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senior literature > literary terms > Flashcards

literary terms Flashcards

1
Q

ballad

A

is a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited

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2
Q

biography

A

the story of a persons life that is written by someone else

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3
Q

blank verse

A

unrhymed iambic pentameter

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4
Q

caesura

A

a pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry

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5
Q

cause and effect

A

the event that happens first is the cause, the one that follows is the effect

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6
Q

character

A

a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story

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7
Q

evaluating

A

the process of judging the value of something or someone

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8
Q

exaggeration

A

see hyperbole

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9
Q

exposition

A

see plot

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10
Q

extended metaphor

A

a figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length

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11
Q

external conflict

A

conflict outside the story

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12
Q

fable

A

a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature

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13
Q

fact and opinion

A

a fact is a statement that can be proved, an opinion is a statement that reflects the writers or speakers belief and cannot be supported by proof

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14
Q

falling action

A

see plot

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15
Q

fantasy

A

a work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element

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16
Q

auschwitz

A

the infamous concentrateion camp established by the nazis in poland

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17
Q

bastille

A

a prison in Paris where many political prisoners and tortured until the time of the french revolution

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18
Q

alamo

A

a fort once a chapel in san antonio, Texas where a group of americans made a heroic stand agianst a much larger mexican force in 1836

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19
Q

abstract

A

refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images and qualities rather than observable or specific things

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20
Q

allegory

A

an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities

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21
Q

anecdote

A

a short, simple narrative of an incident,effect or to make a point

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22
Q

annotation

A

explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data

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23
Q

antithesis

A

the presentation of two contrasting images

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24
Q

aphorism

A

a short, often witty statementof a principle or a truth about life

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25
Q

apostraphe

A

usually in poetry but sometimes in prose

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26
Q

argumentation

A

writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view

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27
Q

cacophonony

A

harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose

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28
Q

caricature

A

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a persons appearance or a fact of euphony

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29
Q

colloquialism

A

a word or phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing

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30
Q

coherence

A

quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea

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31
Q

concrete language

A

language that describes things, people or places rather than ideas or qualities

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32
Q

connotation

A

implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in the readers mind

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33
Q

consonance

A

repetion of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity

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34
Q

conundrum

A

a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun

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35
Q

deduction

A

the process of moving from a general rule to a specefic example

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36
Q

denotation

A

literal meaning of a word as defined

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37
Q

description

A

the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed obserevation

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38
Q

diction

A

word choice an element of style, creates tone, attitude, and style as well as meaning

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39
Q

chronological order

A

the order in which events happen in time

40
Q

clarifying

A

the readers process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he or she understands

41
Q

cliche

A

a type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a sying that is no longer considerd original

42
Q

climax

A

see plot

43
Q

comedy

A

a dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily

44
Q

comparison

A

identifying similarities

45
Q

concrete poetry

A

a type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message

46
Q

conflict

A

the tension or problem in the story

47
Q

central conflict

A

dominant or most important conflict in the story

48
Q

external conflict

A

problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force

49
Q

internal conflict

A

the problem or struggle that takes place in the main characters mind

50
Q

drawing conclusion

A

combining several pieces info to make an inference is called drawing conclusion

51
Q

dramatic monologue

A

literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings

52
Q

elegy

A

a type of literature defined as a song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation

53
Q

enjambment

A

in poetry, incoplete syntax at the end of a line, the meaning running over into the next line without terminal

54
Q

epigram

A

a short poem or verse that seeks to ridicule a thought or event

55
Q

epic

A

a long narrative poem about adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideas and values of a nation or group

56
Q

epiphany

A

a sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to changeor to act in a certain way

57
Q

epitaph

A

a short poem or verse written in memory of someone

58
Q

essay

A

a short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject

59
Q

fiction

A

prose writing that tells an imaginary story

60
Q

figurative language or figure of speech

A

expressions that are not literally true

61
Q

first person point of view

A

see point of view

62
Q

flashback

A

an event of earlier occurence

63
Q

foil

A

see character

64
Q

folklore

A

traditions, custims and stories that are passed down with a culture

65
Q

antagonist

A

character ina storyor poem who decieves, frustates, or works agianst the main character or protagonist

66
Q

hero/heroine

A

a character whose actions are inspiring or noble, often the main character in a story

67
Q

chorus

A

see refrain

68
Q

descriptive essay

A

one that describes a subject

69
Q

expository essay

A

one whose purpose is to expain and give information about a subject

70
Q

formal essay

A

highly organized and thoroughly researched

71
Q

humorous essay

A

one whose purpose is to amuse or entertain the reader

72
Q

informal essay

A

is lighter in tone and usually reflects the writers fellings and personality

73
Q

narrative essay

A

an essay that tells a story

74
Q

persuasive essay

A

attempts to convince a reader to adopt a particular option or course of action

75
Q

folktale

A

a simple story that has been passed from

76
Q

foot

A

a unit of meter with in a line of poetry

77
Q

foreshadowing

A

when the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future event in a story

78
Q

free verse

A

poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm

79
Q

generalizalition

A

a broad atatement about an entire group

80
Q

genre

A

a type or category of literature

81
Q

haiku

A

a traditional form of japanese poetry

82
Q

historical fiction

A

fiction that explores a pst time period

83
Q

horror fiction

A

fiction that contains mysterious and often supernatural events to create a sense of terror

84
Q

humor

A

provokes laughter or amusement

85
Q

hyperbole

A

a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggarated for emphasis or humorous effect

86
Q

iambic pentameter

A

see meter

87
Q

idiom

A

a phrase or expression that means something different

88
Q

imagery

A

the use of words and phrases that appeal to the five senses

89
Q

inference

A

is a logical guess based on evidence in the text

90
Q

internal conflict

A

see conflict

91
Q

interview

A

a meeting in which one person asks another about personal matters, professional matters or both

92
Q

irony

A

a conflict between what is expected and what actually exists or happens

93
Q

memoir

A

a specific type of autobiography, a memoir is about the authors personal experiences

94
Q

metaphor

A

a type of figurative language in which a comparison is made between two things that are essentially unlike but may have one quality in common

95
Q

meter

A

the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables

senior literature (7 decks)

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