Literary Terms

Alliteration

• Repetition of the initial consonant letter or sound in two or more words in a line of verse

• Using the same letter or sound again and again in a sentence

• Example: Sally sells seashells by the seashore.

Exposition Introductory material

in a story which gives setting, tone, characters and any needed facts

Beginning of a story that introduces facts, problems and characters

Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.Before they left, their mother told them " Whatever you do , do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is the use of hints or clues suggesting events that will occur later in the plot

A hint that gives you what might happen later in the book

If some one dreams of a war it might be a sign of violence

• * * Conflict is actual or Conflict is actual or perceived opposition of perceived opposition of needs, values and needs, values and interestsinterests

• ** a conflict is a problem a conflict is a problem between two or more between two or more forcesforces

• A verbal or physical A verbal or physical

• argument argument

*Picture is from the movie Fighting

Kinds of ConflictMan vs. Man

•Batman (g

ood) defends Gotham city

versus his foe th

e Joker (bad)

Kinds of Conflict Man vs. Nature

When people are faced with natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes……..

Kinds of Conflict Man vs. Society

• Rosa Parks was a colored lady before blacks had civil rights. She refused to sit in the back of the bus where colored people were assigned to sit. She stood up for her rights versus the white society.

• A student who is disliked by most classmates.

Kinds of Conflict Man vs. Self

• When you are trying to make a hard decision—peer pressure

• President Truman's personal struggle to decide to use the atomic bomb killing millions of people to help America win a war.

Inciting force is the event or character that triggers a conflict.

Inciting force is the person or thing that makes a conflict.

A person being mean to another person.

Rising Action

The events of a dramatic or narrative plot preceding the climax

All that builds suspense leading to the climax

Mystery=All the clues Scooby Doo

CLIMAX Climax is the most highest

point or most intense part of a story, tale or movie ectr.

The climax is a dramatic point or most important part of a story, book, movie or fairy tale.

One example of a climax is in I am Legend when Will smith has to kill himself to save the other characters.

Falling Action

Part of a story that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved

When the main point of the story is over and the problem has been fixed.

Example-After the prince slayed the dragon, he rescued the princess and they lived happily ever after.

Resolution A resolution is a solution,

accommodation or settling of a problem, controversy, etc.

I think a resolution is when the problems are solved or the characters find solutions. Very end.

Example: The resolution in Charlottes Web is when Wilber became famous instead of being killed.

Protagonist The one the plot centers or revolves

around, the hero The main character in a book or movie In back to the future Marty is the

protagonist because the series centers around him he is the main character

Antagonist

Tragic HeroA literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy.

Protagonist (mostly) in a story who makes a wrong decision and that decisions turns on him/her and results in their downfall.

Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars. He helped win the war and saved his Master a bunch of times. His fatal flaw was the fear of losing those he cared about and that eventually turned him into Darth Vader.

Tragic hero

A literary character who makes error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that combined fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy.

A person who makes a mistake that could effect everyone.

For example when spider-man put his black outfit on he couldn't take it off and it made him do bad things and it was a tragedy for the whole town.

The character defect (characteristic) that causes the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy.

A flaw that causes something bad to happen to another character or themselves

The Tortoise and the Hare, the hare thinks he can beat the tortoise, but the tortoise wins the race because the hare personality causes him to lose. (Greed, Stubbornness) •Hare’s arrogance/overconfidence

cause him to lose the race with the turtle

Foil A character in a story who

serves as a contrast to another character.

A character that is important to be there for the main character. (Opposite of main character) Side-Kick

Donkey from the movie Shrek is a foil character to Shrek.

Verbal Irony A figure of speech in

which what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

You say something the opposite of what you mean. (sarcasm)

Girl says “ I'm not upset,” but she really is.

•"She's not a bad cook."  ==>  She's quite a good cook.

•Nice job to someone who just failed their math test

An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected.

When something turns out different than what you thought would happen.

Example-little boy Blues favorite color is pink.

-Shrek-the princess stays an Ogre instead of a beautiful princess

Dramatic Irony A situation in which the

audience knows something about present of future circumstances the character does not know.

A situation in the story that the audience knows something that the characters don't know.

Example: In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet kills herself because Romeo killed himself because he thought she was dead.

•The audience knew Juliet had a taken a sleeping potion; Romeo did not-he killed himself b/c of it.

•We know who the killer is, but the other characters do not

Mood

A state of or quality of feeling at a particular time.

What you are feeling at the time.

In the movie “The Titanic” the mood is drama.

Symbolism- the representation of something in symbolic form or

the attribution of symbolic meaning or character to something.My definition- it represents itself and has meaning beyond that.

Ex: American Flag

Ex. Sunset represents the ending of the day; ending of a life?

Theme A subject of, discussion,

meditation, or composition; topic.

The subject in which you are talking about. (Main Idea)

The theme in “Remember the Titans” is the players overcome there color and are able to win the championship.

All people are equal

Imagery The formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things. (appeals to senses)

When you think of an image in your head.

Ex. The wheels were still turning

A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often introduced with the word “like” or “as”.

A simile is when you compare two things using like or as in a sentence.

Sponge Bob was as hyper as a jack-rabbit

Metaphor• Book Definition- A

figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance.

My Definition- Comparing two unlike things, but not using “Like” or “As.”

Ex. School is a gateway to adulthood.

PERSONIFICATION

Example:

The lightning lashed out with anger.

Personification is when an object is given human qualities.

Definition:Personification is the attribution of a personal nature or character to

inanimate objects or abstract notions.

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.

A word that is also a sound.

Boom, crash bang, bong, beep or buzz.

-Obvious and intentional exaggeration.

-Using a word so it has a stronger effect in the way you use it.-My father was so mad he made Grumpy the dwarf look as sweet as sugar. -He was so hungry he could eat a horse.

Allegory A story that serves/represents

something else maybe in history as an extended metaphor.

To tell a story that has characters and a setting that represents something it is not

Example:

THE WIZARD of OZ

Dorothy’s Life

Lord of the Flies -kids become ruling and overpowering like adults that rule children’s lives

Motif Recurring structures, contrast, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the piece's major themes.

Words that describes the theme.

Decorating your room like a sports motif; like painting softballs on the wall, and having the floor as a volleyball court.

Oxymoron

• A figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect.

• A figure of speech consisting of two words that mean the opposite.

• Example: Hurry up so we can slow down.

Paradox A situation is created

which cannot possibly exist b/c the elements cancel each other out, but yet it explains what happened.

A Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times, it

was the worst of times.” Not possible?

SettingThe surroundings or environment of anything.

Where a story takes place, time or situation.

A forest, town, house or picture.

Tragedy A tragedy is a play, novel or other

narrative dealing with serious and important events, in which the main character comes to an unhappy end.

A narrative in which something awful occurs to the main character

Am example of a tragedy is the movie Titanic in which the Titanic sinks and Jack and other passengers die.

Tone• Author’s attitude in the story through

his/her words, story and details– Positive, negative serious, bitter, humorous,

joyful

Scrooge –The Christmas Carol

•very bitter about his childhood and Christmas

Static Character• A character in a work of fiction who does

not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story.

• A character that shows very little to no major changes during a story.

• Bugs Bunny—never changes

Dynamic Character• A dynamic character is a who encounters

conflict and is changed by it.• Something major causes a change in a

character

Darth Vader —Good to bad and bad to good by the end of the Star War Trilogy

Allusion

• a reference to a piece of literature or historical place, event or character.

• "Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except the bare necessities."