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Flashcards · AP® English Literature and Composition · Unit 2

Unit 2: Poetry I flashcards

36 cards on topics 2.1 to 2.6. Pick a topic or study the whole unit.

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2.1 The speaker as a character

Is the speaker of a poem the same as the poet?
Not necessarily. The speaker is the voice that says the poem. Treat the speaker as a character and write "the speaker", not "the poet", unless you are making a claim about the writer's choices.
What can reveal a speaker's perspective and bias?
Their words, the details they notice, how their thoughts are organised, and any decisions or actions described. Look at what they emphasise, avoid or assume.
What is an addressee, and why does it matter?
The person or thing the speaker talks to. It shows the relationship (respect, anger, intimacy) and often the occasion for speaking, so always ask who "you" is.
What is the occasion of a poem?
The moment and reason for speaking, such as a departure, a quarrel or a memory. Knowing the occasion helps you read tone and decide what the speaker wants.
How does a self-correction reveal a speaker?
When a speaker revises a thought ("no", "I mean", a dash), the revision shows second thoughts, hidden feeling or an attempt to control what is said. Treat omissions and corrections as evidence.
What is tone, and how do you support a claim about it?
Tone is the speaker's attitude, shown by word choice, repetition and detail. Name the tone precisely (wry, defensive, tender) and quote the lines that carry it; a label with no quoted lines is a weak claim.

2.2 The structure of a poem

What is structure in a poem?
The arrangement of its parts: lines, stanzas, sentences and the order of ideas. Structure shapes the reader's expectations through where ideas are placed and how they are divided.
What is the difference between an end-stopped line and an enjambed line?
An end-stopped line pauses with the sense at the line end. An enjambed line lets the sentence run over into the next line. Always link the effect to the content, not just "it flows".
What can a stanza break do?
Mark a turn, a pause or a new focus. Ask what changes across the break: time, speaker, image or feeling, and what the poem gains by placing the break there.
What is the difference between a quatrain and a couplet?
A quatrain is a group of four lines; a couplet is two rhyming lines. In a sonnet, a closing couplet often resolves, undercuts or comments on what came before.
Why does the last line of a poem often matter most?
Its position gives it weight. A final line can resolve the poem, reverse it or leave a surprise, so ask what the ending does to everything before it.
How do you write a good structural claim?
Say what the structure does and quote the lines: "The break after line 4 marks a shift from the busy street to the empty room". Do not just count lines or stanzas.

2.3 Contrasts within a poem

What is a shift in a poem?
A change as the poem unfolds: in focus, tone, point of view, time, setting or imagery. Say what changes from what to what, and how the poem signals it.
What is a juxtaposition?
Two things placed side by side so that each is seen differently, such as two photographs or two images. The contrast makes each side more noticeable than it would be alone.
What is the difference between a shift and a juxtaposition?
A shift is a change over the course of the poem; a juxtaposition is a pair set side by side. A poem may use both, but name which you are analysing.
What is a volta?
The turn in a sonnet or other poem, often near line 9 or the final couplet. A change of tone or argument at the volta changes how the earlier lines are read.
What signals can mark a shift?
A conjunction such as "but" or "yet", a time word like "now", a change of tense, a stanza break, a change of image or punctuation. Not every "but" is a turning point, so check what really changes.
What must you do after identifying a contrast?
Name both sides, then explain what the contrast emphasises about the speaker or subject. Naming only one side, or stopping at the label, leaves the analysis unfinished.

2.4 The function of specific words and phrases

What are an antecedent and a referent?
An antecedent is the earlier word or phrase that a later referent points back to. A referent is what a pronoun or phrase refers to. The title can supply an antecedent.
What is an ambiguous referent?
A pronoun or phrase that could point to more than one antecedent. Give each reading, say what each means, and explain what the ambiguity adds.
What does repetition do in a poem?
It emphasises an idea or association. Ask what changes with each return of the word or phrase, because a repeated word often shifts meaning as the poem develops.
What is alliteration?
The repetition of a sound at the start of nearby words. Link it to meaning, saying which words are joined and what the sound adds, such as hardness or softness.
How do you write about a writer's specific word choice?
Name the word, say what it adds that a similar word would not, and link it to the speaker's attitude. For example, "crooked" instead of "bent" adds a sense of age or roughness.
What is a common mistake with sound devices?
Claiming a sound has a fixed meaning in every poem. Treat sound effects as supporting evidence, and always tie them to the sense of the words around them.

2.5 Simile and metaphor

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as"; a metaphor implies the comparison without those words, often treating one thing as the other. Neither is automatically stronger.
What are the main subject and the comparison subject?
The main subject is the thing being described (such as love or hope). The comparison subject is what it is compared to (such as a rose or a bird). Write about what is transferred to the main subject.
What is transfer in a figurative comparison?
The traits carried from the comparison subject to the main subject, such as freshness from a new rose. Choose the traits the context supports instead of listing every association.
How does context select the trait that matters?
The surrounding words show which qualities of the comparison are relevant. "Newly sprung in June" makes freshness matter for a rose, while thorns and short life are left behind.
Why should you notice where a comparison does not fit?
Differences can show what the writer wants to stress or resist. A bird that "sings without the words" is a bird with a trait no real bird has, and the difference carries meaning.
What does a full figurative-language sentence contain?
The device, the main subject, the comparison subject, what transfers and the effect: "By comparing X to Y, the speaker transfers Z, which shows W."

2.6 Writing a paragraph about a poem

What are the three parts of a paragraph about a poem?
A claim that needs defence, evidence (short quoted words or lines) and a link that explains how the evidence supports the claim. Add a function and effect for each device.
What is a device-to-effect chain?
Device, quotation, function, effect. Name the device, quote it, say what it does to meaning, then say what it shows or makes the reader feel.
How do you quote a poem so line breaks are clear?
Use a slash (/) between lines when you quote more than one line within a sentence, and keep the words and punctuation exactly as printed.
What is wrong with writing "the poet uses imagery"?
It names a device without a function or effect. Say which image, what it does and what it shows: "the 'black stripe' road replaces the bright county with a bare line".
Why should you not write about a poem from memory?
A misquoted word changes the evidence and can undermine the claim. Quote only what you can copy exactly, and use the shortest phrase that supports your point.
What is the difference between a topic and a claim?
A topic ("the poem is about reading") names the subject; a claim ("the poem presents reading as an escape the speaker cannot keep") says something that needs defence.

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