AP Literature Terms Flashcards
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| 2793631006 | allegory | ~A story in which people, things and actions represent an idea | 0 | |
| 2793633167 | Alliteration | ~The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words ~Alliteration is often represented in tongue twisters ~Poets utilize alliteration to create an effect or emphasize an idea | 1 | |
| 2793634750 | Allusion | ~A reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature | 2 | |
| 2793636202 | Anadiplosis | ~A Greek word which means "to reduplicate" ~Refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause | 3 | |
| 2793637341 | Analogy | ~A comparison of two or more like objects that suggests that if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well. | 4 | |
| 2806006889 | Anaphora | ~In writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effects is known as anaphora ~Has its roots in Biblical Psalms used to emphasize certain words or phrases ~"My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration." | 5 | |
| 2806015195 | Anecdote | ~This is a brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point ~Often used in narrative writing or speeches ~Learn to understand people (or characters) ~"It was Christmas morning, and I sat sipping hot chocolate with my sisters and brothers when we realized..." | 6 | |
| 2806017526 | Apostrophe | ~A figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O". A writer or a speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech ~"O Captain! My captain!..." | 7 | |
| 2806021762 | Aside | ~An actor's speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage ~Used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking ~Macbeth and Hamlet (internal conflict) | 8 | |
| 2806024389 | Assonance | ~This is the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry ~While alliteration creates a clearer effect in the poem, assonance is pleasing to the ear and aides rhyme ~"Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow" | 9 | |
| 2822393926 | Audience | ~The audience is the particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing ~A writer considers his or her audience when deciding on a subject, a purpose for writing and the tone and style in which to write | 10 | |
| 2822399247 | Author's purpose | ~An author's purpose is his or her reason for creating a particular work ~The purpose can be to entertain, explain or inform, express an opinion, or to persuade | 11 | |
| 2822401108 | Ballad | ~A poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or cited ~Apostrophe is often utilized in ballads, as the poet commemorates a thing or person in a sing-song manner ~"Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson ~"La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by John Keats "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge | 12 | |
| 2822405555 | Blank verse | ~This is unrhymed iambic pentameter ~Iambic pentameter consists of five IAMBS, to create 10 syllables ~William Shakespeare writes in blank verse ~dah-DUM, comPLETE, proDUCE, reMAIN "you STARS that REIGNED at MY NaTIVaTY | 13 | |
| 2822410773 | Caesura | ~This is a pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry ~"I'm nobody! || Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us ||- don't tell! They'd banish ||- you know!..." | 14 | |
| 2885561384 | Caricature | ~A caricature is a picture or imitation of a person's habits, physical appearance or mannerisms exaggerated in a comic or absurd way ~The purpose of this caricature could simply be to entertain an audience ~Characters in novels or plays are sometimes criticized for their unrealistic or exaggerated behavior ~Professor Trelawney has often been called a "caricature" | 15 | |
| 2885568800 | Character foil | ~This is a character who serves as a contrast or a conflict to another character ~Two characters who foil one another may help develop the "good vs. evil" theme in a novel or series ~The "foil" often helps indirectly characterize the protagonist-- or another main | 16 | |
| 2885577434 | Direct vs. indirect characterization | ~The author directly states a characters traits or makes direct comments about a character's nature ~"[Ernest Marrow's mother] looked up at me. She had a terrifically nice smile. She really did" | 17 | |
| 2885587884 | Indirect Characterization | ~The character's traits are implied through dialogue or actions ~"She inhaled and all, but she didn't wolf the smoke down like most women around her age do." | 18 | |
| 2885587885 | Dynamic Character | ~A character who changes throughout the course of the story ~Are usually main characters ~George in Of Mice and Men | 19 | |
| 2885590232 | Static Character | ~A character who does not change or who changes very little in the course of a story ~Are usually minor characters ~Curley in Of Mice and Men | 20 | |
| 2885594374 | Round vs. Flat Character | ~Round Character: a character who is fully described by the author (several character traits, background information, etc.) ~Flat Character: a character about whom little information is provided ~Minor characters can either be flat or round, depending on the purpose they hold in a novel ~We often feel sympathy toward "round" characters ~"To kill a Mockingbird" | 21 | |
| 3048365179 | Concrete Poetry | ~A type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message ~The rain drops trickle slowly | 22 | |
| 3048373023 | Consaonance | ~This is the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry ~Alliteration is a specific type of consonance ~"The stick breaks" ~"break, break, break" | 23 | |
| 3048379014 | Couplet | ~A rhymed pair of lines in a poem ~One of William Shakespeare's trademarks was to end a sonnet with a couplet ~"So long as men ca breathe or eyes can see, So long as lives this, and this gives life to thee." | 24 | |
| 3048384674 | Dramatic Monologue | ~This occurs when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the story line, through a poem or a speech ~Recited while other characters are present onstage ~Often comes during a climatic moment... reveals hidden truths about a character, their history and their relationships | 25 | |
| 3048397033 | Enjambment | ~In poetry, this is the running over of a line or thought into the next of verse ~From "Litany" by Billy Collins And a quick look in the mirror will show that you are neither the boots in the corner nor the boat asleep in its boathouse | 26 | |
| 3359649636 | Epigram | ~A short poem or verse that seeks to ridicule a thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm | 27 | |
| 3359657637 | Elegy | ~A type of literature defined as a song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died | 28 | |
| 3359662207 | Epic | ~A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group ~The Odyssey | 29 | |
| 3359663813 | Extended metaphor | ~A figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length ~Think of a simple metaphor with all of its parts described, sentence after sentence | 30 | |
| 3359665652 | Free verse | ~This is poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm. Often used to capture the sounds and rhythms of ordinary speech ~Emotion and Truth over rhythm and rhyme | 31 | |
| 3359667443 | Haiku | ~A traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually dealing with nature. A haiku has three lines and describes a single moment, feeling or thing ~The first and third line contain five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables | 32 | |
| 3359669367 | Heroic couplet | ~A couplet consisting of two successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought ~Often referred to as a "closed couplet" ~"Away, and mock the time with fairest show False face must hide what the false heart doth know" | 33 | |
| 3602695370 | Idiom | ~A phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say ~People often mistake these phrases for metaphors, but they're not ~"Over his head", "In one ear and out the other" | 34 | |
| 3602701265 | Situational irony | ~The difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually work out ~For instance, a preschool teacher once told me that her "spring is here" party was met with six inches of snow | 35 | |
| 3602705834 | Dramatic irony | ~Occurs when facts are not known to the characters in a work of literature but are known by the audience ~Heightens the tension, often leading to the climax of the literature | 36 | |
| 3602708881 | Verbal irony | ~Occurs when the speaker means something totally different than what he or she is saying and often times the opposite of what a character is saying is true ~Sarcasm | 37 | |
| 3602713332 | Cosmic irony | ~Suggests that some unknown force brings about dire and dreadful events | 38 | |
| 3602719626 | Metonymy | ~The metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase for another related word or phrase ~The pen is mightier than the sword | 39 | |
| 3602726909 | Motif | ~A recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature ~A motif is important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying to express | 40 | |
| 3602730438 | Oxymoron | ~A form of figurative language combining contradictory words or ideas ~Jumbo shrimp ~Bittersweet ~Icy Hot | 41 | |
| 3602733720 | Paradox | ~A statement that seems to contradict itself but, nevertheless, is true ~Absence makes the heart grow fonder Hamlet: I must be cruel to be kind | 42 | |
| 3602739075 | Parallelism | ~The use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance ~Note that anaphora sometimes "helps along" parallelism ~The sun rises. The sun sets. | 43 |