upgrade
upgrade
AP English Literature Unit 2 Vocabulary

22 essential vocabulary terms and definitions for Unit 2 – Intro to Poetry

Study Unit 2
Practice Vocabulary
Unit 2 – Intro to Poetry
Topics

Unit 2 – Intro to Poetry

2.1 Identifying characters in poetry

TermDefinition
biasA character's prejudice or tendency to favor certain viewpoints, revealed through their language and choices.
character motivesThe reasons, desires, or intentions that drive a character's decisions and actions.
character perspectiveA character's point of view, beliefs, values, and way of understanding the world as revealed through their thoughts, words, and actions.
textual detailsSpecific words, phrases, descriptions, dialogue, and actions within a text that provide evidence about characters, their perspectives, and motivations.

2.2 Understanding & interpreting meaning in poetic structure

TermDefinition
line breaksThe division of a poem into individual lines, which affects how readers process and interpret the text's meaning and pacing.
stanzaA grouped arrangement of lines in a poem that functions as a unit and contributes to the poem's overall structure and meaning.
stanza breaksThe division of a poem into grouped lines (stanzas), which contributes to the organization and development of ideas.
structureThe arrangement and organization of elements in a text, including line and stanza breaks, that affects how readers interpret ideas and respond to the work.

2.3 Analyzing word choice to find meaning

TermDefinition
contrastA juxtaposition of different elements in a text that highlights differences and creates emphasis or meaning.
dramatic situationThe combination of setting, action, and conflict that develops a narrative and places characters in opposition or struggle.
imageryThe use of vivid, descriptive language and sensory details to create mental images and evoke emotional responses in a reader.
juxtapositionThe placement of two contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences and create emphasis.
narratorThe voice or character who tells the story and whose perspective shapes how events and subjects are presented to the reader.
point of viewThe perspective from which a narrative is told, determined by the narrator's position, knowledge, and relationship to the events and characters in the story.
shiftA change or transition in a text's focus, tone, perspective, or other literary elements.
speakerThe voice presenting ideas or emotions in a text, particularly in poetry or non-narrative works, whose perspective influences the tone and content.
toneThe attitude or emotional quality conveyed by the speaker, narrator, or author toward the subject matter.

2.4 Identifying techniques in poetry to analyze literary works

TermDefinition
alliterationThe repetition of the same letter sound at the beginning of adjacent or nearby words to emphasize those words and their associations.
ambiguous referentA referent that can refer to more than one antecedent, creating multiple possible interpretations in a text.
antecedentA word, phrase, or clause that precedes and is referred to by another word, typically a pronoun, in a text.
referentA word, phrase, or clause that is referred back to by another word, such as a pronoun or noun, in a text.
repetitionThe deliberate reuse of words, phrases, or ideas to emphasize meaning and create coherence in writing.