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Poetic Terms AP Literature Flashcards

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4734349324alliterationthe repetition of initial consonant sounds Example"Silence surged softly..."0
4734349325assonancethe repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables Examples: "purple curtain," "young love"1
4734349327consonancethe repetition in two or more words of final consonants in stressed syllables Example: "east and west"2
4734349326cacophonythe 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.3
4734349328euphonypleasing sounds. Opposite of cacophony.4
4734349329metera generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry5
4734349330Feetare the individual building blocks of meter.6
4734349331Iambicduh-DUH, as in "above"7
4734349335Iambic pentameterduh-DUH (five iambic feet in one line...Shakespearean sonnets)8
4734349332Anapesticduh-duh-DUH as in "but of course"9
4734349333DactylicDUH-duh-duh, as in "honestly"10
4734349334TrochaicDUH-duh, as in "pizza"11
4734349336Approximate/slant rhymetwo words are alike in some sounds, but do not rhyme exactly (Example: now and know)12
4734349337End rhymeoccurring at the ends of lines (the most common type of rhyme)13
4734349338Internal rhymeoccurring within a line14
4734349339rhyme schemethe pattern of end rhymes, labeled with capital letters for the purpose of analysis15
4734349340ballada song or poem that tells a story of tragedy, adventure, betrayal, revenge, or jealousy16
4734349341blank verseverse written in unrhymed, iambic pentameter17
4734349342dramatic monologuea poem in which a character speaks to one or more listeners who remain silent or whose replies are not revealed18
4734349343elegya poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual19
4734349344epica long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society20
4734349345epitaphan inscription on a gravestone or a commemorative poem written as if it were for that purpose21
4734349346free verseunrhymed poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern or meter. It seeks to capture the rhythms of speech22
4734349347heroic couplet2 lines of poetry that rhyme and are in iambic pentameter23
4734349348limericka humorous, rhyming five-line poem with a specific meter and rhyme scheme24
4734349349lyric poemverse that expresses the personal observations and feelings of a single speaker25
4734349350narrative poema poem that tells a story26
4734349351odea 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
4734349352Shakespearean/English sonneta sonnet which consists of three quatrains and a couplet. The most common rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.28
4734349353Petrarchan/Italian sonneta 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
4734349354sestinaa 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
4734349355villanellea 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
4734349356caesura(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
4734349357couplettwo consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme. Heroic couplet is also in iambic pentameter.33
4734349358enjambmentthe 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
4734349359stanzaa 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
4734349360allusionreference to a well-known person, text, historical event, etc. Example Shakespearean and Biblical allusions36
4734349361apostrophewhen an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed.37
4734349362conceitunconventional/unexpected metaphors38
4734349363metaphorunexpected comparison between two unalike things39
4734349364extended metaphora metaphor carried throughout the text or poem40
4734349365personficationgiving human qualities to an inanimate object or force41
4734349366connotationall the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests42
4734349367denotationdictionary definition of a word43
4734349368dictionword 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
4734349371synesthesiafrom 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.45

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