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80 Cards in this Set
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Mock heroic
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A satirical imitation or burlesque of the heroic manner or style.
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This adjective is commonly applied to mock epics, but serves also for works or parts of works using the same comic method in various forms other than that of the full‐scale mock‐epic poem: Swift's prose satire The Battle of the Books (1704) is an important case, as is Byron's intermittently mock‐heroic poem Don Juan (1819–24). Shorter satirical poems employing fewer epic conventions, such as Ben Jonson's ‘On the Famous Voyage’ (1616) and Dryden's Mac Flecknoe (1682), are probably better described as mock‐heroic poems rather than mock epics, partly because they are not long enough to be divided into cantos.
Example: Lydia took Hrothgar’s throne with a mock heroic fluster and the scene began to unfold before us. |
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Archaic Diction
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marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated
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This form of speech is usually used in gothic novels or less than current works such as Beowulf.
Example: Thee antiquated diction brings to mind ye olden days of yore. |
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Euphemism
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-the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
- the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.” |
“AP English” is a euphemism for “ slow torture and eventual death”.
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Odious
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deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable.
- highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting. |
Mrs. Hardy’s actions as the Principal of Ellet High School have caused her to receive odious responses from its pupils.
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Propensity
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a natural inclination or tendency: a propensity to drink too much
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Mrs. Baltrinic has a natural propensity to sign herself up for the position of holding up the world every two weeks or so.
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Inflame with love
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A formal term that The phrase means "filled with passion".
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Everyone knew at the end Romeo was inflamed with love for Juliet. (He likes her a lot).
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Dangling Modifier
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A modifier (descriptor) that describes the wrong subject
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Walking down Main Street, the trees were beautiful.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. |
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Ambigous Pronoun Reference
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A prounoun that can mean more than one thing, often confusing.
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As soon as Lucinda arrrived with Gwen, we asked her to tell us about the trip to Yukon. (Which girl are you asking?)
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Bitter Resentment
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Something despised, hated; also see rancorous.
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Most atheletes with bad sportsmanship show bitter resentment towards the other team after losing a game.
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Equanimity
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The condition or quality of being calm and even tempered.
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Judges are expected to show equanimity in court.
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Elegy
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A poem or song that expresses sorrow, especially one composed to lament a person who has died.
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Death is....
Death is when your loved ones must depart Death is a sharp pain to the heart Death is a feeling of permanent sadness and pain Death is when your loved ones have forever gone away Death is a call to heaven or hell Death is an eternal mansion or cell Death is a lesson to learn about Death is a loss, without a doubt Death is an unhappy feeling to have Death is unpleasant on anyone's behalf Death is something we all will go through Death is a storm waiting to brew Death is a lingering crow always overhead Death is a soul, done being fed Rebekah Joh |
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Metonymy
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A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another word or phrase with which it is closely assciated.
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"The bottle" refers to a strong drink
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Parodoxical Understatment
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A seemigly contradictory statement that may nontheless be true.
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Walking down a hill burns more calories than walking up a hill. (It's true, but you would think it was the other way around)
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Villanelle
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Follows the basic rhyme scheme 'aba aba aba, etc.' but since there are 19 lines, the last stanza is 'abaa.' Also, the first line of the 1st stanza, is the last line of the even stanzas, and the 3rd line of the 1st stanza is the last line of the odd stanzas.
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Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. -Dylan Thomas |
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Naïveté
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the quality or state of being naive; natural or artless simplicity
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Nora’s naïveté kept her from viewing the reality that she was, indeed, merely a doll to Torvald.
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Adjudication
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The act of adjudicating (to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence)
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The entire court room awaited the judge’s adjudication after the trial.
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Pretentious
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characterized by assumption of dignity or importance
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Most white men of <i>Invisible Man</i> were characterized as pretentious, believing they were of more importance than black men.
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Cynicism
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cynical (showing contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one's actions, esp. by actions that exploit the scruples of others) disposition, character, or belief
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Liz showed extreme cynicism to Jane Eyre’s life choices.
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Omniscient Observer
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all knowing observer
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Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
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Raucous
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hoarse; harsh-sounding
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Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky, Frankstein by Mary Shelly
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Elegiac
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- refers either to those compositions that are like elegies or to a specific poetic meter used in Classical elegies. The Classical elegiac meter has two lines, making it a couplet: a line of dactylic hexameter(–⏕ | –⏕ | –⏕ | –⏕ | –⏑⏑ | –⏓), followed by a line of dactylic pentameter(- U | - U | - || - u u | - u u | - ). Because the hexameter line is in the same meter as epic poetry, and because the elegiac form was always considered lower style than epic, elegists frequently wrote with epic in mind and positioned themselves in relation to epic.
