AP Rhetorical and Lit terms #3 Flashcards
Poetic device definition
A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.
Alliteration definition
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.
Alliteration example
“Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore”
alliteration impact
grasps the reader’s attention, making them focus on a particular line or section
Assonance definition
The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.
Assonance example
“From the molten-golden notes”
Assonance impact
create rhythm in writing.
Consonance definition
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.
Consonance example
“Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door”
Consonance impact
give language a musical element, as well as emphasize sounds or words that resonate with the main ideas or themes of the work.
Onomatopoeia definition
The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.
Onomatopoeia example
Snap, rustle, boom, murmur
Onomatopoeia impact
add excitement, action, and interest by allowing the reader to hear and remember your writing.
Internal rhyme definition
When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line.
Internal rhyme example
“To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!”
Internal rhyme impact
add more musical quality to a poem
Slant rhyme definition
When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly – they are merely similar.
Slant rhyme example
“I sat upon a stone, / And found my life has gone.”
Slant rhyme impact
make poetry and prose sound more cohesive.
End rhyme definition
When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.
End rhyme example
“Roses are red, violets are blue, / Sugar is sweet, and so are you.”
End rhyme impact
End rhymes can make the words more memorable and easier to memorise for readers / listeners
Rhyme Scheme definiton
The pattern of a poem’s end rhymes.
Rhyme Scheme example
the following lines have a
rhyme scheme of a b a b c d c d:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? a
Thou art more lovely and more temperate. b
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May. a
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. b
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines c
And often is his gold complexion dimmed d
And every fair from fair sometime declines c
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed d
Rhyme Scheme impact
It creates a particular atmosphere and mood, and it can shape the way we respond to the themes in the poem
Stressed and unstressed syllables definition
In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllable(s).
Stressed and unstressed syllables example
In the name “Nathan,” the first syllable is stressed. In the word “unhappiness,” the second of the four syllables is stressed.
Stressed and unstressed syllables impact
they create a pattern that helps establish the meter, which is essential for scansion, the process of analyzing a poem’s rhythm.
Meter definition
A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.
Meter example
She walks | in beau |ty like | the night.
Meter impact
foundational to understanding the formal qualities of Old English poetry, where patterns of sound significantly contribute to the poem’s meaning and emotional impact.
Free verse definition
Poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme.
Free verse example
I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
Free verse impact
offers poets greater creative freedom, allowing for diverse expressions and styles.
Iambic pentameter definition
Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Iambic pentameter example
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
Iambic pentameter impact
create a pleasing rhythm in the reader’s ear and make the text more musical and memorable
Sonnet definition
A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Usually divided into three quatrains and a couplet.
Sonnet example
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
Sonnet impact
captures the reader’s attention line by line.
Polysyndeton example
“I walked the dog, and fed the cat, and milked the cows.”
Polysyndeton definition
When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions.
Polysyndeton impact
slow readers down so they can take in all the information.
