H. English 10 Midterm

stanza

a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.

quatrain

stanza of 4 lines, one having alternate rhymes

couplet

two lines of verse that form unit

refrain

a line, phrase, word thats repeated periodically within a poem

rhyme scheme

ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of them lines of a poem

alliteration

occurence of the same letter/sound at the beginning of close words

assonance

repetition of a vowel in nonrhyming stressed syllables near each other

ex. heir, bear, tender, memory

diction

the choice & use of words in writing

diction - connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

diction - denotation

a word’s literal meaning

syntax

the arrangement of words & phrases to create well-formed sentences

imagery

visually descriptive/figurative language

imagery - tactile

sense of touch

imagery - olfactory

sense of smell

imagery - gustatory

sense of tasting

imagery - visual

sense of seeing

imagery - auditory

sense of hearing

contrast/juxtaposition

two things being seen or placed close together w/ contrasting effect

paradox

self-contradictory statement or scenario that challenges conventional thinking

metaphor

comparing things w/o using like or as

ex. love is a rose with thorns

simile

comparing using like or as

ex. she runs like a cheetah

personification

giving personal traits to a non human object

ex. the sun smiled at me

allusion

referencing something without mentioning it explicitly

ex. he’s my achilles heel

repetition

repeating something

anaphora

a rhetorical device in which a word or expression is repeated at the beginning of a number of sentences, clauses, or phrases

persona/speaker

person who speaks

tone

mood implied by an author’s word choice

mood

the emotion the author strives to evoke in a the reader

characterization

a literary device that writers use to describe and provide information about specific characters in their work

dialogue

the exchange of spoken words between two or more characters in a book, play, or other written work.

setting

the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place

conflict

a literary device characterized by a struggle between two opposing forces

conflict - internal

when a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs

conflict - external

a type of literary conflict in which the protagonist has to struggle against other characters (called antagonists), nature, or society

p.o.v

refers to who is telling a story, or who is narrating it

motif

recurring images, quotes, or concepts that take on a figurative or symbolic meaning throughout the story

symbol

an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings

theme

a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative