Ap Lit Poetry

Alliteration

The repetition at close intervals of the initial consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words (for example: map-moon, kill-code, preach-approve).

Antithesis

A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together to achieve a contrasting effect.

Anthypophora

Raising a question and then immediately providing an answer to that question.

Anaphora

Repetition of the first part of a line in order to achieve an artistic effect.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is directly addressed as if it were alive, present, and could reply.

Assonance

The repetition at close intervals of vowel sounds.

Asyndeton

Intentionally eliminating conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintaining the grammatical accuracy.

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds.

Conceit (aka Extended metaphor or Sustained Metaphor)

When an author likens two vastly different objects using similes or metaphors, exploiting a single, intellectually imaginative comparison or analogy at length through multiple linked tenors, vehicles, and grounds throughout a poem or story.

Connotation

What a word suggests beyond its basic definition; a word’s overtones of meaning.

Consonance

The repetition at close intervals of consonant sounds found anywhere in a word.

Denotation

The basic definition or dictionary meaning of a word.

Ekphrasis

The poetic representation of a painting or sculpture in words.

Epigram

(1) A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation.

(2) A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement.

Euphony

A smooth, pleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds.