AP Lit & Comp - Vocab Part 1

the characters, behavior, and even setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance

ex. prodigal son

sequential repetition of a similar initial sound

reference to a literary or historical event, person, or place

two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed

ex. Twas the Night before Christmas

regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses

brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature

force that is in opposition to the main character

juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas

address or invocation to something that is inanimate

recurrent designs, patterns of action, character types, themes, or images which are identifiable in a wide range of literature

repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually found in stressed syllables of close proximity

conjunctions are omitted, usually producing a fast-paced, more rapid prose.


ex. I came, I saw, I conquered

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

narrative poem that is meant to be sung

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)