AP Lit Terms

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

Paradox

A group of lines in a poem (the poetic equivalent of a paragraph in prose)

Stanza

When a line of poetry continues on to the next line without any punctuation

Enjambment

a pause in the middle of a line of poetry indicated by punctuation mark

Caesura

Repetition of sounds at the end of words

Rhyme

a pattern of stressed an unstressed syllable in a line of poetry

Meter

Repetition of initial consonant sounds at the start of words in proximity to one another

Alliteration

pleasant harmonious sound

Euphony

A harsh discordant mixture of sounds

Cacophony

Detailed description that appeals to the senses (sight sound smell touch taste)

Imagery

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Juxtaposition

A comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Simile

the implied or associative meaning of a word

Connotation

A comparison of two unlike things without using like or as

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings/thoughts/attitudes

Personification

images/objects/characters used to represent something else such as ideas

Symbolism

a reference in a literary work to something outside of the text (a person place or thing in history or another work of literature)

Allusion

the voice of the poem similar to a narrator

Speaker

A change in the speaker's understanding often leading to an insight

Shift/turn/volta

word choice intended to convey a certain effect

Diction

language that is not intended to be interpreted in a literal sense

Figurative language

downplaying something to make it seem smaller worse or less important than it actually is

Understatement

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Hyperbole

The speaker's attitude toward the subject

Tone