AP Lit Vocab 3

onomatopoeia

use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

parallelism

• to give two or more parts of the sentences a similar form so to give the whole a definite pattern

repetition

• repeating a word, phrase, line, or entire stanza for poetic effect

• anaphora:   continuous repetition of a word or phrase throughout a poem

alliteration

• repetition of first consonant sounds

consonance

• repetition of two or more consonants, such as  hearth and breath

assonance

• The repetition of identical vowel sounds, such as tilting and windmills

cacophony/dissonance

• use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition for poetic effect

euphony

• a pleasing smoothness of sound, perceived by the ease with which the words can be spoken in combination. Often achieved through the use of long vowels, liquid consonants (l, r), and semi-vowels (w, y)

polysyndeton

• using several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted

asyndeton

• the absence of a conjunction(s), especially where one is needed

rhyme

• correspondence of terminal sounds of words or of lines of verse

  • feminine:  the rhyme in the last syllable is unstressed (heather/feather)

  • masculine:   the rhyme in the last syllable is stressed (moon/loon, maroon/buffoon)

  • half/approximate/slant/eye:  the rhyme is not exact (prove/love)

stanza

• a section of a poem containing a number of verse lines.  Every poem must have at least one stanza, even if that poem is only one line.

  • Stanza types:

  • couplet: two verse lines of the same meter that sometimes acts as a stanza

  • tercet: a set of three rhyming lines of verse, or that rhyme with an adjacent tercet

  • quatrain: four verse lines of the same meter

  • sestet: six verse lines of the same meter

  • octave: eight verse lines of the same meter

voice or persona

• the personality of the speaker or narrator

point of view

• he standpoint from which a narrator tells a story.

  • first person: a character tells the story

  • third person objective/dramatic/camera: The narrator does not take part in the story and can tell no one’s thoughts.

  • third person limited: the narrator stands outside the story, telling only one or two characters thoughts

  • third person omniscient: the narrator stands outside the story, but tells everyone’s thoughts

point of view, cont’d

• A narrator can be reliable — we can fully trust his/her account of the story — or unreliable — this person’s account of events is faulty.

syntax

• the pattern or formation of sentences or phrases in a language

  • confused and/or broken: character is excited, angry, or baffled

  • telegraphic: sentences of 5 words or less

  • simple: Sentences with no complex structures

  • complex or complicated: sentences with one or more subordinate clauses.