Hero Greek mythology: A person of superhuman powers; demigod; immortal Later on: brave leader; person of great physical strength; protagonist Heroic Couplet A pair of rhyming iambic pentameters. Hyperbole The use of exaggeration for emphasis or to make a point. Iambic A metrical foot that consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. Image A concrete picture, either literally or figuratively. Imagery Representative of things accessible to the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. In Medias Res A technique of relating a story from the midpoint, rather than the beginning. Internal Rhyme Rhyme within a line. Inversion The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. Invocation An appeal for inspiration or assistance is made to a muse or deity. Irony A contrast between two elements; can provide depth, impact, and suggest a complexity of experience. Verbal Irony: Saying one thing and meaning another. Situational Irony: The contrast between what happens and what was expected. Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something that the character(s) does not. Italian Petrarchan Sonnet Consists of an octave with the rhyme scheme abba(x2) and a sestet rhyming in various patterns. Juxtaposition The arrange of two or more ideas side-by-side in comparison/contrast. Kenning A figurative expression that replaces a name or a noun. Latinate Of, like, pertaining to, or derived from Latin. Literal Language The precise, plain meaning of a word/phrase in its simplest, original sense. Lyric A type of poem that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings in a song-like style. Metaphor The comparison of one thing to another w/o using like or as. Metaphysical Not physical; immaterial; sth from imagination. Meter The pattern of stressed/unstressed syllables in a verse. Metonymy The substitution of some attributive or suggestive word for what is actually meant. Mock Epic Exaggeration, and sarcasm to mock its original subject. Mock Heroic Imitating the style of heroic poetry inorder to satirize an unheroic subject. Monologue An extended speech by one person with or without an audience. Mood Tone; atomosphere; feeling. Motif A recurring subject, theme, idea, etc. Narrative A story; an account of real or imagined events. Narrator One who tells the story; determines the story's point of view. Near rhyme Rhymes created out of words with similar but not identical sounds. Octave The first unit in an Italian sonnet; stanza of eight lines. Ode A complex, lengthy lyric poem written to honour a person/season/event. Onomatopoeia The use of words formed or sounding like what they signify. Oxymoron Two words that contradict each other. Paradox A statement that contradicts itself, yet still makes sense. Parallelism The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. Parody Imitates the serious manner and characteristic features of a literary work in order to make fun of those same features. Pastoral A poem that deals with an idealized way with shepherds and rustic life. Pathos The feeling of pity, sympathy, tenderness, compassion, or sorrow evoked by characters who are helpless and innocent. Pentatmeter Five sets of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables. Persona A voice or an assumed role of a character that represents the thoughts of a writer or a specific person the writer wants to present as his mouthpiece. Personification Something nonhuman is given human qualities. Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet Consists of an octave with the rhyme scheme abba(x2) and a sestet rhyming in various patterns. Play On Words A pun. Prologue The opening section of a work; an introduction Protagonist The main character of a story. Proverb A short, pithy saying that is used to express commonly held ideas or beliefs. Pun The use of a word/phrase to suggest two or more meanings at a time; play on words.