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Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
by Thomas Gray The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. Now fades the glimm'ring landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds, Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds; Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tow'r The moping owl does to the moon complain Of such, as wand'ring near her secret bow'r, Molest her ancient solitary reign. Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap, Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, The swallow twitt'ring from the straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn, Or busy housewife ply her evening care: No children run to lisp their sire's return, Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share. Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield, Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke; How jocund did they drive their team afield! How bow'd the woods beneath their sturdy stroke! Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, Their homely joys, and destiny obscure; Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile The short and simple annals of the poor. The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r, And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Awaits alike th' inevitable hour. The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Nor you, ye proud, impute to these the fault, If Mem'ry o'er their tomb no trophies raise, Where thro' the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault The pealing anthem swells the note of praise. Can storied urn or animated bust Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? Can Honour's voice provoke the silent dust, Or Flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death? Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire; Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway'd, Or wak'd to ecstasy the living lyre. But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll; Chill Penury repress'd their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul. Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear: Full many a flow'r is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast The little tyrant of his fields withstood; Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest, Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood. Th' applause of list'ning senates to command, The threats of pain and ruin to despise, To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land, And read their hist'ry in a nation's eyes, Their lot forbade: nor circumscrib'd alone Their growing virtues, but their crimes confin'd; Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne, And shut the gates of mercy on mankind, The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide, To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame, Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride With incense kindled at the Muse's flame. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife, Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray; Along the cool sequester'd vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. Yet ev'n these bones from insult to protect, Some frail memorial still erected nigh, With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture deck'd, Implores the passing tribute of a sigh. Their name, their years, spelt by th' unletter'd muse, The place of fame and elegy supply: And many a holy text around she strews, That teach the rustic moralist to die. For who to dumb Forgetfulness a prey, This pleasing anxious being e'er resign'd, Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day, Nor cast one longing, ling'ring look behind? On some fond breast the parting soul relies, Some pious drops the closing eye requires; Ev'n from the tomb the voice of Nature cries, Ev'n in our ashes live their wonted fires. For thee, who mindful of th' unhonour'd Dead Dost in these lines their artless tale relate; If chance, by lonely contemplation led, Some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate, Haply some hoary-headed swain may say, "Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn Brushing with hasty steps the dews away To meet the sun upon the upland lawn. "There at the foot of yonder nodding beech That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high, His listless length at noontide would he stretch, And pore upon the brook that babbles by. "Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn, Mutt'ring his wayward fancies he would rove, Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn, Or craz'd with care, or cross'd in hopeless love. "One morn I miss'd him on the custom'd hill, Along the heath and near his fav'rite tree; Another came; nor yet beside the rill, Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he; "The next with dirges due in sad array Slow thro' the church-way path we saw him borne. Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay, Grav'd on the stone beneath yon aged thorn." THE EPITAPH Here rests his head upon the lap of Earth A youth to Fortune and to Fame unknown. Fair Science frown'd not on his humble birth, And Melancholy mark'd him for her own. Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere, Heav'n did a recompense as largely send: He gave to Mis'ry all he had, a tear, He gain'd from Heav'n ('twas all he wish'd) a friend. No farther seek his merits to disclose, Or draw his frailties from their dread abode, (There they alike in trembling hope repose) The bosom of his Father and his God. |
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Colloquialisms
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language used in informal conversation
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Huckleberry Fin by Mark Twain, Hedda Gabbler by Hedrick Ibsen, the adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
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Paradox
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A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
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"The silence of midnight, to speak truly, though apparently a paradox, rung in my ears." (Mary Shelley)
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Pathos
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Quality that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow.
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The film captured all the pathos of their situation.
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Functions of Allusions
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A reference to another work or famous figure. A classical allusion is a reference to Greek and Roman mythology or literature such as the Iliad. Allusions can be topical or popular. A topical allusion refers to a current event. A popular allusion refers to something from popular culture, such as a reference to a television show or hit movie.
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Hedda from Hedda Gabler is similar to Torvald in A Doll's House as they are both obsessed with controling others.
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Metonymy
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A figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part.
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"Scepter" for "Sovereignty"
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Ambiguity of meaning
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Allows for two or more simultaneous interpretations of a word, phrase, action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a work.
