AP Lit Poetry and Prose Terms

diction

a writer’s choice of words

connotation

the meaning of a word beyond it’s dictionary definition

denotation

the dictionary definition of a word

details

ideas and information the writer chooses to reveal

contrast

the result of shifts or juxtapositions or both

shift

signaled by a word, a structural convention, or punctuation

speaker

narrator of a poem who establishes a relationship between the reader and the text

perspective

how speakers understand their circumstances

imagery

when the writer appeals to the senses to create a mental picture for the reader

syntax

arrangment of words

anaphora

a deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses

reptition

repeated words or phrases in close proximity

antithesis

direct opposites juxtaposed in a balanced manner

parallelism

repetition of grammatical form

allusion

a reference to an event, a person, a place, or object in history or literature

apostrophe

when someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply

conceit

a startling extended metaphor ingeniously worked out and developed

hyperbole

a deliberate, often ironic exaggeration; it exaggerates, and in doing so, adds a perspective

irony

the intended meaning of works or a situation is the opposite of their expected meaning

metaphor

a comparison which does not use like or as; the thing being compared is the main subject, and the thing to which it is compared is the comparison subject

onomatopoeia

a work whose sound closely resembles the sound of the event or object named

oxymoron

a contradictory phrase

paradox

a contradiction or juxtaposition that is nevertheless true

personification

giving human qualities to an inanimate object, idea, or entity

pun

a play on words

simile

a comparison using like or as

symbol

a word or phrase that represents what it is and other things, including the meaning; it can be an object, setting, or a character

understatement (meiosis)

an intentional often ironic lack of emphasis; it minimizes, and, in doing so, adds a perspective about the subject

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds in the beginning of nearby words

approximate / slant rhyme

words in a rhyming pattern that has sound correspondence, but are not perfect rhymes

tone

attitude of a speaker or author toward the subject

meter

the regular recurrence of a rhythmic sound pattern

foot

the basic unit of poetic measurement

iamb

one unaccented syllable then one accented syllable (ex: expel)

free verse

unrhymed; any or mix meters

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

closed form

predictable patterns in the structure of lines, stanzass, meter, or rhyme

open form

do not follow predictable patterns in the structure of lines, stanzas, meter, or rhyme

narrative

tells a story

dramatic

tells a story in monologue or dialogue

lyric

expresses thought or feeling; has a song-like quality

ode

poem in praise

elegy

poem on death

sonnet

14 lines, iambic pentameter

couplet

two lines of poetry that rhyme

adjectives and adverbs

descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs, that qualify or modify the things they describe and affect readers’ interaction with the text

antecedent

a word, phrase, or clause that precedes its referent

referents

pronouns, nouns, phrases, or clause

understatement

minimizes an aspect of an object in order to focus attention on that trait and convey a perspective about the object

mood

the emotional atmosphere of a literary work

catharsis

purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions

conflict

tension between competing values either within a character

dramtic situation

the setting and action of the plot

exposition

used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters, or other elements of a text

flashback

a narrative structure that interrupts the chronology of the plot by going backwards in timef

foreshadowing

a narrative structure that interrupts the chronology of the plot by giving a hint of future events

in media res

a narrative structure that interrupts the chronology by beginning the narrative “in the middle of things”

irony

created when events or statements in a text are inconsistent with either the expectations readers bring to a text or the expectations established by the text itself

motif

unified pattern of recurring objects or images used to emphasize a significant idea

narrative distance

physical distance, chronological distance, relationships, or emotional investment of the narrator to the events or characters of the narrative

narrators

characters in the narrative who directly address readers and recall events or describe them (prose)

speaker

relatedaccounts to readers and establish a relationship between the text and the reader (poetry)

pacing

manipulation of time in a text

paradox

when seemingly contradictory elements are juxtaposed and the contradiction reveals a hidden or unexpected idea

perspective

how narrators, characters, or speakers understand their circumstances

plot

the sequence of events in a narrative

point of view

the position from which a narrator or speaker relates the events of a narrative

setting

the time and place during which events occur

stream of consciousness

recounts the events of a story by replicating the flow of thoughts from a character

suspense

the intense feeling that a reader or audience goes through while waiting for the outcome of certain events

tension

a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality; evokes emotions such as worry, fear, anxiety, stress

antagonist

opposes the main character

archetypes

create certain expectations for how the dramatic situations will progress and be resolved

dynamic character

a character who changes or develops within a text

epiphany

a character’s sudden change as the result of a moment of realization

foil characters (foils)

a character whose qualities are in contrast with the qualities of another character to highlight the traits of the other character

protagonist

the main character