AP Lit and Comp Summer Terms

Hurry up and knowt, pray and God will help you!!

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

reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature,  religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to  something (usually from literature, etc.).

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.

ANECDOTE

Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something,  often shows character of an individual

ASYNDETON

Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus  emphasizing the parts equally: instead of X, Y, and Z... the writer uses X,Y,Z.... see  polysyndeton.

CHARACTERIZATION

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

Types of characterization

Indirect characterization, direct characterization, static character, dynamic character, flat character and round character

CLICHE

is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because  of overuse. Avoid clichés like the plague. (That cliché is intended.)

CONFESSIONAL POETRY

a twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses  intimate material from the poet’s life.

CONFLICT

 the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story

COUPLET

two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry

DICTION

a speaker or writer’s choice of words

EPIC

a long narrative poem, written in heightened language , which recounts the deeds  of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society

EXPLICATION

act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually  involves close reading and special attention to figurative language

FABLE

a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about  how to succeed in life

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but  are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms

FOIL

A character who acts as contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to  the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting the hero