AP Lit: Poetic Devices and Figurative Language
About this set
Created by:
chickadee_92 on January 8, 2010
Subjects:
ap literature, literature, literary terms
Classes:
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
37 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 metaphor | figure of speech which makes a direct comparison of two unlike objects by identification or substitution |
| simile | a direct comparison of two unlike objects, using like or as |
| conceit | an extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect |
| personification | figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualitites |
| apostrophe | addressing a person or personified object not present |
| metonymy | the substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself |
| synecdoche | figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea |
| hyperbole | gross exaggeration for effect; overstatement |
| litotes | understatement for effect |
| verbal irony | meaning one thing and saying another |
| dramatic irony | two levels of meaning: what the speaker says and what he means, and what the speaker says and the author means |
| situational irony | when the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended effect; when something unexpected occurs |
| symbolism | the use of one object to suggest another, hidden object or idea |
| imagery | the use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description |
| paradox | a statement which appears self-contradictory, but underlines a basis of truth |
| oxymoron | contradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect |
| allusion | a reference to an outside face, event, or other source |
| polysyndeton | the repetition of conjunctions in close succession for rhetorical effect, as in the phrase "here and there and everywhere" |
| asyndeton | a stylistic scheme where conjunctions are deliberately omitted to speed up the rhythm of the passage and emphasize a single point |
| point of view | who tells a story and method by which they tell the story; this limits the reader's access to the events happening and can be first-person, third-person, omniscient, etc. |
| diction | the choice of a particular word as opposed to others, and can be divided into informal and formal |
| alliteration | Repeating a consonant several times at the beginning of words or a vowel sound |
| assonance | Repeating identical or similar vowels in nearby words |
| euphony | Grouping words together harmoniously so they sound pleasing to the ear |
| cacophony | Grouping words together that sound harsh, hissing, and unmelodious |
| onomatopoeia | Use of words that are similar to the noise they represent |
| caesura | a pause separating phrases within lines of poetry |
| enjambment | A line having no pause or punctuation but having uninterrupted grammatical meaning |
| sonnet | a lyric poem of fourteen lines: they can be either Petrarchan, Shakespearean, or Miltonic |
| stanza | An arrangement of lines of verse in a pattern repeated throughout the poem |
| syntax | the word order and sentence structure |
| parallelism | the writer establishes similar patterns of grammatical structure and length |
| genre | A type or category of literature or film marked by certain shared features or conventions |
| satire | An attack on or criticism of any stupidity or vice in the form of scathing humor, or a critique of what the author sees as dangerous religious, political, moral, or social standards |
| Juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast |
| tone | the quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author |
| motif | a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.