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Literary Terms and Rhetorical Devices
1. Prose: the ordinary form of written language that occurs in two forms: fiction and non-fiction
2. Setting: the time and place of the story’s action
3. Plot: the sequence of events in a literary work, including the following:
- Exposition: introduces the setting, the characters and the basic situation
- Narrative Hook: hooks the reader’s attention and sets the story’s action into motion
- Rising Action- all events leading up to the climax
- Climax- highest point of interest or suspense; the turning point at which the conflict begins to be resolved; the “ah ha” moment
- Falling Action- events that lead to the resolution
- Denouement- any events that occur after the resolution
4. Dynamic character: a character who develops or changes through the course of the story.
5. Static character: a character who does not change
6. Round character: a character who shows many different traits, faults as well as virtues
7. Flat character: a character seen in only one way; only one side of the personality is revealed
8. Protagonist: the main character in a literary work
9. Antagonist: the person or force that opposes or competes against the protagonist
10. Direct Characterization: the author directly states the character’s traits
11. Indirect Characterization: it is up to the reader to draw conclusions about the character based on indirect information such as dialogue, action, thoughts or other characters
12. Theme: central message or insight of life revealed
13. Conflict: a struggle between two opposing forces
Ø Internal- involves a character in conflict with him or herself (emotions/decisions)
Ø External –a character struggles against an outside force (nature, technology, person, etc.)
14. Point of View (1st): when a character in the story tells the story
15. Point of View (3rd Limited): when a voice outside the story tells the story, but only through one character’s eyes
16. Point of View (3rd Omniscient): all-knowing third person narrator who can tell readers what any character thinks or feels
17. Narrator: a speaker or character who tells a story
18. Flashback: a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time
19. Allusion: a reference to a well-known person, place, event, and literary work
20. Foreshadowing: the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur; hints about the future events
21. Suspense: feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work
22. Diction/Word Choice: word choice including denotation (literal meanings) and connotation (an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning). The choice of words an author chooses to use.
23. Dialogue: a conversation between two characters
24. Dialect: form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group; the way we speak (“y’all, ain’t”)
25. Symbol/symbolism: literary device where something stands for or represents something else
26. Genre: a division or type of literature; there are three major genres: prose, poetry, drama
27. Anecdote: a short summary of an event; short stories that illustrate a greater point
28. Motif- a recurrent image, action, sound, symbol, etc. that has a symbolic significance and contributes toward the development of the theme; a recurring image, word, object, or situation that appears in various works or throughout the same work.
29. Irony: literature technique that involves the differences between appearance and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention
30. Dramatic Irony: there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true. The audience knows something that the character does not. (The reader knows that Juliet is alive; Romeo believes she is dead)
31. Verbal Irony: words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant/sarcasm. In “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor says to Fortunato, “I drink to your long life.”
32. Situational Irony: an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience. (The bride leaves the wedding with a groomsman; a lady dies at her birthday party)
33. Drama: a story written to be performed by actors; the script of a drama is made up of dialogue, which is the words the actors say, and stage directions, which are comments on how and where action happens
34. Dramatic Foil: a character who is contrasted with another character (imagine Della from “The Gift of the Magi” and Mme. Forestier from the “Necklace” meeting)
35. Literal Language: uses words in their ordinary senses
36. Figurative Language: writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally but used to create vivid expressions (metaphors, similes, personification, etc.)
37. Imagery: words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses (describes the way things look, smell, taste, feel, and sound)
38. Mood: the atmosphere or feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage; the way the reader feels while reading the text.
39. Tone: the writer’s attitude toward his/her audience and subject; it can be described as formal, informal, serious, playful, bitter, or ironic
40. Pun- a play on words “My heart is too sore to soar with the others.” “My soles are so worn that my soul stands still.”
41. Motivation- The driving force behind a character’s actions (Achilles’ motivation to return is Patroclus’ death)
42. Simile: a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison of two basically unlike ideas; she runs like a cheetah.
43. Metaphor: a figure of speech which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else. His heart is a raging fire.
