AP Poetry Terms Flashcards
the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words
alliteration
a reference in a work of literature to a historical or literary event, person, place or passage outside of the work
allusion
a figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas, as in “Man proposes; God disposes.” Is a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness.
antithesis
a figure of speech in which someone (usually, but not always absent), some abstract quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly addressed as though present
apostrophe
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
assonance
a four-line stanza rhymed abcd with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in lines two and four
ballad meter
unrhymed iambic pentameter
blank verse
a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones.
cacophony
a pause, usually near the middle of a line of verse, usually indicated by the sense of the line, and often greater than the normal pause
caesura
an ingenious and fanciful notion or conception, usually expressed through an elaborate analogy, and pointing to a striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things.
conceit
the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words
consonance
a two-line stanza, usually with end-rhymes the same
couplet
the techniques of deploying the sound of words
devices of sound
choice of words especially with regard to correctness, formality, clearness, or effectiveness
diction
a poem which is intended primarily to teach a lesson
didactic poem
a poem which employs a dramatic form or some element or elements of dramatic techniques as a means of achieveing poetic ends
dramatic poem
a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet’s meditations upon death or another solemn theme
elegy
a line with a pause at the end
end-stopped
the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next
enjambment
an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem.
extended metaphor
a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate.
euphony
rhyme that appears correct from spelling, but is half-rhyme or slant rhyme from the pronunciation
eye rhyme
a rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed, as “waken” and “forsaken” and “audition” and “rendition”
feminine rhyme
writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language) such as metaphor, irony, and simile. Figurative language uses words to mean something other than their literal meaning.
figurative language
poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical
free verse
two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in the two-line unit
heroic couplet
a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration
hyperbole
the images of a literary work; the sensory details of a work; the figurative language of a work.
imagery
the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning, or between what might be expected and what actually occurs
irony
rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end
internal rhyme
any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings
lyric poem
rhyme that falls on the stressed and concluding syllables of the rhyme-words
masculine rhyme
a figurative use of language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of a comparative term
metaphor
the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry. each unit is known as a foot
meter
a figure of speech which is characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the word in mind for the word itself
metonymy
the mingling of another metaphor with another immediately following with which the first is incongruous
mixed metaphors
a non-dramatic poem which tells a story or presents a narrative, whether simple or complex, long or short
narrative poem
an eight-line stanza
octave
the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning (such as “hiss,” “buzz,” or “zip”)
onomatopoeia
a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression
oxymoron
a situation or action or feeling that appears to be contradictory but on inspection turns out to be true or at least to make sense.
paradox
any structure which brings together parallel elements, be these nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, or larger structures to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance.
parallelism
a restatement of an idea in such a way as to retain the meaning while changing the diction and form
paraphrase
a kind of metaphor that give inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics
personification
a group of syllables in verse usually consisting of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables associated with it
poetic foot
a play on words that are identical or similar in sounds but have sharply diverse meanings
pun
a four-line stanza with any combination of rhymes
quatrain
a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza
refrain
close similarity or identity between accented syllables occupying corresponding positions in two or more lines of verse
rhyme
a seven-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhymes ababbcc, used by Chaucer and other medieval poets
rhyme royal
the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables
rhythm
a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it. Its purpose is to injure or to hurt.
sarcasm
writing that seeks to arouse a reader’s disapproval of an object by ridicule
satire
a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and the type(s) of feet per line
scansion
a six-line stanza
sestet
a directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects, usually with “like,” “as,” or “than.”
simile
normally a fourteen-line iambic pentameter poem
sonnet
usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines with the same meter and rhyme scheme
stanza
the management of language for a specific effect
rhetorical strategy
the arrangement of materials within a work; the relationships of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work
structure
the mode of expression in language; the characteristic manner of expressions of an author
style
something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else
symbol
a form of metaphor which in mentioning a part signifies the whole
synecdoche
the order of and arrangement of words in a sentence; a sentence’s grammatical structure, length, and type.
syntax
a stanza of three lines in which each line ends with the same rhyme
tercet
a three-line stanza rhymes aba, bcb, cdc, etc.
terza rhyme
the main though expressed by a work
theme
the manner in which an author expressed his or her attitude
tone
the opposite of hyperbole; represents something less than it really is
understatement
a nineteen-line poem divided into five tercets and a final quatrain
villanelle
