AP Lit Poetry Review

Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words (wild winds whisper)

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well-known person, event, text, or idea (biblical or Greek myth reference)

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses (Because I do not hope...)

Apostrophe

Direct address to an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate object (O Death!)

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words (mellow wedding bells)

Caesura

A strong pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation (To be, or not to be—)

Connotation

The emotional or cultural associations of a word beyond its literal meaning (home → comfort)

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the end or middle of words (blank and think)

End-stopped line

A line of poetry that ends with punctuation (line ends with a period or comma)

Enjambment

A line that continues into the next line without punctuation (thought carries over line break)

Imagery

Language that appeals to the five senses (dark, cold, bitter wind)

Juxtaposition

Placement of contrasting ideas or images side by side (innocence vs. corruption)

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as" (time is a thief)

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things (the wind whispered)

Rhyme

Repetition of similar sounds

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as" (my love is like a rose)

Symbol

An object, image, or action that represents a larger abstract idea (dove = peace)

Tone

The speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience (bitter, ironic, nostalgic)

Volta

A turn or shift in thought, emotion, or argument (sonnet shift at line 9)

Off rhyme / Slant rhyme / Half rhyme

Near or imperfect rhyme with similar but not identical sounds (shape / keep)

End rhyme

Rhyme that occurs at the end of poetic lines (night / light)

Internal rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry (I went to town to buy a gown)

Masculine rhyme

Rhyme involving a single stressed syllable at the end of a line (appear / fear)

Feminine rhyme

Rhyme involving a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (motion / ocean)

Anapest

3 syllable, weak weak strong

Dactyle

3 syllable, strong strong weak

Iamb

2 syllable, weak strong

Pyrrhic

2 syllable, weak weak

Trochee

2 syllable, strong weak

Spondee

2 syllable, strong strong

Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet

A 14-line sonnet with an octave and sestet, usually following ABBAABBA + CDECDE (or CDCDCD), with a volta after line 8 (problem → response structure)

English (Shakespearean) sonnet

A 14-line sonnet with three quatrains and a final couplet, following ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, with a volta often at the couplet (argument → twist or conclusion)

Spenserian sonnet

A 14-line sonnet with interlocking quatrains, following ABAB BCBC CDCD EE, creating a flowing chain of rhyme (gradual development leading to a final couplet)