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Literary Devices Flashcards

1
Q

Personification

A

Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects

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2
Q

Simile

A

A comparison that uses like or as

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3
Q

Metaphor

A

A comparison between two unlike objects

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4
Q

Iambic pentameter

A

A form of meter that is unstressed stressed

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5
Q

Foreshadowing

A

A hint of what’s to come in literature

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6
Q

Monologue

A

When a single character expresses their thoughts

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7
Q

Soliloquy

A

A dramatic device in which a character speaks their thoughts alone

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8
Q

Dialogue

A

Direct speech between two characters

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9
Q

Rising action

A

Action leading up to the climax that develops the conflict

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10
Q

Climax

A

Turning point in literature

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11
Q

Falling action

A

Results or effects of climax

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12
Q

Resolution

A

At the end of literature where loose ends are tied up and questions are answered

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13
Q

Prose

A

Written or spoken language in its own form without meter

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14
Q

Couplet

A

Two lines of verse that usually rhyme and form a unit

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15
Q

Pun

A

When multiple meanings of a word are used to convey different things
(Play on words)

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16
Q

Blank verse

A

Unrhymed iambic pentameter

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17
Q

Free verse

A

No clear rhyme scheme or meter but have short lines as opposed to sentences

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18
Q

Irony

A

The opposite of what is expected in the expression

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19
Q

Verbal irony

A

When someone writes or says one thing but means the opposite

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20
Q

Situational irony

A

When the outcome is not what was expected

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21
Q

Dramatic irony

A

When the audience or reader understands what’s going on but not the character

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22
Q

Sonnet

A

A poem with 14 lines and usually in iambic pentameter

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23
Q

Oxymoron

A

A phrase that contains two words that are contradictory

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24
Q

Speaker

A

Voice in the poem, the person or thing speaking

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25
Setting
A time or place of a literary work
26
Symbolism
One noun that is used to represent something else
27
Imagery
Language that appeals to the five senses
28
Mood
The overall atmosphere of the literary piece
29
Tone
The authors attitude toward the subject of the work
30
Theme
The underlying main idea of the literature. Theme differs from the subject of the literature
31
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration to add meaning
32
Conflict
Struggle between two or more opposing forces
33
Aside
A dramatic device in that a character makes a small speech intended for the audience to hear but not other characters
34
Prologue
A separate introductory section to a piece of literature
35
Subtext
An underlying distinct theme or idea that is clearly shown in a piece of writing or conversation
36
Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds
37
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds
38
Consonance
A reoccurrence of similar sounds, mainly consonants in close proximity
39
Apostrophe
Addressing an absent person or an abstract inanimate object
40
Onomatopoeia
A formation of a word from the sound its associated with
41
Allusion
Allusion – a reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work
42
Ba'al Shem Tov
18th century founder of Chasidism
43
Shabbat
The sabbath, weekly festival where all work stops for Friday night and Saturday
44
Yeshiva
a special Jewish parochial school where boys and girls are educated separately, and where stress is placed on study of the Torah and Talmud
45
Tzitzit
the ritual fringes used to remind Jews of God’s commandments; found either on a prayer shawl or a special undergarment worn under the shirt
46
Rabbi
Jewish religious and spiritual leader trained in scholarship and to lead the community
47
Rebbe
a revered leader of a Chasidic sect; the Rebbe is consulted in nearly all matters by his followers because he is considered the wisest man in the community and because it is believed that he is best able to interpret God’s will on earth
48
Hebrew
the language the Torah is written in and therefore considered a holy tongue. Chasidim do not speak Hebrew for trivial matters, but converse in Yiddish. Hebrew has been adopted as the national language of the modern nation of Israel, founded in 1948
49
Yiddish
a language, a combination of Hebrew, German, Polish and other European languages, spoken among Chasidic Jews
50
Yarmulke
a small hat worn by Jewish men to remind themselves that they are continually below God
51
Abba
Hebrew word for father
52
Talmud
the oral law. According to Jewish tradition, when the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, Moses also received oral instructions which were passed down orally, but not written down for many generations. Several generations later, a group of rabbis did write down their discussions of the oral laws and those writings are known as the Talmud
53
tzaddikim
The righteous ones – “a superhuman link between themselves and God.”
54
Tefilin
two boxes with long straps crafted of unblemished leather that contain particular Bible verses in them. They are worn around the head and between the eyes, and around the arm traditionally by Jewish men during morning weekday services so that they can literally fulfill the commandment in Deuteronomy that says, “and you shall wear them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.”
55
Torah
literally “law” the first five books of the Bible that traditional Jews believe were handed to Moses on Mt. Sinai while they were in the desert returning to Canaan after years of slavery in Egypt (613 commandments)
56
Momzer
a contemptible person
57
Samovars
an urn with a spigot at its base for tea
58
Hasidic Jews
Hasidim, or pious ones, are followers of a Polish Jew named Israel who lived in the 18th century. Also called a saintly man, he taught and mingled with his people out of a sense of love, not duty. The leaders of this sect are known as Tzaddikim, the righteous ones. Reb Saunders is a Tzaddik
59
Gentiles
non-Jewish faih, Christian
60
Kosher
clean or fit to eat according to Jewish law
61
Apostate
a person guilty of abandoning his faith

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