SAT Literature

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SAT Literature:
Literary Element :
Form
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Meaning of Form
Form is what the writer is trying to say.
How they say it is the form.
Rhythm
This is a variation of stressed and
unstressed sounds that has some
type of regular pattern with
grouping of sounds into units.
Types of Rhyme
1. Visual Rhyme
2. End Rhyme
3. Internal Rhyme

Rhyme is where two or more words have

sound in common. However the degree to
which they rhyme is affected by accents.
Visual Rhyme
The words look as if they rhyme,
however they do not; when
pronounced they sound different.
End Rhyme
These are couplets placed at the
end of the poem that rhyme. The
two lines last words rhyme.
Internal Rhyme
Words that rhyme that are within a
single line such as in:
What gain can heal my pain.
English; a stressed time language: foot,
stressed syllables and unstressed syllables
There are two types of languages: stressed time
languages and tone languages. In tone
languages everything can have the same
syllable but English is a stressed time language
where one syllable can be stressed.
Stress: prominence in as syllable.
Foots= Iambs, Types of Iambic
Meters
A foot is a unit (compromised on one unstressed syllable and one stressed
syllable) formed by a weak stress or unaccented syllable that accompany it.
Iambic foot: unstressed, stressed
One foot in a line. Monometer
Two feet Dimeter
Three feet Trimeter
Four feet Tetrameter
Five feet Pentameter
Six feet Hexameter
Seven feet Heptameter
Eight feet... Octameter
Iambic Pentameter
A rhythm that consists of five units
(meters) of unstressed and
stressed syllables in one line of
poetry.
 Sonnets:
English sonnet vs (Italian) Petrarchan Sonnets
English Sonnets consist of 14 lines of Iambic Pentameter. End
rhyme scheme can be due to meaning and structure.
English Sonnets have the form: abab cdcd efef gg

Italian sonnets also have 14 lines and are written in Iambic

Pentameter. The are divided in two parts where the first eight
lines consist of a question or statement and the remaining six
lines answer that particular question or address the statement.
Italian sonnets have the form: abbaabba cdecde or cdeded
 Free verse vs Blank verse
Free verse is free of regular set meter or
pattern. They are often but not always
characterized by short irregular lines and no
rhyme pattern.

Blank verse is written in iambic pentameter,

with no rhyme pattern. It is the major form used
by Shakespeare in his plays.
References
Read Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet for use of
Iambic Pentameter
Romeo and Juliet
First written by Bendile, borrowed from Ovids
metamorphosis, it was called the Tragic history
of Romeus and Juliet.
Same tragedy like those written by Aristotle-
two people from the nobility fall in love, marry
hastily, ignore advice, then suicide.
SAT Literature:
Literary Element :
Tone
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Definition of Tone
To understand tone, you need to look at its
relationship with voice.
A tone is a product of voice.
For ex:
He has a dogmatic attitude. (voice)
It makes him overbearing. (tone)
Onomatopoeia
This refers to words, lines and
passages whose sound denotes
the sense or medium of a
particular object or thing.
Alliteration
This is the repetition of a
consonant sound at the beginning
of nearby or closely connected
words.
For example: a man amongst men
Consonance
Occurs where the final consonant sounds of
stressed syllables are repeated but the
proceeding sounds are different. (it comes in the
middle or end of the word, not the meaning)
For example:
If he loves me, this I believe
Assonance
This is the repetition of a particular
vowel sound nearby words.
Example:
O night, hear my cry
Euphony
These are sounds that are pleasing and
easy to pronounce, producing a pleasant
tone.
Repetition: Anaphora
This is a repetition of a particular
phrase, word or sentence.
Setting
This refers to a geographical location, time
and socio-economic conditions.
Style
Style is how the writer uses the
literary elements to express his or her
attitude.

