Literary Terms Flashcards
What is Authors Purpose ?
The reason the author is writing, Persuade, Inform, explain, entertain.
What are Rhetorical Devices
Techniques used to enhance an argument or drive home a point
ex: parallelism and repetition
What is Symbolism
An object, person, or place that stands for something else
Ex: A rainbow symbolizes hope and promise.
What is Theme
The underlying message the author wants to tell.
ex: never judge a book by its cover
What is an inference
A prediction in the story; logical assumption.
If someone is eating something and they make a weird face you assume they don’t like it.
What is parallelism
Pattern of words or sentence structure.
she like cooking, jogging, and reading, she likes to cook, jog, and read.
What is repetition
Repeating a sound or word for emphasis.
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
What is text structure
arrangement of the story; novel, poem, essay.
sequence of events.
What is a simile
Comparing things using like or as.
ex: they fought like cats and dogs.
What is supporting textual evidence
Material to prove a claim.
ex: direct quote from the text.
What is a metaphor
Comparing two things; one state is the other
laughter is the best medicine
What is a noun
A person, place, thing, or idea
ex: Michael
What is claim/point of view
The argument made a by the writer or speaker.
ex: a teen who wants another phone claims every other girl in the school has one.
What is an extended metaphor
A version of a metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, and stanzas.
ex: Romeo and juliet
What is mood
The overall feeling of the reader.
ex: cheerful
What is foreshadowing
A indication of what is to come later in the story.
ex: dialogue, “ I have a bad feeling about this.”
What is pace
The speed which the story was told
ex: we walked at a leisurely pace along the shore, the story slowed down.
What is authors tone
The authors attitude toward his/her subject
ex: sympathetic, depressed.
What is irony: Verbal/situational/Dramatic
When a speakers intention is the opposite of what he or she is saying.
Collection 4 terms
Figurative Language
Figurative language creates comparisons by linking the sense and the concrete to abstract ideas.
Fortunes fool
Fortunes fool means means you have terrible luck.
Tragic Hero
a character in a dramatic tragedy who has virtuous and and sympathetic traits but ultimately meets with suffering or defeat.
Foil
Foil is a character presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character.
Tragic Flaw
a flaw in a character that brings about the downfall of the hero of a tragedy.
Pun
A pun is a literary device that is also known as a “ Play on words.”
