AP Rhetorical and Lit terms #2 Flashcards
Foreshadowing definition
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.
Foreshadowing example
“Her early interest in airplanes foreshadowed her later career as a pilot”
Foreshadowing impact
build dramatic tension and suspense throughout their stories.
Genre definition
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Gothic definition
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death. Also refers to an architectural style of the middle ages, often seen in cathedrals of this period.
gothic example
The church was built in the gothic architecture style in the period 1883-1893
imagery definition
Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind.
imagery example
the old book had water spots across its spine. Some of the pages yellowed.
imagery impact
enhance character, setting, meaning, and theme.
invective definition
A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.
invective example
“I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.”Jul 5, 2024
invective impact
to attack, belittle, or frighten an adversary.
irony definition
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
verbal irony definition
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different.
verbal irony example
your gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes or faster, but calls it a “walk in the park” it would be verbal irony. I
verbal irony impact
humor, sarcasm, and persuasion
dramatic irony definition
When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn’t and would be surprised to find out
dramatic irony example
in many horror movies, we (the audience) know who the killer is, which the victim-to-be has no idea who is doing the slaying. Sometimes the character trusts the killer completely when (ironically) he/she shouldn’t.
dramatic irony impact
creates anticipation and suspense
situational irony definition
Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it makes you laugh because it’s funny how things turn out.
situational irony example
Johnny spent two hours planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. When he finally did manage to sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day
situational irony impact
leads to thought-provoking results
juxtaposition definition
Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison.
juxtaposition example
an author my juxtapose the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary).
juxtaposition impact
help strengthen an argument, create an emotional response, or otherwise add meaning.
mood definition
The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction).
motif definition
a recurring idea in a piece of literature
motif example
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that “you never really understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is a motif, because the idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.
motif impact
highlight something about a character, to help us understand them better or it can help to establish the mood of the story.
oxymoron definition
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox –
oxymoron example
“wise fool,” “eloquent silence,” “jumbo shrimp.”
oxymoron impact
creates a dramatic effect and forces the reader to stop and think the complexity of an idea.
pacing definition
The speed or tempo of an author’s writing.
pacing example
Jenna sprinted down the alley, her heart pounding in her chest.
pacing impact
evokes emotions in readers
paradox definition
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true.“
paradox example
You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job.”
paradox impact
cause the reader to think more critically about the ideas in the text.
parallelism definition
Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.
parallelism example
“she likes hiking, dancing,and to swim”
parallelism impact
used to help organize ideas, but also to make the ideas memorable
anaphora definition
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row.
anaphora example
“I came, I saw, I conquered.”
anaphora impact
to draw the audience into the message being delivered, whether in speech or in writing.
chiasmus definition
When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed
chiasmus example
“Fair is foul and foul is fair.” “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
chiasmus impact
the first part of a sentence is repeated in reverse order in the second part, creating a mirror-like effect.
antithesis definition
wo opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure.
antithesis example
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
antithesis impact
enhances your writing by illuminating differences and making your point more persuassive
zeugma (syllepsis) defintion
When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies.
zeugma (syllepsis) example
“The butler killed the lights, and then the mistress.” “I quickly dressed myself and the salad.”
zeugma (syllepsis) impact
they can humorous, can create a sense of dram, and make an idea or phrase stick in the mind
parenthetical idea definition
Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence. It is almost considered an aside…a whisper, and should be used sparingly for effect, rather than repeatedly
parenthetical idea example
“In a short time (and the time is getting shorter by the gallon) America will be out of oil.”
parenthetical idea impact
evokes a sense of simultaneity in their viewpoint character’s experience.
parody definition
An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.
parody example
The Simpsons often parody Shakespeare plays. Saturday Night Live also parodies famous persons and events.
persona definition
The fictional mask or narrator that tells a story. Do not confuse with alter-ego.
