ap lit unit 2 poetry

The voice narrating the poem (not always the poet).

speaker

The poet’s attitude toward the subject or audience.

tone

The emotional atmosphere evoked in the reader.

mood

The central idea or message of a poem.

theme

Word choice and its connotations.

diction

Arrangement of words and sentence structure.

syntax

Descriptive language appealing to the senses.

imagery

When an object or image represents an abstract idea

symbolism

Contrast between expectation and reality.

irony

Repetition of consonant sounds.

alliteration

Repetition of vowel sounds.

assonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at end of words.

consonance

The rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

meter

Pattern of end rhymes ( ABAB, CDCD).

rhyme scheme

Poetry without regular meter or rhyme.

free verse

A line that continues without pause into the next.

enjambment 

group of lines forming a unit

stanza structure

Comparison using “like” or “as.”

similie

Implied comparison without using “like” or “as.”

metaphor

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.

personification

Direct address to an absent or abstract thing.

Apostrophe

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth.

paradox

A part representing a whole.

Synecdoche

Substitution of one term for another closely related.

Metonymy

Urging to seize the day or act despite time’s passage

Carpe Diem Theme

Valuing imagination, emotion, and nature.

Romantic Idealism

Focus on simplicity, honesty, and everyday life.

modernist realism

Searching for spiritual connection beyond the physical.

transcendence

Recognition of human limitation and desire for permanence.

Mortality & Legacy

Who is speaking? How does their voice shape meaning?

speaker vs poet

Where does the tone, perspective, or imagery change?

shift analysis

How does the poem’s structure mirror its message?

Form & Content Connection

What senses are evoked, and why?

Imagery Function

How does diction build tone and theme?

tone development

What broader human concern does the poem explore?

universal theme extraction

What contrasts shape the poem’s meaning?

irony recognition