AP LANG

57. theme -- The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually theme is  unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in  expository or argumentative writing. 

58. thesis -- In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that  directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is  usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively ,and throughly a writer has proved the  thesis. 

59. tone -- Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or  both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a  work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author's tone. Some words  describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic,  and somber. 

60. transition -- A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not  exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one  idea to another. A few commonly used transitional words or phrases are furthermore,  consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly and on the contrary. More  sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition. We will discuss these methods later. 

61. Asyndeton/Polysyndeton - removing conjunctions OR adding extra conjunctions   Ex: (asyndeton) We looked for bread, milk, eggs. (polysyndeton) We looked for bread and milk and flour

62. understatement -- The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less  significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the  opposite of hyperbole. 

63. undertone -- an attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery  surface, for example, a work may have threatening undertones. William Blake's "The Chimney  Sweeper" from the Songs of Innocence has a grim undertone. 

64. unreliable narrator—An untrustworthy or naïve commentator on events and characters in a  story. Huck Finn is on of American literature’s most famous of this type. 

65. wit -- In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A witty  statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and  perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically,  wit originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding,  and finally (in the early seventeenth century), it grew to mean quick perception including creative  fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception.

66. chiasmus -- when two or more parallel clauses are inverted. “Why would I do that?” you may be wondering. Well, a chiasmus might sound confusing and unnecessary in theory, but it's much more convincing in practice — and in fact, you've likely already come across it before.

Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” — John F. Kennedy

67. Hypophora--  much like a rhetorical question, wherein someone asks a question that doesn't require an answer. However, in hypophora, the person raises a question and answers it immediately themselves (hence the prefix hypo, meaning 'under' or 'before'). It’s often used when characters are reasoning something aloud.  Example: “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.” — Daisy in The Great Gatsby 

68. Juxtaposition -- placing two or more dissimilar characters, themes, concepts, etc. side by side, and the profound contrast highlights their differences. Why is juxtaposition such an effective literary device? Well, because sometimes the best way for us to understand something is by understanding what it’s not.

Example: In the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses juxtaposition to emphasize the societal disparity that led to the French Revolution: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”

Similar terms: oxymoron, paradox

69. anthropomorphism -- To anthropomorphize is to apply human traits or qualities to a non-human thing such as objects, animals, or the weather. But unlike personification, in which this is done through figurative description, anthropomorphism is literal: a sun with a smiling face, for example, or talking dogs in a cartoon.

Examples: In Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Mrs. Potts the teapot, Cogsworth the clock, and Lumière the candlestick are all household objects that act and behave like humans (which, of course, they were when they weren’t under a spell).

70. anaphora -- the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a series of clauses or sentences. It’s often seen in poetry and speeches, intended to provoke an emotional response in its audience.

Example: Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed … and I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood … I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Similar term: repetition

71. litotes -- the signature literary device of the double negative. Writers use litotes to express certain sentiments through their opposites, by saying that that opposite is not the case. Don’t worry, it makes more sense with the examples. 

Examples: “You won’t be sorry” (meaning you’ll be happy); “you’re not wrong” (meaning you’re right); “I didn’t not like it” (meaning I did)

72. anachronism -- when something happens or is attributed to a different era than when it actually existed. This is usually a mistake, such as an author writing a period piece and accidentally using language that’s too modern. However, it can also be intentionally used as a literary device, if the author wants to comment on a theme like time or society.

Example: Cassius in Julius Caesar says that “the clock has stricken three," even though mechanical clocks had not been invented in 44 A.D. Of course, it’s debatable whether Shakespeare did this on purpose to signify something else. Indeed, there are many famous anachronisms in Shakespeare, such as the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Hamlet and the dollar as currency in Macbeth.

73. rhetorical appeals - ethos (ethics), pathos (emotion), logos (logic)