Literary Devices E-G Flashcards
1
Q
Define EKPHRASIS
A
- it’s writing about the visual arts
- ex: JK’s ‘OtaGU’
2
Q
Define ELEGY
A
- ‘tis a poem about a dead person or thing
3
Q
Define ELISION
A
- that’s when you REMOVE letters, syllables, or sounds from a word in order to make it shorter, and stick am apostrophe in its place
-EX: shortening until to ‘til - writers shorten words perhaps to imitate speech or to create rhythm
- DIFFERENCE between contractions and elisions?
contractions are when you join 2 words to form a shorter word: ex: do not- don’t
4
Q
Define END-STOP
A
- occurs when a line of poetry ENDS with a definite punctuation mark, such as a colon or a full stop
- when lines are end-stopped, EACH line is its own phrase or unit of syntax
- SO when you read an end-stopped line, you naturally pause
- in that sense, it’s the OPPOSITE of enjambment- which encourages you to move right along to the next line without pausing
5
Q
Define END-RHYME
A
- end rhyme refers to rhyme that occurs at the ends of lines
6
Q
Define ENJAMBMENT
A
- french for “straddling”
- occurs when a phrase carries over a line-break without a major pause
7
Q
Define EPIGRAPH
A
- is a short phrase or quotation that PRECEDES a literary work
- can be a way for the author to establish the tone and themes of the text that follows
EX: ASND- Hart Crane ‘A Broken Tower’
8
Q
Define EPIGRAM
A
- a short, witty, memorable and highly quotable statement
EX: Catherine the Great: “If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning”
9
Q
Define EPITHET
A
- it’s an adjective or adjective phrase that’s used to characterise someone or something
- When WS refers to R&J as “star crossed lovers”, that’s an epithet because their intense romance is one of their most defining qualities
- Sometimes an epithet is so commonly used that it unofficially becomes part of a person’s name: EX: CtG- the epithet “Great”
10
Q
Define ETHOS
A
- it’s all about judging character
- In Aristotle’s ‘Rhetoric’, it’s one of the 3 types of appeals you can make to your audience (along with pathos and logos)
- ethos: is your trustworthy factor
EX: you make a speech about the health benefits of desert
Ethos: to convince your audience appeal to their moral character, which is what ethos is really about. Tell them eating ice-cream makes them good people
11
Q
Define EUPHONY
A
means harmony in sound, i.e. the opposite of CACOPHONY
12
Q
Define EXPOSITION
A
- when an author is upfront about background info instead of revealing it gradually throughout the narrative
- this is when we’re told info, not shown it
13
Q
Define EYE RHYME
A
- when two words look alike but don’t sound alike
- ex: “laughter” and “slaughter”; “blood” and “mood”
14
Q
Define FALLING ACTION
A
when a plot starts packing things up
- occurs after the plot’s climax and ENDS in the plot’s resolution
- it’s when you get the good stuff: i.e. after a fight etc
15
Q
Define FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
A
- uses figures of speech like similes and metaphors to build meaning beyond the literal
- words that have more than 1 level of meaning
