AP Lit Poetry Terms flashcards

Poetry Terms AP lit

rhyme

correspondence of sound between words or endings of words.

“hat” and “bat“

sestet

last 6 lines of a sonnet

slant rhyme

rhymes but not exactly

“worm“ and “swarm“

end rhyme

when the last syllables withing a verse rhyme

“heard“, ”word”

internal rhyme

when a word in the middle and at the end of a line rhyme

“i went to town to buy a gown“

allusion

expression that mentions something but not explicitly, a reference

paradox

self-contradicting statement that is actually true

“it was the beginning of the end“

free verse

type of poetry with no rhyme or meter

blank verse

type of poetry with regular meter, but no rhyme scheme. think shakespeare

alliteration

words that begin with the same consonant sound

“peter’s piglet pranced priggishly“

assonance

repetition of similar vowel sounds in words.

“trY to light the fire“

consonance

repetition of similar consonant sounds in words.

“toSS the glaSS, boSS“

conceit

implied comparison between things that are very different.

“the mighty oaks are as abundant as squirrels in the forest“

caesura

an audible pause, or break in verse

“to be or not to be—— that is the question“

enjambment

the running on of a sentence or thought between lines with no break (comma, period etc.)

apostrophe

addressing someone non-existent or non-human as if they were able to answer.

“blow, winds, blow!“

metonymy

when the whole is replaced by a related word.

“the crown“ for “the monarchy“

synecdoche

when the whole is replaced by a part

“stars and stripes“ for “the flag“

narrative poem

poem that tells a story through one narrator. think The Raven

dramatic monologue

when a leading character has a speech to a group of people

metaphysical poetry

poem that uses wit, explores philosophical topics, and uses meter loosely

couplet

two lines of poetry that usually rhyme

elegy

a work written to mourn a loss

ode

lyric poem, full of feeling and Style, dedicated to a subject

sonnet

type of 14-line poetry. contains an octave and a sestet. uses iambic pentameter

villanelle

french verse form with 5 3-line stanzas and a final quatrain. the first and third lines of the first stanza repeat alternately in the following stanzas

octet/octave

an 8-line stanza

lyric poem

an emotional, rhyming poem

quatrain

a piece of verse in 4 rhymed lines

tercet

poem or stanza with 3 lines

verse

some part of poetry- a single line, a stanza, or an entire poem

volta

indicates a change in subject matter

speaker

voice that addresses the reader

idylll

short, intricate, descriptive poem on a pastoral subject

meter

the regularity of the rhythm

how many times per line are stressed/unstressed syllables