Literary devices

Question 1

Flat character

Answer 1

A character whose personality traits can be described in only a few words (ex. all the kids in The Lesson, besides Sylvia and Sugar)

Question 2

Round character

Answer 2

A character whose personality traits are complex and multi-faceted (Sylvia, Miss. Moore)

Question 3

Antagonist

Answer 3

The person or force that works against the protagonist (ex. wealth gap in society - The Lesson)

Question 4

Setting

Answer 4

Place & time (year, season, time of day) in which a story’s action takes place
Also includes culture, ways of life, shared beliefs (the atmosphere)
Context of place and time

Question 5

Point of view

Answer 5

The mode of narration that an author employs to let the reader “hear” and “see” what takes place in the story or poem
Narrator is a character in the story=first person
Inner thoughts and feelings of multiple characters=third person omniscient
Inner thoughts and feelings of one character=third person limited (A Jury of Her Peers)
No inner thoughts and feelings of characters, like a roving sound camera=third person objective (The Lottery)

Question 6

Metaphor

Answer 6

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Question 7

Static character

Answer 7

A character who stays the same from the beginning to the end (Dee/Wangero the same outlook, despite changing things to be trendy)

Question 8

Dynamic character

Answer 8

A character who goes through a permanent change in moral qualities, personal habits, outlook (Slyvia realizes the significance of the wealth gap)

Question 9

Protagonist

Answer 9

Central character, we care about them and follow their struggle with interest (ex. Sylvia - The Lesson)

Question 10

Theme

Answer 10

A main idea or an underlying message of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly

Question 11

Irony

Answer 11

Situation/use of language involving some kind of discrepancy between what is expected and what actually happens

Question 12

Simile

Answer 12

A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind

Question 13

Symbol

Answer 13

An object or action that signifies something beyond its literal meaning

Question 14

Foreshadowing

Answer 14

Gives the audience hints or signs about what is to come through imagery, language, and/or symbolism. Does not give away the outcome, just suggests it. Used to create suspense, curiosity, or unease

Question 15

Alliteration

Answer 15

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Question 16

Imagery

Answer 16

Visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work

Question 17

Stock character

Answer 17

A personified stereotype, whose nature is familiar to us from prototypes in literature (ex. the private detective, Prince Charming, the damsel in distress), copy and paste character

Question 18

Suspense

Answer 18

The quality in a story that makes the reader eager to discover what will happen next (that feeling of being “on the edge of your seat”)

Question 19

5 types of conflict

Answer 19

Person vs. Person
Person vs. Environment
Person vs. Self
Person vs. Supernatural
Person vs. Society

Question 20

Personification

Answer 20

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Question 21

Tone

Answer 21

An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience, generally conveyed through the authors diction (choice of words) - ex. happy, sad, angry