AP Lit terms

Allusion

a passing (indirect) reference in a work of literature to another literary or historical work, figure, or event, or to a literary passage.

analogy

is the comparison of a subject to something that is similar to it in order to clarify the subject’s nature, purpose, or function

anaphora

intentional repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines, stanzas, sentences, or paragraphs to create emphasis.

antithesis

 a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting terms, clauses, and ideas. 

apostrophe

addressing the dead (as if they were living), the inanimate (as if they were capable of understanding), or the absent (as if they were present) 

atmosphere

(Hamilton-Rhetorical Strategy) (See “tone”.)

chiasmus

 in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words.

conceit

) an extended metaphor, used extensively by the Metaphysical poets of the 17^th century. For instance, John Donne in his “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” compares two souls (his own and his wife’s) to the legs of a drafting compass. This comparison is extended through three stanzas (12 lines). 

diction

denoting the word choice and phrasing. May be described by quality of the language (formal, colloquial, abstract, concrete, literal, figurative…). Sometimes, the language of origin contributes to a poet’s intention. For instance, words of Latin origin construct a more formal tone, whereas words of Anglo-Saxon origin (and PIE) construct a more casual tone.

dramatic situation

Who is the speaker? To whom is she/he speaking (auditor)? What are the circumstances? How does the aforementioned contribute to the meaning and impact of the poem? 

epiphany

means a sudden, overwhelming insight or revelation evoked by a commonplace object or a scene in a poem or a work of fiction. See page 104 in the Hamilton for a discussion of epiphanic moments in poems of Shelley and Wordsworth. 

hyperbole

Hamilton-Figure of Thought [trope “a turn”]) a figure of speech involving great exaggeration and used to emphasize strong feelings, create a satiric, comic, or sentimental effect. 

imagery

words used to evoke a sensory representation of an object. Concrete details appeal to the five senses more easily communicating an experience. 

Specific types of imagery are visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory. 

litotes

in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite.

metaphor

 that implies comparison between two fundamentally different things. The qualities of one are ascribed to the other. An extended metaphor is continued throughout a stanza or an entire work. A mixed metaphor is an inconsistent comparison.

metonymy

the substitution of the name of one object for the name of another closely associated with it. For example, “The kettle is boiling” actually means the water in the kettle is boiling. “The House refused to vote” actually refers to the actions of the people in the House of Representatives. 

irony

depends on presenting a deliberate contrast between two levels of meaning. verbal irony: implying a meaning different from, and often the complete opposite of, the one 

structural irony

n implication of alternate or reversed meaning that pervades a work. Can be constructed through an unreliable narrator (like the gullible Huckleberry Finn), or through different perspectives of multiple narrators who each reveal a version of a truth. 

dramatic irony

occurs when the audience is privy to knowledge that one or more of the 

characters lacks. For instance, Odysseus returns to Ithaca as a beggar—Hamilton asserts 

that the audience “is flattered by being allowed to share in the omniscient point of view often reserved for the author”

cosmic irony

refers to an implied worldview in which characters are led to embrace false hopes of aid or success, only to be defeated by some larger force such as God or fate. (For instance, Macbeth believes that he is protected because the witches make equivocal promises that are “truth” yet misleading.)

oxymoron

a rhetorical antithesis; two apparently contradictory terms are brought together to form a sharper perception as in phrases such as “bitter-sweet,” “wise fool,” “eloquent silence,” or “cheerful pessimist.”

pathetic fallacy

 a special type of personification in which inanimate aspects of nature (landscape, weather) are represented as having human qualities or feelings. Derives from the logical absurdity (fallacy) that nature can sympathize with (feel pathos for) human moods and concerns.

paradox

 a seemingly self-contradictory or absurd statement that is still true such as “The more we learn, the less we know” or the idea that one must sometimes be cruel to be kind. Meaning or symbolism is developed or emphasized by the use of apparent opposites.

periphrasis

 in which a point is stated in deliberate circumlocution. Euphemism is a type of periphrasis, as are kennings and more complex references.

personification

in which human characteristics are attributed to non-human things and events. 

pun

that plays on words that have the same or nearly the same sound (homonyms), but sharply contrasted meanings. Puns are usually employed for witty or humorous effect, however, can be used “with serious intent.

repetition

intentional repetition of sounds, words, phrasing, or concepts to create unity and emphasis. 

rhetorical question

 in which a question is posed to emphasize a foregone or clearly implied conclusion, NOT to solicit a reply. This creates a stronger effect than it would to state a direct assertion.

simile

 involving a direct comparison between two unlike things and using the words like or as.

symbol

 something concrete, such as an object, person, place, or happening, that stands for or represents something abstract, such as an idea, a quality, a concept, or a condition.

synecdoche

 part of something represents the whole such as in the expressions “All hands on deck!” or “Give us this day our daily bread.”

theme

reveals the poet’s dominant purpose behind writing the poem

tone

a manner, feeling, or atmosphere the poet means to set in the poem. Created through choice of form, sound, and deliberate use of language (diction/syntax/figurative language, etc.).

understatement

a form of irony in which a point is deliberately expressed as less (in magnitude, value, or importance)