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AP Lit Poetry Terms.
Accentual
Definition: A metrical system based on the number of stressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Traditional nursery rhymes, such as “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,” are often accentual.
Alliteration
Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words, in close proximity within a line of verse.
Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Anaphora
Definition: The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, or sentences.
Example: "I have a dream" in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech.
Anastrophe
Definition: The inversion of the usual order of words for rhetorical effect.
Example: "Patience I lack" instead of "I lack patience."
Antithesis
Definition: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure.
Example: "To err is human, to forgive divine."
Assonance
Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.
Example: "Go slow over the road."
Aubade
Definition: A poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning.
Example: John Donne's "The Sun Rising" exemplifies the aubade genre, where the speaker addresses and rebukes the sun for interrupting his love affair. Here are a few lines:
"Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?"
Auditory Images
Definition: Vivid descriptions in poetry that evoke sounds, creating auditory experiences for the reader.
Example: "The leaves rustled softly in the breeze."
Ballad
Definition: A narrative poem, often of folk origin, that tells a story in simple language and often in ballad meter.
Example: Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a classic example of a ballad. Its simple language and narrative structure make it accessible, while its haunting tale captivates readers. Consider these lines:
"He holds him with his skinny hand,
'There was a ship,' quoth he."
Explanation: These lines demonstrate the ballad's narrative quality, as they directly introduce the mariner's encounter with the wedding guest, setting the stage for the tale. The repetition and rhyme scheme contribute to the ballad's rhythmic flow, enhancing its storytelling charm.
Related: “The Albatross” by Taylor Swift is an allusion to the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
Blank Verse
Definition: Unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter.
Example: William Shakespeare employed blank verse extensively in his plays, such as "Macbeth" and "Hamlet," to convey depth of character and dramatic tension.Â
Here are some examples:
From "Macbeth":
"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;"
From "Hamlet":
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,"
Explanation: Shakespeare used blank verse to differentiate characters based on their social status, emotional state, or intellectual depth. For instance, noble and high-ranking characters often speak in refined and structured blank verse, reflecting their elevated status, while commoners may use prose or simpler verse. Additionally, Shakespeare reserved prose for moments of humor, low comedy, or madness, contrasting with the solemnity of blank verse.
Cacophony
Definition: The use of harsh or discordant sounds for deliberate effect.
Example: Consider this excerpt from T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land":
"In the juvescence of the year
Came Christ the tiger"
Explanation: The juxtaposition of "juvescence" (meaning youthfulness) and "tiger" creates a jarring effect, evoking a sense of dissonance and unease. The cacophony in this example mirrors the thematic tension in the poem, where contrasting images and fragmented language convey the modernist disillusionment with traditional values and beliefs.
Caesura
Definition: A pause or break in a line of poetry, often indicated by punctuation, creating a rhythmic or dramatic effect.
Example: "To be or not to be, that is the question."
Canon
Definition: A body of works considered genuine or authoritative within a particular literary tradition.
Example: The literary canon encompasses a diverse array of works that have withstood the test of time and continue to influence generations of writers and readers. Here are additional examples:
William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"
Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death"
Langston Hughes's "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"
Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse"
Explanation: These works, along with others, represent the enduring impact and significance of the literary canon. They have been studied, analyzed, and celebrated for their artistic merit, thematic depth, and cultural relevance, solidifying their place in literary history.
Chiasmus
Definition: A rhetorical device in which the order of words in the first clause is reversed in the second clause, often creating a parallel structure.
Example: Chiasmus, pronounced "kai-AZ-muss," adds symmetry and balance to language, as seen in these examples:
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair." - William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Explanation: In both examples, the structure of the sentences creates a mirror effect, with the order of words reversed in the second clause. This reversal emphasizes contrast or paradox, drawing attention to the juxtaposition of ideas and creating a memorable and impactful statement.
Closed Form Poetry
Definition: Closed form poetry adheres to specific structural constraints, such as rhyme scheme and meter, providing a framework for poetic expression. Two prominent examples of closed form poetry are the sonnet and the villanelle.
Sonnet:
Structure: A sonnet consists of 14 lines, typically written in iambic pentameter, and follows one of several established rhyme schemes. The most common forms are the Shakespearean (or English) sonnet and the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet.
Example: William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, often referred to as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Conceit
Definition: An extended metaphor, often elaborate and complex, that compares two vastly different things.
Example from "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne:
"Dull sublunary lovers' love
(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
Those things which elemented it."
Example from "Huswifery" by Edward Taylor:
"Make me, O Lord, thy spinning-wheel complete.
Thy holy word my distaff make for me.
Make mine affections thy swift flyers neat
And make my soul thy holy spoole to be."
soul into instruments of divine purpose.
Explanation: In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne compares the love between himself and his wife to a refined and spiritual connection, contrasting it with the superficial love of "dull sublunary lovers." This extended metaphor explores the depth and resilience of their bond, transcending physical separation.
In "Huswifery," Edward Taylor employs the conceit of spinning and weaving to express his desire for spiritual transformation. He metaphorically asks God to shape and mold him, transforming his affections and soul into instruments of divine purpose.
Consonance
Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds, typically at the end of words, within a line or passage of poetry.
Example 1:
"The ship has sailed to the farthest shore."
In this example, the repetition of the "s" sound in "ship," "sailed," and "shore" creates a soothing and serene effect, mirroring the gentle movement of the ship across the sea.
Couplet
Definition: Two successive lines of poetry, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, forming a complete thought or unit.
Example 1:
"True wit is nature to advantage dress'd; What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd."
In this couplet from Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism," the rhyming lines succinctly encapsulate the idea that genuine wit is the ability to express common thoughts in a fresh and eloquent manner.
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