Ap English Poetry Terms

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Alliteration

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The repetition of accented consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to eachother.

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Allusion

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A reference in literature or in art to previous literature, history, mythology, pop culture, or the Bible

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Ambiguity

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Quality of being intentionally unclear.

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Anachronism

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An element in a story that is out of its time frame: used to create humorous or jarring effect.

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Analogy

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An analogy clarifies or eplains an unfamiliar concept or object, or one that cannot be put into words, by comparing it with one which is familiar.

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Analysis

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The process of examining the components of a literary work.

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Anapest

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The poetic foot (measure) that follows the pattern unacented, unaccented, unaccented, accented.

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Anecdote

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A short and often personal story used to amphasize a point, to develop a character or a theme, or to inject humor.

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Antagonist

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A character who functions as a resisting force to the goals of the protagonist.

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Antecedent

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The word or phrase to which a pronoun refers.

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Anticlimax

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An often disappointing, sudden end to an intense situation.

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Antihero

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A protagonist who carries the action of the literary piece but does not embody the classic characteristics of courage, strength, and nobility.

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Antithesis

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A concept that is directly opposed to a previously presented idea.

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Aphorism

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A erse statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle. "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise"

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Apostrophe

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A rhetorical figure of direct address to a person,object, or abstract entity.

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Apotheosis

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Elevating someone to the level of a god.

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Archetype

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A character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people from all cultures because it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore.

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Aside

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A hort speech or remark made by an actor to the audience rather than to the other characters, who do not hear him or her.

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Assonance

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The repeated use of a vowel sound.

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Attitude

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The author's feelings toward the topic he or she is writing about. "tone"

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Aubade

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A poem or song about lovers who must leave one another in the early hours of the morning.

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Ballad

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A folk song or poem passed down orally that tells a story which may be derived from an actual incident or from legend or folklore.

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Blank Verse

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Unrhymed poetry of iambic pentameter.

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Cacophony

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Harsh, discordant sounds, unpleasant to the ear.

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Carpe Diem

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Latin for "seize the day"

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Catharsis

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Aristotle's term for "arousing pity and fear in the audience" emotionl cleansing, relief.

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Chiasmus

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The opposite of parallel construction; inverting the second of two phrases that would otherwise be in parallel form "I like the idea, its execution, I don't"

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Colloquial

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Of or relating to slang or regional dialect.

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Comic Relief

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Humor that provides a release of tension and breaks up a more serious episode.

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Conceit

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A far-fetched comparison between two seemingly unlike things: an extended metaphor.