AP English Poetry Terms Flashcards
Learn the AP English poetry terms with examples and definitions (both ways).
the same letter or consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words
alliteration
“Kill the boys and the luggage!” (Fluellen in William Shakespeare’s “Henry V”)
zeugma
synesthesia
the description of one kind of sense perception using words meant to describe another
“Behold! human beings living in an underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. . .” (Plato, “The Republic”)
allegory
a literary genre in which the shortcomings of individuals and society are ridiculed in order to incite change (usually to correct the issue)
satire
symbol
a thing that actually stands for something else, such as a material object representing an abstract idea
“Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so, For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow, Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.” (John Donne, “Death be not proud”)
apostrophe (speaking to Death)
onomatopoeia
a word that sounds like the thing it describes
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.” (Jane Taylor, “The Star,” 1806)
apostrophe (speaking to a star)
zeugma
a figure of speech in which an adjective or verb is used with two nouns but is appropriate to only one of them or has a different sense with each
an elaborate metaphor with complex logic; an imaginative poetic image or writing that contains such an image, especially a comparison that is extreme or far-fetched
conceit
“Our transportation crisis will be solved by a bigger plane or a wider road, mental illness with a pill, poverty with a law, slums with a bulldozer, urban conflict with a gas, racism with a goodwill gesture.” (Philip Slater, The Pursuit of Loneliness)
parallelism
“The things you don’t know would fill a whole library and leave room for a few pamphlets.” (from “The Simpsons”)
hyperbole
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one; its events, actions, characters, settings, and objects represent specific abstractions or ideas
allusion
an expression that calls something to mind without explicitly mentioning it; a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature
“We should hire illegal immigrants as teachers because that way we can pay them less.”
satire
satire
a literary genre in which the shortcomings of individuals and society are ridiculed in order to incite change (usually to correct the issue)
imagery
visually descriptive language that addresses the senses (sight, taste, etc.)
“She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat.” (James Joyce, “The Boarding House”)
simile
“I catch the sound and it takes me into the cold.” (Emily Raboteau, “The Professor’s Daughter”, 2005)
synesthesia
bitter sweet
oxymoron
the description of one kind of sense perception using words meant to describe another
synesthesia
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
cliché
a word that sounds like the thing it describes
onomatopoeia
substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa; can be seen as a subset of metonymy in which the “part” referring to the “whole” is a component of the “whole,” rather than something that is just strongly associated with it
synecdoche
“I am hearing the shape of the rain Take the shape of the tent and believe it . . .” (James Dickey, opening lines of “The Mountain Tent”)
synesthesia
“Whether the nymph shall break Diana’s law, Or some frail China-jar receive a flaw, Or stain her honour, or her new brocade.” (Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”)
zeugma
“Language is a road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” (Rita Mae Brown)
metaphor
“Latinas are in oppressive structures. We can fool ourselves, but we’d still be getting dumped on.” (Felix M. Padilla)
colloquialism
applying human attributes to an inhuman object; a form of metaphor
personification
a figure of speech in which an adjective or verb is used with two nouns but is appropriate to only one of them or has a different sense with each
zeugma
substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself; more general than synecdoche, and can deal with situations in which the attribute of the thing is strongly associated with the thing but is not necessarily a part of it
metonymy
If we play our cards right…
idiom
a thing that actually stands for something else, such as a material object representing an abstract idea
symbol
“In our kitchen, he would bolt his orange juice (squeezed on one of those ribbed glass sombreros and then poured off through a strainer) and grab a bite of toast (the toaster a simple tin box, a kind of little hut with slit and slanted sides, that rested over a gas burner and browned one side of the bread, in stripes, at a time) . . .” (John Updike)
imagery
hyperbole
exaggerated claims not meant to be taken literally; adds emphasis
“Take thy face hence.” (William Shakespeare, Macbeth)
synecdoche (the face is literally part of the body)
euphemism
a mild expression substituted for a harsh one
dramatic irony
a meaning is understood by the audience of a work, but not by the work’s characters
verbal irony
sarcasm; saying the opposite of what is meant
“The swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot.” (Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854)
paradox
simile
an indirect comparison between two things using conjunctions (such as ‘like’ or ‘as’)
exaggerated claims not meant to be taken literally; adds emphasis
hyperbole
sarcasm; saying the opposite of what is meant
verbal irony
“Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment; and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” (George Bernard Shaw)
allusion (to Robert Frost’s poetry)
“I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.” (Mark Twain)
hyperbole
“You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit.” (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
zeugma
“It is strange that the professor had not assigned any papers for three weeks.” vs. “It’s strange that the professor hadn’t assigned any papers for three weeks.” (What’s the difference? Why does one seem less formal?)
tone
