8th grade lit terms

Question 1

Speaker

Answer 1

The voice that speaks the Poem’s words. Sometimes the speaker is the poet and sometimes it is a person the poet has created

Question 2

Static character

Answer 2

The character does not change during the course of the story

Question 3

Style

Answer 3

Refers to the way a piece of literature is written.

Question 4

Symbolism

Answer 4

The practice of representing things by symbols

Question 5

Theme

Answer 5

The message, moral, or meaning about life or human nature that a literary work communicates

Question 6

Tone

Answer 6

The author’s attitude toward the subject

Question 7

Treatment of an idea

Answer 7

First identify the genre, and then determine the authors purpose, main idea, pattern of organization, and tone. Then look at these features together and better understand the author’s treatment of the topic as a whole

Question 8

Purpose

Answer 8

The reason the author has written the work

Question 9

Satire

Answer 9

The use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule

Question 10

Sound devices

Answer 10

Rhythm, repetition, rhyme, and alliteration create a mode, unify a poem, inspire feelings, and reinforce the poem meaning

Question 11

Poetic form

Answer 11

Refers to how a poems words are arranged into the lines or stanzas

Question 12

Poetic/lyric poetry

Answer 12

The art of rhythmical composition

Question 13

Imagery

Answer 13

Descriptive words or phrases that appeal to the readers five senses

Question 14

Inference

Answer 14

When readers draw a logical conclusion about something in a story and base it on information in the story and their own experience

Question 15

Mood

Answer 15

The feeling the work conveys to the reader

Question 16

Extended metaphor

Answer 16

A metaphor that is extended through a stanza or an entire poem

Question 17

Dynamic character

Answer 17

Characters in a story who change

Question 18

Figurative language

Answer 18

Deepens and extends the meaning of a poem or other literary work by presenting objects or ideas from a different perspective than the usual one

Question 19

Analogy

Answer 19

A similarity or compatibility

Question 20

Anecdote

Answer 20

A brief account of an interest or amusing incident

Question 21

Connect

Answer 21

Relating the content of a story to your own knowledge and experience

Question 22

Setting

Answer 22

The time and place of a story

Question 23

Visualize

Answer 23

Reader forms mental images of a story

Question 24

Predict

Answer 24

What someone thinks will happen next

Question 25

Biography

Answer 25

A written account of another persons life

Question 26

Plot

Answer 26

A plot is made up of events than can be divided into 3 parts

Question 27

Point of view

Answer 27

The perspective from which a story is told

Question 28

Irony

Answer 28

The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meanings

Question 29

Main idea

Answer 29

The most important part in a paragraph or story

Question 30

Metaphor

Answer 30

A comparison that does not use like or as

Question 31

Flashback

Answer 31

A scene from an earlier time that interrupts the on

Question 32

Foreshadowing

Answer 32

To show or indicate beforehand

Question 33

Idiom

Answer 33

An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual literal meaning

Question 34

Antagonist/protagonist

Answer 34

The protagonist is the main character or hero of a story. The antagonist is the protagonists opponent. The antagonist is usually a character but can also be a force of nature or an obstacle.

Question 35

Author’s purpose

Answer 35

The author attitudes, beliefs, heritage, and traditions represented in the story

Question 36

Characterization

Answer 36

Portrayal or description of a character