AP English Language & Composition Unit 2

Rationalism

The belief that reason, logic, and experience should have greater influence than emotions or religious beliefs.

Romanticism

A way of viewing the world that values nature, individualism, intuition, innocence, and independence.

poetic devices

Language elements, such as simile and metaphor, that support the mood, tone, and meaning of a poem.

speaker

The voice of the poem, also known as the persona.

tone

The author's attitude toward a subject.

imagery

Any description that appeals to the senses.

figurative language

A nonliteral use of language to suggest a specific feeling or meaning.

simile

A type of figurative language in which two unlike things are compared using like, as, than, or resembles.

metaphor

A type of figurative language in which one thing is said to be another thing.

personification

A type of figurative language in which nonhuman objects are given human qualities.

poetry

A kind of literature that is usually written in a form called verse. Poems may also rhyme and follow other special rules.

meter

In poetry, a pattern of stressed and unstressed sounds.

alliteration

The use of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words that are close together.

rhyme

Two or more words or syllables having a similar or identical sound.

slant rhyme

Words that rhyme partially but not completely.

eye rhyme

Words that are spelled similarly but do not rhyme.

rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhymes in a poem.

catalog

A list of people, things, events, objects, or some other item.

Elegiac

A type of poetry that expresses sorrow.

eulogy

A piece of writing that honors someone who has just died.

synecdoche

A literary device in which a part of an object or idea stands for or symbolizes the whole, or the whole symbolizes a part.

anastrophe

A listing of sentence elements without conjunctions.

vernacular

The language or dialect spoken by a particular group of people.

colloquial

Demonstrating elements of conversational or informal speech.

epigraph

In literature, a quotation, phrase, or other short work set at the beginning of a longer work.

text structure

The manner in which a text is organized.

Gothic

A literary style involving elements of horror, suspense, and the supernatural, often set among medieval ruins, haunted castles, or dark forests.

aesthetic impact

The emotional or sensory effect of a work.

mood

The feeling the text conveys to its readers.

allusion

An implied or indirect reference to something historical, literary, religious, mythical, or popular, such as a well-known story or a famous person.

connotation

Everything a word suggests or implies; the feeling a word gives you.

prose

A form of writing without a rhythmic pattern.

atmosphere

The general mood of a story, often established using details about the setting.

stanza

A series of lines grouped together in a poem.

pacing

The rate at which a story moves forward.

tone of voice

The volume and intensity of a speaker's voice through which he or she indicates emotion.

inference

A conclusion based on observations, evidence, or reasoning.

aphorism

A brief statement of principle or truth; also called adage or maxim.

rhetorical question

A question with an obvious answer, which is used to emphasize a writer's main point.

Transcendentalism

A system of belief that emphasizes the use of one's own intuition to rise above challenges in the physical world and gain spiritual understanding.

parallelism

A pattern in writing in which words and phrases are similar in structure, one echoing another.

didactic

Intended to teach a lesson or convey instruction.

paradox

A statement that appears to contradict itself but contains some degree of truth.

antithesis

An obvious contrast of ideas, generally balanced or parallel with regard to grammar.

rhetorical device

A persuasive technique used to help convince an audience.