Immigrant Experience Literary Techniques Flashcards
First person narration
A mode of storytelling in which events are recounted from a personal viewpoint
‘I am going to school.’ is an example of…
First person narration
Second person narration
A mode of storytelling in which the reader is immersed into the narrative as a character involved in the story.
“You feel your heart race, and the air around you seems to crystalize.” is an example of…
Second person narration
Third person narration
A mode of storytelling done by a third party description of someone who isn’t part of the text.
‘They could smell the pungent odour of the stockyards.’ Is an example of…
Third person narration
Direct address
Where the speaker is talking directly to an individual.
‘You need to vote!’ Is an example of…
Direct address
Omniscient narrator
An all-knowing narrator with a full knowledge of a story’s events and unspoken thoughts of characters.
“As the campers settled into their tents, Zara hoped her eyes did not betray her fear, and Lisa silently wished for the night to quickly end” is an example of an…
Omniscient narrator
Third person limited/subjective narration
Focuses on and knows everything about a specific character. The narrator’s perceptions of other characters are subjective.
”There was something in Peter’s eyes, when he was in his mad mood, and whenever Ender saw that look, that glint, he knew that the one thing Peter would not do was leave him alone.” This is an example of…
Third person limited/subjective narration
Third person objective narration
Focuses on a character’s speech and movement rather than their actual thoughts and feelings. The narrator’s perceptions of other characters are objective.
“He watched from a distance as the police officer questioned the subject.” Is an example of…
Third person objective narration
Reminiscent/Retrospective narration
Written using past-tense, first-person narration, a retrospective narrative is told from the point of view of a character looking back on past events.
“At that moment, my life was hard” is an example of…
Reminiscent/Retrospective narration
Focaliser
The presentation of a scene through the subjective perception of a character.
In TRF, Changez is reminiscing events of his life, whilst constantly talking to the stranger throughout the text. This is an example of a…
Focaliser
Free indirect style / discourse
Writing a character’s first person thoughts in the voice of the third person narrator. The author’s voice and character’s thoughts merge.
“Emma was glad about the visit. What did they think of her though? Don’t worry about stuff like that.” Is an example of…
Free indirect style/discourse
Interiority
The characters private mind which can be accessed through description of thoughts
“Once she was dressed and ready, she tiptoed out of the house. She did not want to meet any of the others. It was only half past seven. She would, she thought, sit somewhere for an hour, having a coffee and a sandwich, and then go to work early.” - Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. This is an example of…
Interiority
Interior monologue
When the thoughts and feelings passing through a character’s mind.
“I really shouldn’t buy that hardback book with the gold foil sprayed edges since I already have the ebook on my Kindle…” is an example of an…
Interior monologue
Stream of consciousness
A style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character’s extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax, and rough grammar.
“For having lived in Westminster–how many years now? over twenty,–one feels even in the midst of the traffic, or waking at night, Clarissa was positive, a particular hush, or solemnity; an indescribable pause; a suspense (but that might be her heart, affected, they said, by influenza) before Big Ben strikes.” This is an example of a…
Stream of consciousness
Linear narrative
A linear narrative is a story in chronological order. The storyline usually follows a cause-and-effect relationship, where each event directly leads to the next.
For example, ‘The One Memory of Flora Banks’ follows a _ narrative
Linear narrative
Non-linear or non-chronological narrative
Nonlinear narrative, is a narrative technique where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured.
Small Island, where they refer to 1945 and the present is an example of a…
Non-linear or non-chronological narrative
Narrative voice
Narrative voice is the perspective the story is told from.
First person - ‘I’ ‘My’ ‘We’
Second person - ‘You’
Third person - ‘They’, ‘He’, ‘She’ are all examples of…
Narrative voice
Unreliable narrator
An unreliable narrator is an untrustworthy storyteller. The unreliable narrator is either deliberately deceptive or unintentionally misguided, forcing the reader to question their credibility as a storyteller.
The stranger’s thoughts are relayed through Changez. This makes Changez an…
Unreliable narrator
Authorial intrusion
A literary technique authors may use to communicate directly with their reader, speaking to them as themselves rather than through the guise of a character.
“With the reader’s consent, I, as the author of the book you’re reading, will endeavour to retrace the impressions which he would have experienced.” This is an example of…
Authorial intrusion
Aliteration
A series of words that begin with the same consonant sounds
“Beating and bashing” is an example of an…
Aliteration
Colloquial language
Colloquial language is the informal language of conversation, usually adapted to different cultural groups.
Londoners say ‘you guys’, ‘I’m gunna and ‘cause’. This is an example of..,
Colloquial language
Hyperbole
The use of exaggeration for effect.
“The most daring, prodigious, death-defying feat attempted by man or woman in all human history!” This is an example of a…
Hyperbole
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The variety of someone’s language, determined by degree of formality displayed through choice of vocabulary, pronunciation, and syntax, according to the communicative purpose, social context, and standing of the user.
Our word choices, tone of voice, and body language will likely differ in a formal situation (e.g., a job interview) compared to informal situations (e.g., hanging out with friends). This is called a…
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Semantic fields
A lexical set of semantically related items.