Literary Terms

when a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality, object, or idea

an appeal to a Muse or other divine being for help in writing a poem

a type of poem that meditates on death

understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite

a kind of humorous understatement that dismisses or belittles

"To be, or not to be: that is the question" is an example of...

"You can't fight city hall" is an example of

deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting meanings in a work

repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of several verses, clauses, or paragraphs

attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object

the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables containing dissimilar consonant sounds

reference to a well known person, place, literary work, work of art, etc.

event occurs that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

a statement that appears contradictory but actually reveals a truth

a figure of speech in which part of something is used to represent the whole

unusual and surprising comparison between two very different things

crude, simplistic verse

word or phrase that states a characteristic quality of a person or thing

pattern in which the 2nd half of an phrase is balanced against the 1st with the parts reversed

a general truth or observation about life, usually stated concisely.