figurative language & poetry

ap lit

assonance

repetition of internal vowel sounds without repetition of consonants used as an alternative to rhyme in verse
m(I)ss k(I)tty s(I)pped her tea

ballad

poem with the intention to be sung

usually very narrative in nature

set rhyme scheme and pattern (think song lyrics)

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter verse

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or end of the word

a t(H)imble was s(Hipped from the s(H)ore of c(H)ina

heroic couplet

rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter, often describes accomplishments

iamb

metric foot consisting of one short syllable followed by one long syllable or of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed

deFINE

deLAY

obTAIN

iambic pentameter

poetic meter in which each line has 10 syllables arranged in 5 iambs. almost all of shakespeare’s sonnets are written in iambic pentameter

elegy

a poem of serious reflection

typically a lament for the dead

sounds like “eulogy” which is what people say at funerals

enjambment

the running over of a sentence from one verse or couplet into another so that closely related words fall in diferent lines.

bascially a run on sentence in poetry

epic poetry

a long narrative poem, often considered a foundational genre of literature, that recounts heroic deeds and events of cultural significance

free verse

poetry that doesn’t rhyme or have a regular meter

lyric poetry

song like, flowing, type of poetry that expresses emotions and feelings. generally doesn’t tell a story

ode

lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line and complexity of stanza forms. typically written in joy

slant rhyme

rhyming structures with words that share similar sounds but aren’t exactly perfect rhymes. sometimes look like they could rhyme but they don’t. can only be used in additino to other sound devices, can’t be used as an analyze device on its own

crate braid

move dove

bridge grudge

terza rima

italian verse form consisting of tercets usually in iambic pentameter in english poetry with an interlaced rhyme scheme. 

ABA BCB CDC

villanelle

a chiefly french verse form running on two rhymes and consisting of 5 tercets and a quatrain in which the first and third lines of the opening tercet recur alternately at the end of the other tercets and together as the last 2 lines of the quatrain. repeated concept

apostrophe

addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically.

romeo romeo where art thou romeo

twinkle twinkle little star

conceit

elaborate, strained metaphor

implied comparison betwen things that are very different

work of artifice (women and bonsai trees)

hyperbole

extravagant exaggeration

im so hungry i could eat a horsei

imagery

visually descriptive language in literary work

metanomy

figure of speech consisting of the use of the name for that of another which it is an attribute or with which it is associated

an object or concept refered not by its own name but by the name of something closely associated with it

my loyalty lies with the crown

the pen is mightier than the swords

symbol

something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance

heart represents love, rain represents sadness, dove represents peace

synedoche

literary device where a part of something is used to refer to the whole

my parents got me a new set of wheels instead of saying my parents got me a new car

i need all hands on deck

synesthesia

figure of speech where one sense is described in terms of another