Unit 6: Part 2 Literary Terms

13 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lyric
    of or relating to poetry that expresses emotion
    A lyric poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker and often has a lilting, musical quality, as in these lines from Li-Young Lee's "The Gift": I can't remember the tale, but hear his voice still, a well of dark water, a prayer.
  2. theme
    a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary work
    The theme, or essential meaning, of such a poem is often multifaceted.
  3. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
    Although this flash—also known as an epiphany—may seem sudden, the details of the poem lead the reader gradually and steadily toward this new understanding.
  4. voice
    a means by which something is expressed or communicated
    Just as each person has a distinctive way of speaking, every poet has a unique voice, or literary personality.
  5. social
    relating to human society and its members
    Each of these poets uses personal experience as a springboard for social commentary, a reflection on a public or political concern.
  6. commentary
    a written explanation or criticism or illustration
    Each of these poets uses personal experience as a springboard for social commentary, a reflection on a public or political concern.
  7. free verse
    poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter
    Free verse is poetry without regular meter or rhyme.
  8. end-stopped
    (verse) having a rhetorical pause at the end of each line
    End-stopped lines are lines that complete a grammatical unit, often (although not always) with a punctuation mark at the end.
  9. enjambment
    continuation from one line of verse into the next line
    Enjambed lines are those that do not end with a grammatical break and do not make full sense without the line that follows:
    ...They never heard me steal
    into the stairwell hall
    and climb the ladder to the fresh night air.
  10. imagery
    the use of vivid sensory language in literature
    Imagery is descriptive language that uses images—combinations of words that appeal to the senses and create pictures in the reader's mind.
  11. essay
    an analytic or interpretive literary composition
    In an essay, analyze the way in which each poem's theme, or central meaning, is also a comment on life for all people.
  12. autobiographical
    relating to or in the style of an account of one's own life
    Write an autobiographical essay about something you misunderstood or misinterpreted when you were a kid.
  13. campaign
    a series of actions tending toward a particular end
    With a small group, develop a strategy and materials for an ad campaign.
Created on Mon Oct 19 16:44:56 EDT 2020 (updated Fri Oct 23 18:04:23 EDT 2020)

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