Figurative Language
A figure of speech that addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction
Apostrophe
The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning like "buzz" or "clang"
Onomatopoeia
A two-line stanza, often rhymed
Couplet
A narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.
Omniscient POV
The author's attitude towards the subject, revealed through diction and syntax.
Tone
A contradition between what is said and what is meant
Verbal Irony
A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, often used to create tension.
Cacophony
Am poem that does not follow a consistent meter or rhyme scheme
Free verse
A literaty device where the narrative jumps back in time
Flashback
The emotional atmosphere created by a literary work.
Mood
A comparison that continues over several lines or throughout a text
Extended Metaphor
A smooth, harmonious combination of sounds, often used in lyrical poetry.
Euphony
A four line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and thematic structure
Sonnet
A character who contrasts with another to highlight particular qualities.
Character foil
The distinctive use of language that conveys the author's personality
Voice
A statement that seems absurd but reveals a deeper truth like "I must be cruel to be kind"
Paradox
The repetition of similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables of nearby words.
Assonance
A metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.
Iamb
A moment of sudden insight or revelation experienced by a character.
Epiphany
Stream of Conciousness
A device that juxtaposes contradictory ideas ni a compact phrase. E.g. deafening silence.
Oxymoron
The subtle pattern of repeated consonant sounds, especially at the end of words.
Consonance
When a line of poetry continues onto the next
Enjambment
A narrator whose credibility is compromised
Unreliable narrator
The deliberate use of informal, regional or conversational language
Colloquialism