AP English Literature Unit 5 Cheatsheet: Structure & Figurative Language in Poetry

Closed Form: Predictable patterns in lines, stanzas, meter, and rhyme. Structure itself develops relationships among ideas.

Open Form: No expected or predictable patterns in lines or stanzas, but structure still develops relationships between ideas.

Personification: Assigns human traits or qualities to nonhuman objects, entities, or ideas. Characterizes what is being personified.

Allusion: Reference to literary works (myths, sacred texts), other art (paintings, music), or people, places, events outside the text.

• Allusions add layers of meaning through association
• Personification makes abstract or distant things relatable and vivid

Always explain what quality or perspective the device conveys.

Thesis Statement: Expresses an interpretation of the text; requires defense through evidence and reasoning.

• Conveys a defensible claim
• May preview development but should not list points, elements, or specific evidence

Line of Reasoning: Logical sequence of claims that work together to defend the thesis.

Communicate through commentary that explains the logical relationship between thesis, claims, and evidence.