Literary Terms #2

Question 1

resources of language

Answer 1

a general phrase for the linguistic devices or techniques that a writer can use; a question calling for the “resources of language” invites a student to discuss the style and rhetoric of a passage; such topics as diction, syntax, figurative language, and imagery are all examples of resources of language

Question 2

rhetorical techniques

Answer 2

the devices used in effective or persuasive language; the number of rhetorical techniques, like that of the resources of language, is long; examples would be devices such as contrast, repetitions, paradox, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical devices

Question 3

satire

Answer 3

writing that seeks to arouse a reader’s disapproval of an object by ridicule; satire is usually comedy that exposes errors with an eye to correct vice and folly

Question 4

setting

Answer 4

the background to a story; the physical location of a play, story, or novel; the setting of a narrative will normally involve both time and place

Question 5

simile

Answer 5

a directly expressed comparison; a figure of speech comparing two objects, usually with “like,” “as,” or “than”

Question 6

strategy (or rhetorical strategy)

Answer 6

the management of language for a specific effect; the strategy or rhetorical strategy of a poem is the planned placing of elements to achieve an effect

Question 7

structure

Answer 7

the arrangement of materials within a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical divisions of a work

Question 8

style

Answer 8

the mode of expression in language; the characteristic manner of expression of an author; elements of style include diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, sound effects and tone

Question 9

symbol

Answer 9

something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else

Question 10

syntax

Answer 10

the structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence; a discussion of syntax could include such considerations as the length or brevity of the sentences, the kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative sentences, rhetorical questions - or periodic or lose; simple, complex, or compound)

Question 11

theme

Answer 11

the main thought expressed by a work

Question 12

tone

Answer 12

the manner in which an author expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning; tone is the result of allusion, diction, figurative language, imagery, irony, symbol, syntax, and style