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pre-AP English exam
Rreymanns 1st period
Term | Definition |
---|---|
act | a main division of a play |
allegory | a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one |
allusion | Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection |
amplification | the action of enlarging upon or adding detail to a story or statement |
anaphora | the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses |
antagonist | a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary |
antithesis | Antithesis is used in writing or speech either as a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition, or when two opposites are introduced together for contrasting effect |
aphorism | a concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by an ancient classical author |
apostrophe | an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person (typically one who is dead or absent) or thing (typically one that is personified) |
aside (in drama) | a remark or passage in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play |
blank verse | verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter |
character | a person in a novel, play, or movie |
climax | the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex |
climax (in rhetoric) | is a figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance |
conduplicatio | a rhetorical term for the repetition of one or more words in successive clauses |
connotation | the abstract meaning or intension of a term, which forms a principle determining which objects or concepts it applies to |
couplet | two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, that form a unit |
denotation | the object or concept to which a term refers, or the set of objects of which a predicate is true |
dialogue | conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie |
diction | the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing |
drama | a play for theater, radio, or television |
dramatic irony | a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character |
epic | a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation |
epistrophe | the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences |
ethos | the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations |
exposition | a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory |
external conflict | struggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force such as nature or another character, which drives the dramatic action of the plot |
foil character | a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities of the other character |
foreshadowing | a warning or indication of (a future event) |
free verse | poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter |
hyperbole | exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally |
iambic pentameter | a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable |
imagery | visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work. |
inference | Inferences are steps in reasoning, moving from premises to logical consequences; etymologically, the word infer means to carry forward |
internal conflict | psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character, the resolution of which creates the plot's suspense |
juxtaposition | the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect |
logos | appeal to logic; is a way of persuading an audience with reason, using facts and figures |
metaphor | a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable |
monologue | a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program |
motivation | the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way |
myth | Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives or stories that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths |
onomatopoeia | the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named |
paraphrase | express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity |
pathos | Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric, as well as in literature, film, and other narrative art |
personification | the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form |
playwright | a person who writes plays |
plot | the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence |
point of view | the narrator's position in relation to a story being told |
polysyndeton | a stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect |
procatalepsis | is a figure of speech in which the speaker raises an objection to their own argument and then immediately answers it |
prologue | a separate introductory section of a literary or musical work |
prose | written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure |
protagonist | the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text |
rhetoric | the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques |
rhetorical question | a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer |
rhyme scheme | the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse |
satire | the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues |
setting | the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place |
shift (in poetry) | the shift introduces a change in the speaker's understanding of what he is narrating, signaling to readers that he has reached an insight |
simile | a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid |
soliloquy | an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play |
sonnet | a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line |
speaker | a person who speaks |
suspense | a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen |
symbol | a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract |
theme | the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic |
tone | the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation |
tragedy | Tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in audiences |
count Paris | He is handsome, wealthy, and a kinsman to Prince Escalus |
prince | he is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs |
tybalt | a hotheaded, loyal swordsman who thought he was protecting the Capulet name |
friar Laurence | a holy man who is trusted and respected by the other characters |
nurse | has a role equivalent to that of Juliet's mother and regards Juliet as her own daughter |
benvolio | serves as an unsuccessful peacemaker in the play, attempting to prevent violence between the Capulet and Montague families |
romeo | handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. He lives in the middle of a violent feud between his family and the Capulets, but he is not at all interested in violence. |
mercutio | 'Loyal,' 'devoted,' 'funny' and 'witty' are just a few of the words that describe Romeo's best friend |
Juliet | go getter, very mature, romeos love interest |
rosaline | She is the niece of Lord Capulet. Although an unseen character, her role is important. Romeo is at first deeply in love with Rosaline and expresses his dismay at her not loving him back. |
Zeus | king if gods; sky/heaven |
Poseidon | Sea |
Hades | Underworld |
Hermes | messenger of gods |
Dionysus | god of partying |
Hera | queen of gods; marriage |
Athena | god of wisdom |
Aphrodite | goddess of love/beauty |
Artemis | hunting |
hestia | hearth and home |
the furies | Female creatures who avenge and punish all those who commit brutal crimes, especially between one family member and another. They are in charge of vengeance, jealousy and anger. |
Aeolus | God of the winds |
nymphs | All nymphs are said to be female and all represent different aspects of nature, such as trees, streams, mountains, and meadows |
cyclops | Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. Polyphemus makes a show of hospitality at first, but he soon turns hostile. He devours two of Odysseus's men on the spot and imprisons Odysseus and the rest in his cave for future meals. |
laestrogonians | a race of powerful giants whose king, Antiphates, and unnamed queen turn Odysseus's scouts into dinner |
titans | the deities in Greek mythology that preceded the Olympians |
hydra | a serpent-like monster |
cronos | a Titan who is the father of Zeus,Hades,Poseidon,Hera, and Demeter; ate his children |
sirens | a creature half bird and half woman who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song |
Scylla | Scylla is a six-headed monster who, when ships pass, swallows one sailor for each head |
Charybdis | Charybdis is an enormous whirlpool that threatens to swallow the entire ship |
lotus eaters | people who feed odysseys crew lotus so they wouldnt want to leave |
calypso | attempts to keep the fabled Greek hero Odysseus on her island to make him her immortal husband |
golden apple party | Paris Gave a golden apple to Athena in return for her to make Helen fall in love with him. This started the Trojan War because she was already married |
the Trojan war | ten year war that occurred in ancient Greece |