44. Parable- a short story used to teach a moral
45. Personification: a type of figurative language in which a non-human subject is given human characteristics. The trees danced with their arms. Dawn’s fingers stretched out.
46. Hyperbole: an extreme exaggeration; “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”
47. Understatement – a type of verbal irony in which something is purposely represented as being far less important than it actually is
48. Idiom: an expression that is peculiar to itself either grammatically or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from its parts. If we play our cards right or I don’t want to kick the bucket this year!
49. Oxymoron: two words used together that contradict one another. Jumbo Shrimp, loving hate, heavy lightness
50. Cliché: an overused word or phrase
51. Fable: short tale with a moral, which often includes unusual or even supernatural events (Many fables give human qualities to animal characters)
52. Satire: mockery of a view, group, or humanity, usually with the aim of inspiring change
53. Analogy- Comparison between two things; looking for similarities
54. Paradox: a statement that seems to be contradictory but actually presents a truth. “War is peace” “Freedom is slavery” “Ignorance is strength” “My only love sprung from my only hate”
55. Allegory: symbolic story structured with at least two levels of meaning
56. Archetype: a recurring and familiar pattern in literature (i.e. good vs. bad, underdog, damsel in distress, a quest for something, flawed protagonist, etc.)
57. Narrative: any writing that tells a story
58. Nonfiction- Prose writing that deals with real people, things, events, and places. True writing.
59. Fiction- Writing that deals with imaginary people, places, and events. Fake Writing
60. Autobiography- An account of the writer’s own life written from the author’s perspective
61. Biography-An account of a person’s life written or told by another person.
62. Memoir- A narrative composed from personal experience. Often shorter than autobiographies
63. Bias-Prejudice or inclination to one side regarding a topic, person, event, etc.
64. Objective- not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased
65. Subjective- Placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc
66. Objective summary- a summary of the text that is free of bias, opinions, emotions, etc.
67. Speech-A form of communication in spoken language made by a speaker before an audience for a given purpose.
68. Thesis- One or more sentences that state the central/main idea or purpose of an essay or other work of nonfiction
69. Tone/Author’s Attitude- Attitude a writer takes toward a subject, a character, or the audience.
70. Main Idea- The central message, insight, or opinion in a work
71. Supporting Details- The pieces of evidence that a writer uses to prove the main idea. These details can include facts, statistics, quotations, or anecdotes.
72. Primary Source- A firsthand account, such as a speech, an autobiography, or a letter. These are useful because they directly express the thoughts and feelings of a writer, and it may include details that only an eyewitness can provide.
73. Secondary Source- A second-hand account such as history books, biographies, newspapers, magazines, and textbook. They summarize or analyze events in which the writers did not participate.
74. Fact- These are objective and can be proven.
75. Opinion- These are subjective and cannot be proven.
76. Text structure- the way in which a text is designed (chronological, thematically, flashback, least to greatest importance, process analysis, cause/effect, narration, description, problem-solution, etc.)
77. Literary/Rhetorical Device/Rhetoric- All of the elements on this handout (tone, structure, figurative language, sound devices, imagery, etc.)
78. Inference- To guess, to conclude from evidence.
79. Audience- The people who read a text; the person or people the literary piece is directed at
80. Connotation- All the meanings, associations, or emotions that have come to be attached to some words, in addition to their literal dictionary definition. School: Homework, bells, tests, prom, etc.
81. Context Clue- Using the words around an unfamiliar word to figure out the meaning
82. Denotation- The literal, dictionary definition of a word. School: an institution of learning
83. Idiom- Expression peculiar to a particular language that means something different from the literal meaning of each word. “It’s raining cats and dogs” or “We heard it through the grapevine.”
84. Euphemism-The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt. “To pass away” instead of “To croak, kick the bucket, or die.” “Aroma” instead of “smell.” “Upset stomach” instead of “puked, barfed, or upchucked.”
