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AP Lit Vocab from Irony to Symbolism
Irony
A broad term referring to the recognition of a reality different from appearance
Verbal Irony
A figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words that carry the opposite meaning
Dramatic Irony
Two levels of meaning: what the speaker says and what he means, and what the speaker says and what the author means
Situational Irony
When the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended effect; when something unexpected occurs
Litotes
A form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by saying the negative of its opposite
Metaphor
Figure of speech which makes a direct comparison of two unlike objects by identification or substation
Metonymy
The substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself
Oxymoron
A self-contradictory combination of words or smaller verbal units
Paradox
A statement that, although seemingly contradictory or absurd, may actually be well-founded or true
As we approach the conceptual limits of discourse- as commonly happens in philosophy and theology- language seems to rely increasingly on this
Personification
Figure of speech in which objects and animals have human qualities
Polysyndeton
The use of more conjunctions than is normal
Simile
A direct comparison of two unlike objects, using like or as
Symbolism
In its broad sense, the use of one object to represent or suggest another; or, in literature, the serious and extensive use of symbols (something that is itself and also stands for something else)
Note 
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