose Examples of types of stanzas Couplet, two lines that rhyme Tercet- 3 lines quatrain 4 lines, Cinquain- 5 lines, sestet 6 lines Septets- 7 lines, octaves 8 lines35
5186005569allusionreference to a well-known person, text, historical event, etc. Example Shakespearean and Biblical allusions36
5186005570apostrophewhen an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed.37
5186005571conceitunconventional/unexpected metaphors38
5186005572metaphorunexpected comparison between two unalike things39
5186005573extended metaphora metaphor carried throughout the text or poem40
5186005574personficationgiving human qualities to an inanimate object or force41
5186005575connotationall the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests42
5186005576denotationdictionary definition of a word43
5186005577dictionword choice. To discuss a writer's diction is to consider the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, the vividness of the language, and the accompanying connotations of a specific word choice44
5186005578metonymya figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. Example: The soldier led with his gun.45
5186005579synechdochea figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.46
5186005580synesthesiafrom the Greek (syn-) "union", and (aesthesis) "sensation"; is the mixing of the senses Examples: Sound that smells of Granny's brownies and tastes like the toil of a dancer.47

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