AP Lit Vocab List 6

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Anastrophe
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Terms in this set (12)
Anastrophe
Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose: rhythm, emphasis, or euphony (pleasing to the ear)

In Greek, this means "turning around."

Example: "Powerful you have become. The dark side I sense in you." -Yoda
Aphorism
Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or a principle or accepted general truth. Other names: maxim, epigram

Example: "Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late." -Benjamin Franklin
Apostrophe
Calling out to an imaginary/dead/absent person, a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea. If the character asks a god or goddess for inspiration, it is called an invocation instead.

Example from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
Cliché
A word or phrase (often a figure of speech) which has grown lifeless due to overuse. Avoid clichés like the plague.

Examples: "to be honest," "with all due respect"
Colloquialism
A word or phrase frequently used in conversation and informal writing that is inappropriate for formal situations

Example from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: "What's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?"
Dialect
A way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area.
Euphemism
Replacing a plainer and possibly harsher or unpleasant expression with an agreeable or at least non-offensive phrase.

Example: "passed away" instead of "died"
Epithet
An adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality. Homeric ones are compound adjectives used with a person or thing.

Example: "father of our country"
Homeric example: "swift-footed Achilles"
Explication
The act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. It usually involves close reading and paying special attention to figurative language.
Figurative Language
Words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally but are used to describe. It is used when words' actual meanings are stretched for effect, whether to sound artistic, make a joke, or communicate more clearly and engagingly. It is a common technique in narrative writing, where the author strives to make emotional connections with the audience.

Common forms: similes, metaphors
MotifA recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author) that unifies the work by tying the current situation to previous ones or new ideas to the theme. Example: Kurt Vonnegut uses the phrase "so it goes" throughout Slaughterhouse-Five to remind the reader of the senselessness of death.VernacularThe language of a people or a national/regional language. Example from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: "We's safe, Huck, we's safe! Jump up and crack yo' heels. Dat's de good ole Cairo at las', I jis knows it."