All the Terms Flashcards
Antagonist
The force(s) that work against the protagonist, such as other people, things, society, or themselves.
Ex. Voldemort from Harry Potter
Connotation
What a word infers or suggests
Ex. The connotation of a snake could be evil.
Internal Conflict
Man vs. Himself
Ex. You vs. Your Problems
Contrast
Stress the differences of things, qualities, events, or problems.
External Conflict
Man vs. Man/Group of People
Man vs. Environment
Man vs. Society
Man vs. The Unknown (Supernatural)
Theme
The central idea of the story. The theme is not usually stated by the author. Instead the reader must discover the theme by questioning and examining the meaning of the story.
It’s kind of like the moral of a story.
How can you find the theme of the story?
- Title
- Main character (Change and what happen to them)
- Statements
- Conflict
Dynamic Charater
A character who changes during the story.
Ex. Bilbo Baggins went from hobbit homebody to adventurous brave hero.
Denotation
The literal meaning or definition of a word.
Ex. The denotation of ‘snake’ is a reptile.
Objective or Dramatic Point of View
The opposite of the omniscient point of view. Like a roving camera or a fly on the wall where the events are recorded without judgement or comment. Very little of the past or future is given; story is set in the present. The author does not show the feelings or thoughts of the characters. The reader must judge these things by himself/herself.
Suspense
A narrative technique, whereby an author creates uncertainty or anxiety in the reader/audience about what will happen next and/or the outcome of the story. Suspense is generally resolved when the story meets its climax.
Ex. Scary movies or Mysteries
Desciption
To describe a person, you would explaining your relationship, their physical characteristics, personality traits, their job, and in what way is special or different from others. Also, a description is creating a picture using words. A descriptive essay must use many specific details and appeal to the reader’s senses. (The 5 senses)
Falling Action
Part of the plot, which occurs after the climax.
Omniscient Point of View
The author tells the story in third person and he/she knows everything about all the characters.
Direct Presentation
The narrator tells the reader everything about the character.
Narrator
The person telling the story.
Plot
The sequences of events in a story
Stereotyped Character
A ‘flat character’ who is a certain type.
Ex. A Summit :P
Stock Character
A stereotyped character.
Limited Omniscient Point of View
The author tells the story in third person, but he tells it from the viewpoint of one character and presents the story through their eyes.
What are the 5 parts of the plot?
- Introduction
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Conclusion (also called denouement)
Point of View
Who is telling the story.
First Person Point of View
The narrator tells the story in first person using “I”. The reader sees and knows only as much as the narrator.
Static Character
A character that does not change or grow over the course of the story.
Irony
A mode of expression, through words (verbal irony) or events (situational irony) conveying a reality different from and usually opposite to appearance or expectation.
Setting
Refers to time, place, mood of a story.
Protagonist
The character in the center of the conflict.
Verbal Irony
Sarcasm is a type of verbal irony. Verbal irony is when someone says something, but meant the opposite.
Ex. Saying “Oh great!” after something bad happened.
Resolution
The point of closure in a story, when the principal dramatic complication or dilemma is worked out(usually at the end or very near the end of the story). Also referred to as the conclusion or denouement.
Situational Irony
Irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.
Ex. A professional pickpocket has his own pocket picked as he is the act of picking someone else’s pocket.
Satire
A form of irony that ridicules the faults of humanity, but always in the interest of society.
Rising Action
Part of the plot; a series of steps that developed the conflict as it builds to a climax. The rising action begins with an initial incident.
Dramatic Irony
Irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.
Ex. King Oedipus, unknowingly kills his father, and says that he will banish his father’s killer when he finds him.
Sarcasm
A verbal irony. When a speaker makes a statement in which its actual meaning differs sharply from the meaning of the words expressed. Sarcasm is a cutting or sneering remark.
Ex.
Round Character
A character who is complex and many sided; presented in detail.
Flashback
When the present action is a story is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness pass events.
Flat Character
A character with one or more traits.
Foil
A character that serves by contrast to stress opposing traits in another character.
Indirect presentation
When we know what a character by what he or she says, does, or thinks or by how others react to the character.
Foreshadowing
Hints or clues to help the reader anticipate the outcome of the story.
