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Allegory
An elaborate system of symbols that are all inter-related; an entire novel is sometimes an allegory (a story that is a symbol for a larger phenomena)
Allusion
A reference to another work of literature, mythology, history, religion
Apostrophe
Directly addressing someone who is absent, dead, or something non-human as if it were alive and present and could reply
Hyperbole
when someone exaggerates by overstating the situation (ex: “I’m dying” when someone didn’t vet enough sleep)
Irony
A contrast between an expected and the actual outcome
There are three kinds of irony you need to know:
Verbal Irony - when someone says one thing but means something else (sarcasm)
Situational Irony - when the outcome is the opposite of what is expected (ex: sheep killing and eating the wolf)
Dramatic Irony - when the viewer knows something the characters don’t (ex: Juliet isn’t actually dead, just asleep; the reader knows this but Romeo is distraught and takes his own life)
Metaphor
An implicit comparison between two things not denoted by “like” or “as”
Implied Metaphor
The use of context (usually verbs) to implicitly compare something to another thing (ex: “ Shattered by the news” - comparison of person to glass; “barked orders” - comparison of person to a dog)
Extended Metaphor
A metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it. It is called “conceit” if it is quite elaborate and between things that barely relate beyond the text.
Dead Metaphor
A metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid: “The head of the house”, “the seat of the government”, “essay body” are all dead metaphors.
Mixed Metaphor
A metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. (ex: “The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas.”)
Metonymy
When some significant aspect or detail of an experience is used to represent the whole experience (ex: using “White House” to refer to the president). Not a part replacing the whole or vice versa; that would be synecdoche.
Oxymoron
Combining two contradictory words (ex: “small dwarf,” “jumbo shrimp”)
Paradox
A contradictory statement that is true (ex: “Parting is such sweet sorrow”).
Personification
Giving human characteristics or actions to an animal, object, or concept
Simile
An explicit comparison between the two objects, usually indicated by words such as “like” or “as.”
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole (ex: “If you don’t drive properly, you will lose your wheels” - the wheels represent the entire car; “can you give me a band-aid?” - brand is used to refer to an item, a bandage).
Symbol
When something (object, person, action) means more than what it is.
Understatement
When someone says less than what he means; also called reverse exaggeration (ex: in pouring rain, someone says, “it’s a little wet out there”).
Imagery
Language appealing to the senses. There are several types:
Visual - “the sun rose, dripping like a bucket of gold”
Auditory - “the men were hacking and coughing like old beggars”
Gustatory (taste) - “the light, rich smoothness of a chocolate mousse”
Tactile - “the dog was as soft and warm as a blanket by the fireplace”
Olfactory (smell) - “the sweet, fresh scent of jasmine flowers lingered in the air”
Internal sensations (things like nausea, hunger, food poisoning, vomitting) - “at each bump on the ride, blood would come gargling up from his corrupted lungs”
Onomatopoeia (musical device)
Using a word to represent or imitate natural sounds (buzz, hiss, clang)
Alliteration (musical device)
When the FIRST consonants of different words are the same (Peter Piper picked…)
Assonance (musical device)
When the vowel sounds of different words are the same (ex: free, easy)
Consonance (musical device)
When the LAST consonants of different words are the same (ex: good, bad)
Feminine Rhyme
When the NEXT TO LAST syllables of words rhyme and the last is unstressed (ex: flower power)
Masculine Rhyme
When the LAST, STRESSED syllables of words rhyme, usually one syllable words (ex: dance pants)
Slant Rhyme
When words ALMOST rhyme but not quite (yellow – willow)
End Rhyme
When the ENDS of lines of poetry rhyme.
Internal Rhyme
When the words WITHIN a line of poetry rhyme.
