Ap Lit terms

allegory

story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities

alliteration

repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together

allusion

refers to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture

analogy

comparison made between two things to show how they are alike

anaphora\`

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. this is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent

antagonist

opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story

antithesis

balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure

aphorism

brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth

apostrophe

calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea. if the character is asking a god or goddess for inspiration it is called and ***INVOCATION***

assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter. blank verse is the meter used in most Shakespeare’s plays

characterization

the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character

indirect characterization

the author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how they look/dress by letting the reader hear what the character says by revealing their private thoughts and feelings

direct characterization

the author tells us directly what the character is like

static character

a character that doesn’t change much throughout the story

dynamic character

a character who changes is some important way as a result of the plot

flat character

has one or two personality traits, no dimension

round character

had more dimension and personality and are complex

cliche

a word, phrase, figure of speech that has become lifeless because of overuse

conceit

a metaphor that compares two things that are different

conflict

the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story

external conflict

a conflict that occurs between two people or externally

internal conflict

occurs between someone and themselves

connotation

the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase

consonance

the repetition of similar sounding consonants

couplet

two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry

heroic couplet

couplet written in iambic pentameter

diction

a speaker or writer’s choice of words

elegy

a poem of mourning

enjambment

the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next

epic

a long narrative poem written in heightened language

epigraph

a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme

euphemism

figurative language designed to replace phrasing that would otherwise be considered harsh, impolite, or unpleasant

epithet

an adjective or phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality

figurative language

words that are inaccurate if interpreted literally

flashback

a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened earlier

foil

a character who acts as a contrast to another character

foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

free verse

poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme

hyperbole

a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement

iambic pentameter

a line of verse with five metrical feet,

imagery

the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience

irony

a discrepancy between appearances and reality

verbal irony

when someone says one thing but means something else

situational irony

when there is a discrepancy between what was expected to happen or what would be appropriate to happen and what really happened

dramatic irony

a character thinks one thing is true but the audience knows better

juxtaposition

rhetorical device where unassociated ideas are placed next to each other

lament

a non-narrative poem expressing grief or sorrow over personal loss

lyric poem

a poem that expresses the personal feelings of the speaker

ballad

tells a story

malapropism

an incorrect word used in the place of another word with the same sound

metaphor

comparison between two unlike things without like or as

metonymy

a figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it

mood

an atmosphere created by a writer’s diction

motif

a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work

ode

a relatively long, serious, and usually meditative lyric poem that treats a noble or otherwise elevated subject in a dignified and calm manner

onomatopoeia

the use of words to describe sounds

oxymoron

combines opposite or contradictory words

parable

a short story that teaches a moral or lesson

paradox

statement that appears self-contradictory

parallel structure

the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures

parody

a work that makes fun of another work

pastoral

a literary work dealing with shepherds and or rural life

personification

a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings

plot

the series or related events in a story or playp

point of view

the vantage point from which the writer tells the story

first person point of view

one of the characters tells the storyd

third person point of view

an unknown narrator but knowns the feelings and thoughts of one character

omniscient point of view

all knowing narrator and tells everything about all the characters

objective point of view

narrator who is impersonal and objectively tells the story with no comment on any characters or events

protagonist

the central character in the story

pun

a play on words

quatrain

a poem consisting of four lines

refrain

a word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated

rhyme

a repetition of similar sounds

end rhyme

rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within a line of poetry

perfect rhyme

rhyming sounds which match exactly

slant rhyme

rhyming sounds which are partial rather than perfect

rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhyme in a poem or stanza

rhymed verse

poetry which contains rhyming words at the ends of certain linesrh

etoric

art of effective communitcation

rhetorical question

a question asked for effect and not actually requiring an answer

satire

ridicules the shortcomings of people

simile

comparison between two things using like or as

soliloquy

a long speech made by a character in a play alone

stream of consciousness

a style of writing that portrays the inner workings of a character’s mind

symbol

a thing that has meaning but also means something else

synecdoche

where a part makes a whole

theme

insight about human life

tone

the attitude a writer has toward the subject of work

understatement

statement less than what is meant