AP Vocabulary and Literary Terms

1. AP Vocabulary and Literary Terms Mary V. Quinn K. Shimmy AP Literature 11 January 2012

2. Squalor • A state of being extremely dirty • In The Color Purple the blacks could not help it but they lived in squalor. • Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Simon & Schuster Inc. 1982, print.

3. Ominous • Giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen. • The music in the movie Macbeth seemed more ominous to me than what was necessary. • Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. John Heminges and Henry Condell, 1623. Print.

4. Infernal • Of, relating to, or characteristic of hell or the underworld • During the summer on the farm in The Color Purple, there is no escaping from the infernal heat. • Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. John Heminges and Henry Condell, 1623. Print.

5. Metonymy • a thing or concept is not called by its own name • The poem 'Out, Out' where the injured boy holds up his hand "as if to keep the life from spilling." The literal meaning of this line is to keep the blood from spilling but it also tells us that the life of the boy is in mortal danger. •  Frost, Robert. Out, Out. New York, Henry Holt. 1921. Print.

6. Entrapment • conduct by a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit • When someone is entrapped in a web of lies, sometimes there is no way to get out of it. • King, Laurie. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Picador. October 2, 2007. Print.

7. Dissipated • Disperse or scatter • Over time the argument between Holmes and Russell dissipated. • King, Laurie. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Picador. October 2, 2007. Print.

8. Certitude • Something that someone firmly believes is true • Shug always expressed certitude when she talked about her faith. • Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Simon & Schuster Inc. 1982, print.

9. Reluctant • Unwilling and hesitant; disinclined • The main character was reluctant to admit that he didn’t think going to Africa was a good idea. • Joseph, Conrad. Heart of Darkness. 1903, print.

10. Paean • a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving • The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest surviving epic poems and the greatest paean to friendship in literature

11. Madrigal • A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras • Stage 1 Madrigal: Arcadelt, Ahime, dov'e bel viso, 1538 • Stage 2 Madrigal (prima practica): Willaert, Aspro core e selvaggio, mid 1540s • Stage 3 Madrigal (seconda practica): Gesualdo, Io parto e non piu dissi, 1590–1611 • Stage 4 Madrigal: Caccini, Perfidissimo volto, 1602 • Stage 5 Madrigal: Monteverdi, Il Combatimento di Tancredi et Clorinda, 1624 • English Madrigal: Weelkes, O Care, thou wilt despatch me, late 16th century/early 17th century

12. Elegy • a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead • Lycidas- John Milton • Milton, John. Lycidas.1638, Print.

13. Parsimonious • Unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal • Pa was parsimonious and never offered the children second servings at dinner. • Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Simon & Schuster Inc. 1982, print.

14. alliteration • the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words • "The soul selects her own society."-Emily Dickinson

15. petulant • Childishly sulky or bad-tempered. • After being spoiled by there wives the husband displayed petulant behavior for the rest of their lives. • Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Simon & Schuster Inc. 1982, print.

16. Surreptitious • Kept secret because it would not be approved of • Pa’s surreptitious activities were unknown even to his own wife. • Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Simon & Schuster Inc. 1982, print.

17. The End