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Ghosts or other supernatural creatures in literary fiction. I.E. Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
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Pragmatic
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Of or pertaining to a practical point of view, opinionated. “Throughout the discussion Steve was quite excitable and pragmatic.”
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Circumspect
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Watchful and discreet. “Eric looked around, circumspect in his situation.”
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Rancorous
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Bitter, full of resentment. “I insulted him and he became completely rancorous.”
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Heterodox
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Holding unorthodox doctrines or opinions. “As I grew to know Dan, I found him to be quite strange and Heterodox.”
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Feigned Disdain
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a feeling of contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior that is not genuine or real.
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If you would reduce the cruelty of your feigned disain, I am sure that your beauty would not lessen.
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Antecedent
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A substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun; broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute
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Mary saw John and called to him.
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Contentious
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Eexhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes
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A man of a most contentious nature
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Whimsical
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resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice ; especially : lightly fanciful
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The whimsical decorations seemed to float on the christmas tree in the center of the room.
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Consonance
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repeated use of a consonant sound within words (rather than at the beginning of the words, as in alliteration)
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All mammals named Sam are clammy.
pitter patter |
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Laudatory
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Expressing or giving praise.
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It was surprising when the harsh critic wrote such a laudatory article for the new movie.
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Garrulous
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Excessively talkative, especially about unimportant matters.
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The woman was deemed garrulous after she continued to bring up matters about her personal life during the important meeting.
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Terse
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Brief and to the point; concise.
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The terse employer called the workers to his office to address several important issues, which he outlined in less than a minute.
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Differential
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a quality that differentiates( to show the difference of) between similar things
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Hedda and Nora are both woman but the differential trait is that one is crazy and the other is not.
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Epigram
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a short, witty saying, often with a twist at the end, often about someone
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Who is Mrs. Baltrinic? What is this being.
Someone who can’t seem to stop giving. Work. |
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Synecdoche
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substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa
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20 head of cattle
great set of wheels |
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Mixed Metaphor
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Mixed metaphors are different metaphors occurring in the same utterance, especially the same sentence, that are used to express the same concept.
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he stepped up to the plate and grabbed the bull by the horns.
Education is the heart of love and A.P English is the long awaited tornado. |
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Excessive Hedonism
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the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle. Excessively.
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Brave New World with the soma and all the sexual pleasure.
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Parallelism
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-noun
1. the position or relation of parallels. 2. agreement in direction, tendency, or character; the state or condition of being parallel. 3. a parallel or comparison. |
Not parallel: Affy ran across the yard, jumped over the fence, and down the alley he sprinted.
Parallel: Affy ran across the yard, jumped over the fence, and sprinted down the alley. |
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Pious
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–adjective
1. having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations. 2. characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious. 3. practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere |
Helen Burns in Jane Eyre was a very pious character. So much that she had no fear of death because she believed she would be next to God in heaven.
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Conciliate
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–verb
1. to overcome the distrust or hostility of; placate; win over: to conciliate an angry competitor. 2. to win or gain (goodwill, regard, or favor). 3. to make compatible; reconcile. |
Win.
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Betide
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–verb (used with object)
1. to happen to; come to; befall –verb (used without object) 1. to happen; come to pass |
Whatever betides, maintain your courage.
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Flippant
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–adjective
1. frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity. 2. Chiefly Dialect. nimble, limber, or pliant. |
The audience was shocked by his flippant remarks about patriotism.
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Assonance
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Similarity in sound, especially the repetition in poetry of the same vowel sound and sense.
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"It beats as it sweeps as it cleans"
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Forlorn
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Appearing sad or lonely because deserted or abandoned.
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A forlorn puppy.
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Dramatic Monologue
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A piece of spoken verse with plays that are often linked to key themes of the play or offer great insight into the feelings of the speaker. favored in Victorian period.
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My last duchess, when a duke speaks to an emissary of his way
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Cistern
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a large tank or reservoir for holding liquid, especially for th collection and storage of rainwater.
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He had a full cistern for emergencies.
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An Objective Complement
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A noun, adjective, or pronoun serving as a complement to a verb and qualifying its direct object
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Treasurer in: We appointed him treasurer; white in: They painted the house white; interesting speaker in: They thought him an interesting speaker.
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Didactic
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Teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.
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A Doll's House is a didactic novel because it teaches women not to be a doormat for their husbands.
