Final Exam Flashcards
Allegory
When the entire poem can be read and interpreted at 2 different levels
Alliteration
Repetition of consonants
Allusion
A reference to history or to previous literature
Apostrophe
Addressing someone or something as if that person/thing was there
Archetype
A recurring image/symbol which connects one literary work to another; the product of the “collective uncounscious”
Assonance
Repetition of vowels
Cacophony
A harsh or disagreeable sound effect
Diction
use/choice of words + level of language
Euphony
A pleasant sound effect
Figurative language
Language using figures of speech; should not be taken literally
Figure of speech
Any way of saying something other than the ordinary way; of saying one thing and meaning another
Foot
Basic metrical unit in poetry, consisting of one or more syllables organized in a specific stress pattern (stressed/unstressed syllables)
Imagery/Images
When details appeal to one of the senses and stand out in some way
Visual Imagery
Relates to what we see
Auditory Imagery
Relates to what we hear
Olfactory Imagery
Relates to what we smell
Gustatory Imagery
Relates to what we taste
Tactile/Kinesthetic Imagery
Relates to what we touch
Organic Imagery
Relates to internal sensation ex: hunger
Metaphor
means something other than what is literally meant/ A comparison (not directly expressed) created when a literal term is associated with a figurative term
Metonymy
Use of something closely related for the thing that is actually meant Ex: altar, sword and pen = clergy, soldiers, and authors
Ode
Long, elaborate lyric poem (which emphasizes moods/ feelings rather than the story) that uses a dignified tone/style and treats a serious theme
Oxymoron
2 contrary words next to each other/ 2 words whose meanings seem contradictory
Paradox
An apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true/ it can be either a situation or a statement
Paraphrase
To restate in different language
Personification
Giving human characteristics to an animal, object, or concept; a subtype of metaphor, as there is an implied comparison
Setting
When? Where? / Time and Place
Simile
Comparison expressed by the use of a word such as “like”, “as”, “similar to”, “ressemble”
Speaker
The voice that tells the poem
Couplet
2 lines
Tercet
3 lines
Quatrain
4 lines
Quintet
5 lines
Sestet
6 lines
Septet
7 lines
Octet
8 lines
Symbolism/Symbol
Means what it is and something else Ex: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
Synecdoche
Use of the part for the whole Ex: She is a redhead (for someone with red hair)
Theme
Main subject of the poem / central idea of the poem
