AP LIT Vocab L-O

Litotes

Examples:

“…the wearers of petticoat and  farthingale…stepping forth into the public ways, and wedging their not unsubstantial  persons, if occasion were, into the throng…”

"It's not rocket science"

Mercutio understates his fatal wound with "It is not so deep as a well...".

Local Color

Examples:

Uses the rough-and-tumble gold-rush setting of the California frontier, heavy regional dialect, tall-tale traditions, and local characters like Simon Wheeler to contrast with a formal, city-bred narrator

Portrays immigrant pioneer life on the Nebraska plains, weaving in Bohemian and Scandinavian speech patterns, harsh weather realities, and the isolation of the open prairie

Immerses the reader in the distinct French-influenced culture, music, food, social hierarchies, and dialects of Louisiana's Creole and Cajun communities

Loose Sentence

Examples:

“Hester gazed after him a little while, looking with a half-fantastic curiosity  to see whether the tender grass of early spring would not be blighted beneath him, and  show the wavering track of this footsteps, sere and brown, across its cheerful verdure.”

John F. Kennedy (Inaugural Address): Features an independent clause followed by modifying phrases symbolizing renewal and freedom.

Joan Didion (Georgia O'Keeffe): States the core description early before adding clarifying traits.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby): Establishes the main location first, followed by descriptive details of the setting.

Lyric Poem

Examples:

The Sonnet
The Ode (A formal, ceremonious lyric poem that praises or exalts a person, object, abstract idea, or event.)
The Elegy (A somber, reflective poem that laments the death of someone or meditates on loss and grief.)

Metaphor

Implied ("She barked orders at the team")
Extended ("The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost: Uses a fork in a forest path for making life choices and walking an unconventional path.)
Dead (“Time is running out”)
Mixed ("Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat. I see him floating in the air. But mark me, sir, I will nip him in the bud.")

Metonymy

Examples:

"Hollywood" – Refers to the U.S. film industry.
"The White House" / "Washington" – Represents the U.S. administration or federal government.
"Suit" – Signifies a business executive.

Mood

Examples:
Dark & Foreboding / Ominous
Whimsical & Dreamy
Tense & Gothic

Motif

Examples:
Kurt Vonnegut uses “So it  goes” throughout Slaughterhouse-Five
The conch shell is repeatedly brought out to govern speaking turns and assemblies on the island. (LOTF)
Gatsby’s recurring gaze across the bay toward the green light at the end of Daisy's dock

Motivation

Examples:
Gatsby trying to recapture the past to win back Daisy
Holden Caulfield protecting innocence because he doesn’t want children to instantly fall into this corruption of adulthood

Onomatopoeia

Examples:
“Zip”
“Zop”
“Pop”
“Bark”
“Crash"

basically any silly sounds

Oxymoron

Examples:
“O brawling love! O loving hate!”
“Bitter-sweet”
“Jumbo Shrimp”
“Original Copy”