Stanzas
Sections of lines of a poem
Couplet
2 lines
Tercet
3 lines
Quatrain
4 lines
Cinquain
5 lines
Sestet
6 lines
Septet
7 lines
Octave
8 lines
Foot/Feet
The building blocks of poetry; pattern of syllables, stressed & unstressed, that create the meter of a poem
Iamb
A 2-syllable foot with stress on the 2nd syllable (ex: “below”)
Trochee
A 2-syllable foot with stress on the 1st syllable (ex: “apple”)
Anapest
A 3-syllable foot with 2 unstressed followed by 1 stressed (ex: “understand”)
Dactyl
A 3-syllable foot with 1 stressed followed by 2 unstressed (ex: “beautiful”)
Spondee
2 stressed syllables (ex: “downtown”)
Meter
Number of feet in a line of poetry
Monometer
1 foot
Dimeter
2 feet
Trimeter
3 feet
Tetrameter
4 feet
Pentameter
5 feet
Hexameter
6 feet
Heptameter
7 feet
Octameter
8 feet
Nonometer
9 feet
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told
1st person
Narrator is the story’s protagonist
3rd person objective
Narrator is an onlooker reporting the story
3rd person omniscient
Narrator reports the story and provides information unknown to the characters
Stream of conciousness
Narrative technique that places the reader in the mind and thought processes of the narrator, no matter how random and spontaneous that may be
Ballad
A songlike poem that tells a story
Elegy
A formal lyric poem written to honor someone who has died
Epic
A long, narrative poem about the adventures of heroes of high standing (The Odyssey)
Haiku
Poem with 17 syllables total in 3 lines [5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables]; uses one precise image to suggest an emotion
Lament
A non-narrative poem (or song) expressing deep grief or sorrow over a personal loss; related to elegy and the dirge
Limerick
A poem with 5 lines, aabba rhyme scheme (long, long, short, short, long), pun on the last line; often bawdy
Lyric
A poem which expresses the poet’s feelings about a subject (most common poetic form)
Pastoral/Idyll
A poem that idealizes country life
Ode
A long, formal lyric poem with a serious theme and elevated tone, often in praise of something
Sonnet
A 14-lined poem usually written in iambic pentameter with a definite rhyme scheme; most popular fixed form of poetry
Two basic forms: Petrarchan [octave/sestet] and Shakespearean [3 quatrains/couplet]
Sestina
A lyric poem of 39 lines consisting of six 6-line stanzas plus a concluding 3-line stanza; contains 6 recurring end words in a fixed pattern
Villanelle
A fixed form of poetry of 19 lines in six stanzas [five tercets/final quatrain]; contains a fixed rhyme scheme and line repetition
Ambiguity
The multiple meanings (either intentional or unintentional) of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage
Anaphora
The 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.
Antagonist
The force (may or may not be a person) that opposes the protagonist
Antithesis
Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure.
Aphorism
A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth. Also called maxim, epigram.
Aside
Private words that a character in a play speaks to the audience or to another character and that are not supposed to be overheard by others onstage.
Blank Verse
Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
Cadence
The natural rise and fall of the voice in spoken language; often imitated in free verse
Caesura
A pause or break in a line of poetry
Canto
A subdivision in a long poem; similar to a chapter in a book
Carpe Diem
“Seize the day”; a motif in poetry that advises one to enjoy the present pleasures because of life’s brevity and the finality of death; popular with pastoral poetry
Catalogue
A list of people, places, and things (Walt Whitman used this frequently in his poetry.)
Cliché
An overused phrase that has lost its freshness; sometimes used for ironic purposes
Conceit
An extended or fantastic metaphor comparing two unlike objects; arouses surprise, shock, or amusement; typical of metaphysical poets like John Donne
Conflict
A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions
Connotation
The emotional meaning of a word
Dialect
A way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people (think Zora Neale Hurston)
Diction
The writer’s word choice
Denotation
The strict, literal dictionary definition of a word
Dramatic Monologue
A poem in which a character addressed one or more listeners who remain silent or whose replies are not revealed
Enjambment
“Run on” lines in poetry that carry the completion of a statement from one line to the next
Epiphany
In a literary work, a moment of sudden insight or revelation that a character experiences
Epithet
An adjective or other descriptive phrase that is regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing (ex: America the Beautiful)
Euphemism
An innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes to downplay (ex: “passed away” instead of “died” or “I was let go” instead of “I was fired”).
Flashback
To cut or piece an event from the past into the present situation in a text
Foil
A character who sets off another character by strong contrast (ex: Laertes was Hamlet’s foil.)
Foreshadow
Elements in the text that provide hints to future events
Frame story
A story within a story (ex: Frankenstein)
Free Verse
Poetry that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme
Juxtaposition
Technique of placing two unlike images or symbols close together for the purpose of contrast
Kenning
In Anglo-Saxon poetry, a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, or thing indirectly (gas guzzler = Hummer; foamy-throated sea stallion = ship)