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allegory
the characters, behavior, and even setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance
ex. prodigal son
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alliteration
sequential repetition of a similar initial sound
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allusion
reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place
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anapestic
two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed
ex. Twas the Night before Christmas
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Anaphora
regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses
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anecdote
brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature
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antagonist
force that is in opposition to the main character
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antithesis
juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas
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apostrophe
address or invocation to something that is inanimate
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archetype
recurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature
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assonance
repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually found in stressed syllables of close proximity
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asyndeton
conjunctions are omitted, usually producing a fast-paced, more rapid prose.
ex. I came, I saw, I conquered
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attitude
sense expressed by the tone of voice and/or the mood of a piece of writing; the feelings an author holds towards his subject, the people in his narrative, the events, setting, or even theme
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ballad
narrative poem that is meant to be sung
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ballad stanza
consisting of a quatrain (stanza of 4 lines) that alternates four-beat and three-beat lines; one and three are unrhymed iambic tetrameter (four beats) and two and four are rhymed iambic trimeter (three beats)
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