Didactic style: portrays a lot of morals

Mood: Types of Mood
1. Indicative
2. Imperative
3. Subjunctive
Mood: Indicative mood
This is used for making statements or
questioning facts. This usually has a neutral
tone.
The speakers attitude must be defined or
determined by connotative meanings.
Mood: Imperative mood
Imperative is used for giving
commands or for urgency, or show
authority. It is used for direct requests
or making demands. You need
connotative meanings to understand
it.
Mood: Subjunctive mood
This is used to make conditional
statements, possibility, hypothesis,
wishes etc.
It is written in only past and present.
Feeling and Atmosphere
Feeling has to do with the intellectual state:
the attitude of the author towards his subjects
on an intellectual rather than emotional basis.
Attitude: Feeling
Atmosphere: is the overall impact of the
writers feelings. This is actually a blend of the
authors mood and feelings.
SAT Literature:
Literary Element:
Meaning
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Meaning
Theme
Anecdote
Descriptive Purpose
Expository Purpose
Narrative
Persuasive or Argumentative
Purpose
Topic
Thesis
Levels of Meaning
Literal Meaning
Allegorical meaning
Symbolical meaning
Figurative meaning
Writers Purpose
SAT Literature:
Literary Terms
WHAT I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT IN CLASS
Antithesis
It is a rhetorical device used when opposite
ideas are juxtaposed to achieve a contrasting
effect.
One example is Man proposes, God disposes
or
Patience is bitter; but it has a sweet tooth.
Aphorism
This is a statement of truth or opinion expressed
in a concise and witty manner.
Example: The simplest questions are the
hardest to answer.
Example: Words, are of course, the most
powerful drug used by mankind.
Tautology
Repetitive use of phrases or words which have similar
meanings. (Dont do this when writing except Literature). It
is used as a result of inadequacies in language. It could be
intentional ambiguity to achieve particular effect.

Example: Your acting is completely devoid of information.

Example: Shout it oud louder.
Example: If I perish, I perish. (Book of Esther 4:15)
Meiosis
This is from the Greek word Meioo which means to diminish or make smaller.
It is a witty understatement that belittles or diminishes someone or something
particularly to make use of terms to show it is of lesser importance.
It is the opposite of Hyperbole.

Example: King Lear:

I am a very foolish, fun old man,
Four score and upward, not an hour more or less,
And to deal plainly,
I fear I am not in my perfect mind.
Sibilance
This is when you pronounce words with
hissing sounds (sibilance sounds, which
are consonants with hissing sounds).
For example:
So, yesterday, I saw Sarah at sea, standing
near the shore sobbing.
Haiku
This is an ancient Japanese poem consisting of three
lines, the first and third line has 5 syllables and the
second line 7. It is usually about nature or natural
phenomenon.

For example:
In the Wild Garden
I am dizzy with flowers
I choose a small vase.
Caesura
It is actually a pause in the middle or near the middle
of a line in a poem.

For example:
It is for you we speak, not ourselves,
You are abused, and by some putter on-
An excerpt from the poem Winters Tale, by William
Shakespeare
Hubris
It is an extreme pride or arrogance shown by a
character that leads to their downfall.
In Paradise Lost by Milton, there is a example
of hubris: in which Lucifer, as a result of his pride
is banished from heaven.
Antonomasia
It is derived from the Greek word, Anoma which means a
name.
In Antonomasia, someones office or fame is attached to
someone elses of corresponding fame.

For example:
Kano, is the Mecca of Nigeria; Lagos, the New York of
Nigeria.
Wole Soyinka is the African Shakespeare.
Bathos
It is a descent from sublime to ridicule.
For example:
It is better to be a king in hell than a servant in
heaven.
Chiasmus
This is a contrast achieved by reverse of
clauses; reversal of clauses.

Example:
Heaven is hell; hell is heaven.
Hendiadys
It is a literary device in which a single idea is
represented by two words connected by a conjunction.
The wordhendiadysis a modification of the Greek
phrasehen dia dyoin.Given thathen dia dyoinliterally
means "one through two," it's a perfect parent for a
word that describes the expression of a single concept
using two words, as in the phrase "rough and tough.
For example:
Sound and Fury
Pun
This is a humorous play on words.
For example: 7 days without water makes
you weak.
SAT Literature:
Literary Terms:
IRONY
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Verbal Irony
This is simply a discrepancy between what a
writer says and what he actually means;
the writer says the direct opposite of what
he means.

Gerald is a very frugal student having

spent all his money unwisely.
Dramatic Irony
This is a type of irony where speech is written or
made to be understood in one way by a certain
character or the audience understands its true
meaning, or when only the audience knows
what is happening and the other characters do
not.
Irony of Situation
It is the discrepancy between what one
anticipates; thinks will happen and what
actually happens.
Sarcasm
A species of sarcasm that involves a
caustic (harsh) comment that is meant to
hurt the feelings of someone.

the brother and sister club

Innuendo
A class of irony which differs from sarcasm and irony. It
is a clever way of passing unpleasant comments. Here,
the speaker could select his words in such a manner
that the listener understands; yet, he will not offend
the person directly. (Implied insults; or insults with
underlying meanings)

the prostitute virgin.

SAT Literature:
Types of Poetry
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Ballad
Bio poem and Concrete poems
Elegy
Epic
Idyll
Lyric
Limerick
Haiku
Narrative
Couplets.octaves
Couplets
Tercet
Quatrain
Cinquain
Sextet
Septets
Diamante
Octave