85. Essay- A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject usually written in prose.
86. Author’s Purpose- An author’s reason for writing: to inform, to persuade, to narrate
87. Style- The particular way in which a writer uses language
88. Anecdote- Very, very brief story, usually told to make a point; a short account of an interesting or humorous incident, often biographical
89. Rhetorical Question- A question to which an answer is not expected or already known
90. Propaganda-Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
91. Parallel structure- involves two or more words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in length and grammatical form. “Mary likes hiking, swimming, and biking.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the end of times.”
92. Cliché- An overused expression that has lost its originality. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
93. Unreliable narrator- A narrator who can’t be trusted
94. Synonym- Words that mean the same thing or almost the same thing (shut the door; close the door)
95. Alliteration- Repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close together “Hard on Hector’s heels/kept after him, the way a hound will harry.”
96. Assonance-the repetition of a vowel sound in several words throughout a sentence (the night sky seemed to be crying out with sighs of sadness)
97. Onomatopoeia- Sound words “Pop, crackle, boom.”
98. Refrain- In poetry a phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated.
99. Repetition- Word, line, or image repeated for emphasis
100. Couplet-Two lines that rhyme
101. Stanza- A “chunk” or group of lines in poetry
102. Rhyme-same sound found in different words (fame/game)
103. Slant rhyme- rhymes that are close but not exact
104. Rhyme scheme- The rhyme pattern found in a poem (AABBA)
105. Speaker- the voice/narrator in the text; it is not necessarily the author
106. Juxtaposition- an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
107. Antonym- A word opposite in meaning to another (good and bad)
108. Epic hero-an epic’s larger-than-life main character whose mighty deeds reflect the values admired by the society that created the epic.
109. Inference- Guessing based on contextual clues; we infer that Andromache loves her son based on her worry for him.
110. Aristotelian appeals-
- Ethos (ee-thos)-appeal to ethics; a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader
- Pathos (pey-thos)-appeal to emotion; a means of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response.
- Logos (loh-gos)- appeal to logic; a way of persuading an audience by reason
111. Elements of Argument
- Claim/assertion- a statement that makes your main point
- Counterclaim- the opposite of the claim
- Refutation- the negation of an argument or opinion through contradicting evidence; the process of proving something wrong by argument or evidence
- Concession- acknowledging a point made by one’s opponent
- Qualification –acknowledging the limits of your argument; anticipating potential objections
112. Propaganda techniques
- Glittering generalities- words of praise for product or person; nice words like goodness or patriotism
- Name calling- trash talking another person or product
- Testimonial-A famous person recommends a product or a political endorsement
- Plain Folks-Appeals to regular people and their values such as health, family, and patriotism
- Bandwagon-An appeal to be part of the group
- Transfer-An appeal that helps a person imagine themselves as part of a picture
- Card-stacking- Manipulating information to make a product better than it is, often by unfair comparison or omitting facts
113. Pacing= a stylistic device, which shows how fast a story unfolds. It is because when readers feel frustration in the length of the story, the writers use different techniques to control the pace of the story. ... In simple words,pacing is moving a story forward with a certain speed.
114. Claim= a statement that asserts something to be true. A claim can either be factual or a judgment. Claims can work on their own or in conjunction with other claims to form a larger argument. The word claim comes from the Latin word clamare, which means “to cry out, shout.”
115. Complex character-also known as a Dynamic character or a Round characterdisplays the following characteristics: 1. He or she undergoes an important change as the plot unfolds. 2. ... The character is highly developed and complex, meaningthey have a variety of traits and different sides to their personality
116. Objective Summary-A brief, accurate (faithful to the facts, emphasis, and spirit of the source), and unbiased (not influenced by a person's feelings or opinions;strives to report what the original writer intended, without embellishment) statement that sums up the important facts, ideas, and details presented.
117. Contrast-the state of being strikingly different from something else
118. Logical Fallacies
- Either/Or- a “black or white” type of thinking where there are only absolutes
- Red herring-diverting attention from the issue by introducing a new point
- Slippery slope-predicting without justification that one step in a process will lead unavoidably to a second generally undesirable step
- Ad hominem- attack the person and not the argument
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