Ap Lit Terms 22-42

Epigraph

the introductory note at the beginning of a novel or a play

Epilogue

a short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a song or play. In a novel the epilogue is a short explanation at the end of a book which indicates what happens after the plot ends

Epiphany

sudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the world usually attainted while doing everyday mundane activities

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of sentence or clause to emphasize or create rhetorical rhythm

Euphemism

the act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more politically accepted or positive one

Euphony

A succession of words which are pleasing to the ear

Feminine ending

lines that end with a two syllable rhyme

Foot

A way of describing the stressed syllables within a line of poetry. The metrical length of a line is determined by the number of feet it contains

Free verse

Type of verse that contains varied line lengths, is unrhymed, and lacks traditional meter

Homophone

two words that sound exactly the same as each other but have different meanings.

Inversion

in poetry it is an intentional digression from the ordinary word order, which is used to maintain regular meters

Irony

when one thing should occur, is apparent, or in a logical sequence but the opposite actually occurs

Dramatic Irony

when the audience or reader knows something characters do not knoa

Verbal Irony

When one thing is said, but something else, usually the opposite, is meant

Cosmic Irony

When a higher power toys with human expectations or irony is created by divine fortune or fate

Masculine ending

lines that end with a one syllable rhyme

Meter

the measured segments in a words of poetry, by accented rhythm, number of syllables grouped by stressed syllables or total number of syllables in a line

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison; this comparison does not use like or as

Metonymy

the use of a word or phrase to stand in for something else which it is not often associated with

Motif

a dominant or central idea that occurs in the story

Ode

a lyric poem considerable length, usually of a serious or mediative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanzaic structure. An ode celebrates something

Onomatopoeia

the formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with objects or actions they refer to

Paradox

statement which seems to contradict itself