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Caesura
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Any break, pause, or interruption.
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"WAIT!..............*gets on shoes*.........................................................I'm comeing with you!"
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Reverential
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Expressing a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe.
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In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby shows a reverence for Daisy.
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Hedonism
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The belief that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.
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The society of Brave New World strongly believed in Hedonism.
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Litotes
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An understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary.
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"We are not amused."
"I'm not doing this for my health." |
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Predicate Nominative
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A noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and refers to the same person or thing as the subject of the verb.
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Ms. Hardy is a student teacher.
Tabby is my cat. |
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An Appositive Modifier
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An appositive is a noun phrase equivalent to another noun phrase in the sentence. A modifier can be an adjective, an adverb, or a phrase acting as an adjective or adverb that adds information to another element in the sentence.
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My brother's car, a sporty red convertible with bucket seats, is the envy of my friends.
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Transitive/Intransitive verb
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transitive verb - a verb requiring an object
intransitive verb - a verb that does not take an object |
transitive: "I killed the rabbit."
intransitive: "The rabbit died." |
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Syllogism
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Syllogism - major premise joined with a minor premise leading to a conclusion
(i.e. If... and... then....) |
"All mortals die. All humans are mortals. All humans die."
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Ballad (meter)
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Four line stanzas with 4-3-4-3 stressed syllables (generally abxb pattern)
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"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see." "There's a certain Slant of light, Winter Afternoons-- That oppresses, like the Heft Of Cathedral Tunes-- Heavenly Hurt, it gives us-- We can find no scar, But internal difference, Where the Meanings, are--" |
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Terza Rima
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An interlocking tercet rhyme scheme between stanzas, ending in a single line or a couplet, using the middle rhyme from the final tercet (i.e. aba bcb cdc d[d])
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Acquainted With the Night by Robert Frost
I have been one acquainted with the night. (a) I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. (b) I have outwalked the furthest city light. (a) I have looked down the saddest city lane. (b) I have passed by the watchman on his beat (c) And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain. (b) I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet (c) When far away an interrupted cry (d) Came over houses from another street, (c) But not to call me back or say good-by; (d) And further still at an unearthly height (a) One luminary clock against the sky (d) Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right. (a) I have been one acquainted with the night. (a) |
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Sardonic
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characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering
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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Allegory
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where every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic of some larger concept or event
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Of Mice and Men
Depression Era |
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Poetic or Prose Device:
Alliteration |
repeatedly using the first sound of a word in multiple words
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She sleeps, and sees in dreams the symmetry of socks.
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Poetic Structure:
Blank verse |
non-rhyming iambic pentameter
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Shakespeare
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Dramatic Irony
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When the audience or reader knows something important that the characters do not know
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Iago's evil nature in Othello
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Figurative language
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intended meaning differs from what is actually said or written
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metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, verbal irony, oxymoron
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Foil
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character who represents characteristics, values, or ideas in direct contrast with the protagonist
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Hedda and Thea
Iago and Othello Jane Eyre and society chick |
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Hyperbole
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Exaggeration, using extremes and/or superlatives to convey a positive or negative attribute
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The greatest human being to ever walk the earth
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Imagery
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descriptive language that depends on sensory stimulation (especially visual or auditory
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the lush foliage was almost too green, shining in the soft, sparkling morning sunlight. Water dripped - plip, plip - softly from the ends of the enormous, velvet leaves.
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Mood
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atmosphere or emotional condition created by the piece
(not a character's state of mind) |
the marshes were dark, murky, and mysterious in the fading light of dusk. It was a place where someone could slip quietly from the dense fog, do some hideous evil, and be quickly gone, disappearing into the night as if they had never been there at all
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Motif
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Recurring important idea or image
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Newgate Prison in Great Expectations
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Oxymoron
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Contradiction in terms
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"cold fire"
"lazy worker" "deafening silence" |
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Theme
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main idea or message of a piece. Cannot be expressed in a single word.
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The theme of All the King's Men is that everyone's actions affect everyone else, in ways that cannot be predicted.
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Tone
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emotional state or "attitude" of the speaker/narrator/narrative voice. (not the author or character)
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Though the little boy in Vanity Fair idolizes his mother, the narrative tone indicates that the woman is vain, shallow, and empty.
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Irony
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situation that is unexpected and absurd
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The lawyer representing family members of victims of a plane crash, died when his plane went down on the way to the hearing.
Alanis Morisette's song - not the lyrics, the song itself |
