Literary Terms

Colors

• Blue is for Chapter 1

• Yellow is for Chapter 2

• Green is for Chapter 3

• Purple is for Chapter 4

• Red is for Chapter 5

• Orange is for Chapter 6

Directions

• On the FRONT of the notecard put the– Word– Defintion

• On the BACK of the notecard put the– Example from the book include page

number!!!

Allusion

• A reference to something either in the past or present

• Examples:– “A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River

drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.” (P. 1).

– “You remember settin’ in that gutter on Howard Street and watchin’ that blackboard?” (P. 5).

Foreshadow

• The author’s hints or clues as to what will happen later in the story.

• Example:– “Lennie, if you jus happen to get in trouble like

you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush.” (P. 15).

Protagonist

The main character or characters in a story

Example:

George and Lennie are the Protagonists of the story Of Mice and Men

Symbol

• Something that stands for something else.

• Example:– Rabbits: Lennie’s comfort– Farm: Dream to own a place and work for

themselves.

Metaphor

• A powerful, symbolic comparison often using “is”, “was”, or “are”

• Example– “And he walked heavily, dragging his feet a

little, the way a bear drags his paws.” (P. 2).

Flashback

• A scene that shows previous action so the reader can better understand the character or current events in the story.

• Example:– What happened in Weed.

Alliteration

• The repetition of the first letter sound in a series of words

• Example:– “I gotta pair of punks on my team that don’t

know a barley bag from a blue ball.” (P. 34).– Of Mice And Men

Antagonist

• The character or characters who go against the main character or characters

• Example:– Right now Curley is the antagonist of the

story.

Simile

• A comparison using “like” or “as”

• Example:– “Strong as a bull,” (P. 22).– “Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like

sausages.” (P. 31).

Omniscient Point of View

• The all knowing or all seeing point of view where the author can reveal the thoughts and emotions of all the characters.

• Ex.– Entire book.

Onomatopoeia

• Words used to describe sounds

• Ex:– “Through the door came the thuds and

occasional clangs of a horseshoe game.” (P. 38).

– “Well, this girl squawks and squawks.” (P. 41).

Hyperbole

• An extreme exaggeration

• Ex.– “An’ Curley’s pants is just crawlin’ with ants,”

(P. 51)– “The silence fell on the room again. It came

out of the night and invaded the room.” (P. 48).

Setting

• The time and place that a story occurs

• Example:– Chapter 4 gives a detailed explanation of

Crooks’ room, on a Saturday night.

Mood

• The way a piece of literature makes the reader feel.

• Example:– The part where Curley’s wife threatens

Crooks’ makes you feel very angry.

Consonance

• The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in a series of words.

• Example:– “…the halter chains rattled, and some horses

snorted and some stamped their feet.” (P. 82).

Personification

• Giving non-human things human characteristics.

• Example:– The Pixar movie “Cars” the cars have human

characteristics but are non-human.

Assonance

• The repetition of the vowel sounds in a series of words.

• Example:– “Well, I got a right to have a light.” (P. 68).

1st Person Point of View

• Uses the I, we, me, us point of view

• Example:– “…I could have searched the recesses of my feeble

conscience, I might have found something like: Free at last!” (Night, P. 112)

3rd Person Point of View

• The story is being told from the “he, she, it, they” point of view.

• Example:– “And when he came to the place where the

wild things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth.” (Where the Wild Things Are, p. 17).

Limited Point of View

• Point of view where the narrator can only share the thoughts and emotions of one or two main characters.

• Example:– Harry Potter books

Theme• What the author is really trying to say; the main

point he/she is trying to get across; the lesson or main message.

• Example:– The main themes in Of Mice and Men are importance

of relationships, responsibility to others, the nature of home, respect for old age, the difference between right and wrong, and the evil of oppression and abuse.

Plot Diagram

Introduction Trigger/Inciting incident

Rising action

Climax

Falling action

DenouementResolution

Introduction

• Characters are introduced and the setting is established.

• Example:– “The night Max wore his wolf suit and made

mischief of one kind and another.” (P. 1-3).

Trigger/Inciting incident

• The part of the plot where the conflict is introduced.

• Example:– “Max said ‘I’ll eat you up!’ so he was sent to

bed without eating anything. (P. 5).

Rising Action

• All the events that lead to the climax.

• Example: – “…an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for

Max and he sailed off through night and day. (P. 16).

Climax

• The most exciting/tense part of the story.

• Example:– “And when he came to the place where the

wild things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth.” (P. 28).

Falling action

• All the events that lead to the resolution

• Example:– “…but Max stepped into his private boat and

waved good-bye.” (P. 29).

Denoument

• Some stories have this part which ties up all loose ends and answers the reader’s questions.

• Example:– Not in the book Where the Wild Things Are.

Resolution

• Where the conflict is resolved.

• Example:– “…where he found his supper waiting for him

and it was still hot.” (P. 31-33).