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134 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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allegory
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a work that functions on symbolic level
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anaphora
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repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
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alliteration
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repetition of initial consonant sounds
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allusion
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reference from another work
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ambiguity
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communicating multiple meanings
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anapest
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metrical pattern of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable
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antagonist
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the force of character that opposes main character
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antithesis
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figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words or ideas
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apostrophe
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direct address in poetry
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aside
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spoken to be heard by audience but not other characters
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assonance
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repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
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asyndeton
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a deliberate omission of conjunctions in a series of related clauses
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aubade
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love poem set at dawn to bid farewell to beloved
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ballad
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simple narrative poem, often incorporating dialogue and with general rhyme scheme of ABCD
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blank verse
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unrhymed iambic pentameter
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bombast
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pretentious
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cacophony
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harsh and discordant sounds
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caesura
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break or pause within a line of poetry indicated by punctuation
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catharsis
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release of emotion by the audience of a tragedy
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character
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one who carries out action of plot (major, minor, static, dynamic)
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chiasmus/antimetabole
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a sentence strategy in which the arrangement of ideas in the second clause is a reversal of the first
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climax
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turning point of action, highest moment of tension
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comic relief
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inclusion of humor to contrast tragic elements
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conflict
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clash of opposing forces
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connotation
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associative, implied, or suggested meaning of word
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consonance
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repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words
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convention
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traditional aspect of literary work
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couplet
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two lines of rhymed poetry
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dactyl
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foot of poetry, stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
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denotation
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literal, dictionary definition word
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denouement
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resolution of conflict and plot, conclusion
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details
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items or parts of a story
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dues ex machina
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"the god from the machine", appears at last moment and resolves loose ends of play
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devices of sound
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rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia
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diction
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word choice
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didactic
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explicitly instructive
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digression
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use of material unrelated to subject of a work
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dramatic monologue
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type of poem presenting conversation between speaker and implied listener
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elegy
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poem that laments dead or lost
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end-stopped
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a line with a pause at the end (end with punctuation) in a poem
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enjambment
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running on of line or stanza in poetry
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epic
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lengthy, elevated poem celebrating exploits of a hero
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epigram
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brief, witty poem; satiric commentary
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euphemism
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indirection to avoid offensive bluntness
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euphony
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pleasant sounds
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exposition
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background information
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extended metaphor
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an implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or entire poem
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fable
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simple, symbolic story usually with animals as characters
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figurative language
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enables writer to operate on levels other than literal
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flashback
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reference to past thoughts, events, or episodes
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foot
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metrical unit in poetry, syllabic measure of line (iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee)
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foreshadowing
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hints of future events
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form
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shape or structure of literary work
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free verse
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poetry without defined form, meter, or rhyme scheme
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grotesque
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characterized by distortions and incongruities
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hyperbole
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extreme exaggeration
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iamb
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metrical foot consisting of unaccented syllable followed by accented one
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idyll
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type of lyrical poem extolling virtues of ideal place or time
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image
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verbal approximation of sensory impression, concept, or emotion
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imagery
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total effect of related sensory images
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impressionism
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writing that reflects a personal image of a character, event, or concept
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internal rhyme
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rhyme that occurs within a line rather than at the end
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irony
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contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected
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jargon
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specific language of profession or group
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literal
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not figurative, matter of fact, concrete
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lyric poetry
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characterized by emotion, personal feelings, brevity
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lyrical
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songlike; full of emotion, subjectivity, and imagination
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metaphor
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direct comparison between dissimilar things
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metaphysical poetry
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exploration of complex ideas through extended metaphors and paradox
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meter
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pattern of beats in poetry
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metonymy
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a representative term used for a larger idea
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mixed metaphors
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the mingling of one metaphor with another immediately following with which the first is incongruous
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monologue
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speech given by one character
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motif
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repetition or variations of image or idea to develop theme or characters
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narrative poem
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tells a story
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narrator
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speaker
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octave
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eight line stanza
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ode
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formal, lengthy poem celebrating particular subject
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omniscient
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all knowing
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onomatopoeia
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words that sound like the sound they represent
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oxymoron
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a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression
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parable
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story that operates on more than one level, usually teaches a moral lesson
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paradox
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seemingly contradictory statement
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parallel plot
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secondary story line that mimics and reinforces the main plot
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parallelism
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a single grammatical structure between a line or lines of poetry
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parody
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comic imitation that ridicules the original
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pathos
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evokes feelings of dignified pity and sympathy, appeal to pity
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personification
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assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects
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plot
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sequence of events
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point of view
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method of narration
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protagonist
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hero or main character, elicits audience sympathy
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pun
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a play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings
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quatrain
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four-line stanza
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refrain
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a group of words forming a phrase or sentence and consisting of one or more lines repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza (hint: think song)
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reliability
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quality of characters eliciting trust from audience
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resolution
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conclusion of a literary work
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rhetorical question
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does not expect explicit answer, arouses consideration
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rhyme
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duplication of final syllable sounds
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rhyme royal
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iambic pentameter rhymed ababbcc
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rhythm
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repetitive pattern of beats in poetry
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romanticism
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foundation in freedom, adventure, idealism, and escape
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sarcasm
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a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it
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satire
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presents a ridicule on society, criticizes the follies of mankind
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scansion
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a system for describing the meter of a poem by identifying the number and type of feet per line
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sestet
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six line stanza
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sestina
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highly structured poem with 39 lines, iambic pentameter, and repetition of six words from first stanza in each of six stanzas
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setting
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time and place
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simile
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indirect comparison using "like" or "as"
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soliloquy
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speech to reveal inner thoughts
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sonnet
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14 line poem with prescribed rhyme scheme, iambic pentameter
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spondee
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poetic foot with two accented syllables
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stage directions
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specific instructions of a playwright
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stanza
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unit of a poem similarly in rhyme, meter and length to other units
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stereotype
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conventional pattern, expression, character, or idea
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strategy
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management of language for specific effect; planned placing of elements to achieve an effect
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structure
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organization and form
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style
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unique way an author presents his ideas
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subplot
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secondary plot that explores different ideas
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syllogism
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form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn; major premise, minor premise, conclusion
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symbol
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something that stands for something else
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synecdoche
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utilizes a part as a representative for the whole
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syntax
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grammatical structure
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synesthesia
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describing one kind of sensation in terms of another
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stichomythia
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a dialogue in which the endings and the beginnings of each line echo each other, taking on a new meaning with each new line
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tercet
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three line stanza
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terza rima
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a three-line stanza rhymed ABA, BCB, CDC, etc.
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theme
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underlying ideas illustrated in a work
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thesis
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theme, meaning, or position
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tone
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author's attitude toward subject
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tragic hero
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generally good person of exalted position who has a fatal flaw or commits error in judgment
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types of figurative language
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metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, hyperbole, etc.
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understatement
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ironic statement where one writes or says less than is intended
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villanelle
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highly structured poem consisting of six stanzas: five tercets and a quatrain; first and third line are repeated throughout
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zeugma
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the use of a verb that has two different meanings with objects that complement both meanings
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