English Finals Flashcards
citation
a reference to the source of a quote or idea
summary
a shortened account of the major events/points in a work
“what”
inference
a guess based on the information/evidence available
setting
where and when a work takes place
(physical characteristics: geography, seasons, time of day, historical period)
(social characteristics: political climate, class and status structures, culture, historical context)
analysis
the breaking down of work into individual elements in order to examine the meaning /function of each one
“how + why”
(inferences+meaning+function)
evidence
the info of facts given that support a claim/statement
point of view
the vantage point through which a story is presented by the author to the reader
(first-person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient)
theme
a central idea or message that is expressed throughout a literary work
(not limited to work- apply to all people, world, society, etc.)
MLA style
the standards for writing and citation according to the Modern Language Association
(parenthetical citation: “Quote” (Author page #).)
irony
a contrast between what is expected and what actually is
(situational, verbal, dramatic)
situational irony
a contrast between what is expected to happen and what does happen
(Ex: A fire station burns down.)
dramatic irony
a contrast between what the characters know and what the audience knows
(Ex: Sully thinks Boo is in the trash compactor)
verbal irony
a contrast between what a character says and what he/she means
(Belle says she doesn’t “deserve” Gaston.(she’s better than this and him))
first-person
the narrative is told from the point of view of one of the characters
(I, me, my, we, us, our)
(character=[unreliable] narrator)
(limited perspective to his/her experience)
third-person limited
the narrative is written in third-person and gives information on the thoughts and feeling of only one character
(he, she, they)
(narrator limited to the knowledge and perspective of one character)
third-person omniscient
the narrative is written in third-person and gives information on the thoughts and feelings of all characters
(he, she, they)
(all-knowing narrator)
imagery
description that appeals to any of the five senses (ONLY PHYSICAL SENSES) (see, hear, smell, touch, taste)
flashback
an interruption of the chronological sequence that inserts events of earlier occurrence
flashforward
a scene that interrupts and takes the narrative forward in time from the current time in the story
simile
a comparison between different things using like or as (sometimes than) to emphasize the shared trait
metaphor
a comparison between different things that says one is the other in order to emphasize the shared trait
personification
giving human traits to non-human things
hyperbole
an extreme exaggeration
synesthesia
describing on sensation by using a different sense
(voice:smooth, jealousy:thick in his stomach, light purple:smell)
figurative
meaning something other than what is actually stated
literal
meaning exactly what is stated
motif
a recurring symbol in a literary work
symbol
a deeper, implied meaning attached to something that also has a literal function/role in a literary work
